Set in the year 1987 (when music was awesome!), a battle occurs on the planet Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers. The Transformers become forced to retreat from their home planet and split up from one another. One familiar yellow Transformer, Bumblebee, is given a new mission during the battle by his leader, Optimus Prime. Prime tells him to journey to Earth, take refuge and wait to regroup with his fellow Autobots. Bumblebee lands on Earth and quickly gets wounded while defending himself. Bumblebee ends up in a junkyard where he meets a young 18-year-old girl named Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), and together they develop an unforgettable friendship.

As the film begins, I was hooked and engaged right from the opening scene. The action, the style and the looks all felt new and fresh for a Transformers film. Transformers fans will be happy to know that this film feels more relatable and accurate, especially for those who grew up watching the Transformers cartoon series, played with the toys or even those who loved the animation film from 1986.

But these different feelings I have don’t just last through the opening sequence- the whole film feels fresh, and the story/plot could be considered as either a reboot or a prequel film- that choice is really up to the viewer.

Unlike the previous Transformers films which were originally directed by Michael Bay, for this film Bay sits in the seat as the film’s Producer and hands Director over to Travis Knight. Knight clearly understands what a Transformer film should be like, in particular the Transformer characters and the cleaner taste of humour. While I’ve never published any reviews or scores for the previous Transformers films, I’ll say it out loud. I thought the last two Michael Bay Transformers films, in particular, were absolute poop.

Our story here is something which many will claim they have seen before (such as ET or The Iron Giant). But thankfully, while the film’s plot is not unknown, the return of familiar Transformers and new human characters makes it all fun and will hopefully create new feelings in many viewers. Action and home theatre buffs will be extremely content with the audio and visual track here too.

I enjoyed Bumblebee and Charlie’s friendship throughout the film. Actor and WWE Legend John Cena makes an appearance, and he too is fun. Our film also keeps it tight in regards to the number of actors/characters. Even the film’s pace and duration felt snappy and fast (Unlike Transformers The Last Knight- again, poop).

Overall, this is an excellent Transformers film, and I feel like we finally have a Director who understand this franchise and what should be done with it. Even if the audience considers this as a prequel or reboot, there is lots of awesomeness in this instalment. Honestly, I’m curious to rewatch the franchise again as this could be my favourite out of the 6 Transformers films. Either way, this film gives me hope for the future of this franchise, and I’m sure our Autobots will return.

7.8/10

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Review Written by Peter Walkden