What do John Cena, the 80's, a junkyard, and a VW Bug have in common? They're all featured prominently in the new Transformers movie.
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I don't know if this is just me, but the Transformers franchise has always felt like an attempt by former jocks to cash in on the social strides made by nerds.
If you're not a nerd imagine this: Your favorite football team is going to have a movie made about their great season last year. Exciting, right?
Unfortunately, when the movie comes you discover that the action is all CGI, they've added a wacky sidekick, and instead of a football game the ending is decided with a dance-off (which tested better with teens).
"Behold! I am Bumblebee! The tension in whatever's going on in this moment is probably about to be broken with dumb humor!"
"What? I don't think so, Mr. Robot. There are barely any banana peels on the groun- whups!"
That said, Travis Knight is directing this one. His only other movie is "Kubo and the Two Strings", which was a charming tale that feels like it lines up well in terms of tone with what a good Transformers movie could be. Also this is a prequel, set in 1987, in a junkyard where a young girl and her John Cena find a wounded Bumblebee. They robo-nurse him back to health and then the plot happens
I'm saying give it a chance. Despite the reputation these films have gained among nerds, this movie does look promising. As a tabletop RPG playing, anime watching, Youmacon going, dyed-in-the-wool nerd; I will be there. Or should I say I will 'bee' there! Hey, I'm funny enough to write for these flicks!
"Funny?! This is a thrilling action scene! The only way we'll look foolish is if someone left a banana peel on the groun- whups!"