After watching Bumblebee, I realized that this is completely different than any other Transformers movie I’ve watched. This movie truly develops the main character, Charlie, into a new person after the credits roll. Then there’s Bumblebee. A character we all know from the old movies, but never got to know on a personal level. However, this movie does not only tell us the story of Bumblebee, but also a tale of redemption and friendship.

The first non Michael Bay directed Transformers movie is, in my opinion, the best one in the series . Yes, there are constant giant robot fights and explosions throughout the movie. I mean the first 10 minutes of the movie are explosions, but there is more to the story than action sequences. When we are first introduced to 18 year old Charlie, we quickly learn that her father died when she was younger, and results in her being cold and in a constant state of anger towards her mom and step father. That is, unless she is fixing a car.

Charlie gets an incredible amount of comfort when working around cars, as she used to with her dad. So after finding a yellow beetle at her local garage, she quickly sets to working on it, shortly getting the car to run. However, this car turns out to be the one and only Bumblebee. Bumblebee isn’t the same Camaro we’re used to seeing, but other than that he looks just himself. The movie then leads us through sad, comical, and heartwarming events that bring Charlie and Bumblebee closer together.

The prequel Bumblebee has brought new life into a series that was thought to be dead. Thanks can go to new Transformers Director Travis Knight for bringing in new emotional depth into a movie that relied heavily on action scenes and explosions. And  I know some people will be missing them, but this is a much needed change to bring a franchise back from the dead.