In the 2007 live-action Transformers film there’s only one Transformer who can’t talk, and they gave that Transformer a live-action prequel film. Yes, that’s right, it's Bumblebee! What seemed like a rocky idea was turned into a huge success. It might not be as big and grandiose as the other five films in the series, but what it lacks in epic scale it certainly makes up for in its heart, warmth, and humour. By taking cues from films such as The Iron Giant and E.T., Bumblebee feels much more lighthearted in a tone that turns out is the secret to its success, especially in these particular shots!
Cinematography is criminally overlooked within general discussions of the film. You remember filmmakers like Christopher Nolan and Stephen Spielberg but how about the Cinematographer for Bumblebee? Enrique Chediak isn’t in the same class as say Hoyte Van Hoytema or Roger Deakins but this shot proves how fantastic the film looks thanks to him. That and the combination of special effects makes the film feel grounded, gritty, and realistic. Making sure these factors are balanced sells the humanity of Bumblebee beautifully, and makes you care for a robotic CGI character! Bumblebee is also one of those rare robotic characters that you can emphasise with thanks to the physicality of the performance too, and this shot perfectly captures that.
The film constantly reminds you that the heart of the film is more important than any of the action-heavy set-pieces. The problem with the other Transformer films is that there’s no room to breathe, it’s mainly just explosions and destruction, which look great, but it doesn’t help to convey any emotions between the characters in between the carnage. Hailee Steinfeld gives Charlie Watson the perfect amount of humanity. To her Bumblebee isn’t a robotic creature but a friend and it’s moments like this that sell that relationship. The amount of close-up’s between the two of them further expresses this chemistry that they need each other, even if Bumblebee is a robotic car.
Travis Knight shoots this scene amazingly well. With a background in stop-motion animation, he knows how important the physicality of performance is. Placing Bumblebee in a domestic setting is certainly an out-of-the-box scenario, and having a character who can’t talk gives the filmmaker more to play within the scene. In this scene, Bumblebee has the same energy as some of the classic Buster Keaton and Charlie Chapman comedies. It also helps to differentiate this film from the other films, after all, it’s not all about destruction and robot fighting. Bumblebee in this film is adjusting to a suburban lifestyle, something unusual for a machine like him, but it helps to highlight the humour amongst the destruction.
Bumblebee is severely underrated and definitely stands above the rest of the Transformers films. There are more films in the Transformers film series in development and they really should take some notes on what they’ve achieved with Bumblebee. The humanity of the characters sells the films more than the action. The cinematography in particular helps the movie shine, almost literally, and helps balance the innocence of the characters with the beauty of California in the 1980s. Although the main takeaway from today is that robots do have emotions too!
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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