#anticynic

[zenosanalytic]

Movie Buzz

So I went to go see the new Bumblebee movie and I liked it.

I wouldn’t call myself a transformer fan. I was big into the series when I was but a wee snek, but I never followed the comics, or made a Thing out of owning the toys, or really got into any of the shows other than Beast Wars, and I’ve never really been into collecting in general(except for a short period where I was big into fantasy model building&painting), which seems to be a big part of the fandom.

And, of course, the Bay films --as the audio-visual manifestation of an inner ear infection-- make me physically ill(this is not metaphortalk), and --as the audio-visual manifestation of macho marketized misanthropy -- morally disgusted/exhausted(a reaction which certainly isn’t alleviated by the whole, aforementioned, “making me nauseous” thing).

So it isn’t something I would have typically thought of as my sort of thing or bothered to go see in theaters.

But, I follow Lindsay Ellis on Twitter, and sub both Her Youtube and Black Nerd’s(and I’m a long-running David Willis fan), and they’re big Transformers fans, so I kinda have my ear vaguely to the earth re: Transformers stuff and when Ellis and Meadows made a Reaction Video/Review for Bumblebee, I saw it and thought “ok I have to see this film”.

And it’s just great. I don’t want to spoil anything(and btw that reaction vid has spoilers so, watcher beware) so I’ll just say this about it: Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts. Which, kinda cribs from Ellis a bit, tbh, but it’s really the most accurate thing to say about the film’s emotional impact on me. It’s a fun, sincere, competent, visually coherent movie. And I want to emphasize the “Visually Coherent” bit: The Transformers LOOK like Transformers, they are individually distinct, they can be easily identified, they’re even-flipping-color-coded(as in canon). The two main villains even have an inverted Red Oni Blue Oni dynamic it’s Gr8. Bumblebee lifts some visuals and story elements from The Iron Giant, the first Men in Black, and (yes, I’m not kidding)The Shape of Water; it’s view of the late 80s-early 90s period is probably a bit too rose-tinted; and it’s antagonists are cartoonishly villainous, but none of that hurt the movie for me. In fact that stuff, in that they are all common elements of the anticynical, pre-Edge 80s-90s films like Flight of the Navigator which it is obviously a love-letter to, make the film stronger, in my opinion.

It’s certainly a very nostalgic film(verging on being too nostalgic; there were a few 80s references which were almost too on-the-nose, but in the moment I felt they fit the characters and I laughed), but I personally felt like that helped to establish and strengthen the Sincere Sentimentality which Travis Knight and the rest of the crew wanted to make its emotional heart. While they skirted up to the cliff separating time-distorted-fondness from commercialized memory, they thankfully didn’t tip over it. There’s also some, shall we say, oblique symbolism in a few scenes for the weirdos out there which, being a weirdo myself, I really enjoyed uwu

It’s also a very funny film, which brings me to my My Main Concern about it. I worry that the nostalgia may get in the way for people who didn’t live through(or in the cultural wake of) the 80s. I worry this because, while my theater was verging on full attendance(very good for a Thursday early morning show), me and maybe 3 other people seemed to be doing most of the laughing. Given, audiences in my particular end of Texas tend to be pretty subdued/polite, but the film had about the same joke-concentration as Deadpool and definitely NOT the same laugh-concentration. The thing is I don’t know if this is because of younger audiences not connecting with the older setting- and reference-jokes, or because of the humor being subtle and situational rather than the super-obvious reference and physical comedy that Deadpool deals in. Anyway, while all of the performances are great and funny John Cena, in particular, does an excellent job in a simultaneously comedic and antagonistic role as, what I’ve read, is supposed to be a GI Joe cameo, setting up a potential spin-off franchise.

The only complaint I have --and it’s not really a complaint so much as a taste difference or maybe just even a plot-bunny watching it left me with-- is, and this is potentially

<<<+++SPOILER+++>>>

territory here, so be advised, but:

I wish she’d gone with him. I feel like it’d have been a more interesting and honest-to-the-character(and franchise, given TF always has a human audience-standin character) ending, though I also see how it’d have gone against the feel, themes, and homage they were going for with the movie, and been a bit too confident about getting a sequel-chance.

Oh, and having Bumblebee turn into the Camaro at the end I didn’t like. But, then, I ALWAYS thought the Bay films having BB be a Camaro was a dumb and asinine decision, and it’s a big reason why I never watched any of them in theaters to begin with. BB’s supposed to be a friendly, reliable, and approachable character who makes it easy for audiences to sympathize with and care for the Autobots(and thus boo the Decepticons for putting him in danger), and there’s nothing more friendly, reliable, and approachable than a slugbug. Turning him into a Camaro was always an act of pathetic male insecurity; since their reissue in the late 90s, Volkswagen Bugs have been heavily marketed to women in the US(I’m convinced because they’re small and quiet), and so Bay --a man whose whole career is basically an audio-visual cathedral to his masculine insecurity-- couldn’t stand that, and made him a generic “muscle-car”(*requisite gigantic, space-visible wanking motion*) instead. I get that they had to include some nods to this being a “prequel” rather than a reboot, but I’d have preferred this not be one of them.

But Anyway: Hailee Stanfeld was Great, Pamela Adlon was Great, Lendeborg and Drucker were Great; I loved how they focused on friendship over romance and Memo was cool with it; it’s just a really Competent, Good, Fun movie you guys.

Aaaaaand I guess I had more to say about it than just “Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts” :p :p If any of this sounds appealing to you and you’ve got the free time&cash, plz go see it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

[monogynous]

sup sistttaaaa

hey sista I like what you did with your hair

[monogynous]

I c u

i l y

[monogynous]