Bumblebee

Bumblebee is the origin story for the Autobot Transformer of the same name. Set in 1987, Bumblebee is forced to go into hiding, after suffering some major injuries in battle. When he is discovered by Charlie, a young girl struggling to find her place in the world, at a California junk yard, they realize they will have to work together to save Earth. 

There were only a couple of things that I liked about this movie, the soundtrack and the CGI. The movie was set in the 80s so all of the music was new wave and 80s pop, which was fun. The CGI during the Transformer fight scenes were pretty good. It looked as if some of it was choreographed by a MMA specialist which was entertaining.

There was a lot however, not to like about this move. The acting was not that great. I have discovered that John Cena is basically the same in everything, so I wasn't very surprised by his movie choice nor his lack of range. Hailee Steinfeld played the lead. I don’t think that she should have been the one to carry this movie. I liked her in the Pitch Perfect movies as a minor role more than I liked her in this. Her portrayal of Charlie was not convincing nor did I feel a connection to her character or any of the others besides the robot, Bumblebee. The script was corny and the plot predictable. The movie didn’t feel very original, as there were definitely some scenes that were taken from previous Transformer movies. Overall this was not a very good movie. It tried to have some heart and comedic timing but it didn't really hit for me. I think it could pass with the kids but not with adults.