The full-length Bumblebee trailer is here and it looks like everything a Transformers movie should be.
The sixth film in Michael Bay’s noisy mech-head series, Bumblebee is the first chapter that he’s not directing himself – with Laika’s Travis Knight (Kubo And The Two Strings) stepping in to strip the series back to its retro roots.
As we’ve already seen from the teaser, the film is set in the 80s – with a sweeter, gentler Iron Giant vibe replacing Bay’s usual bombast. The full trailer throws in a lot more action, but it still has plenty of Amblin heart.
More importantly, it has plenty of G1 character designs too – with Bumblebee (and Optimus Prime, glimpsed in a hologram) returned to the plasticky shapes we all know and love.
We see a few Decepticons, a bit of a snarly looking John Cena, and a glimpse of Cybertron – but the film thankfully still looks like it revolves around Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld) and her unexpected friendship with Bee. Set in 1987, the film follows Charlie as she buys Bee (back in his old Herbie form – not the Camaro we see in the 2007 Transformers movies) and discovers who he really is – getting roped into an adventure that sees Bee trying to stop a bunch of escaped Decepticons wreaking havoc on Earth. Blitzwing makes an appearance (ie, not Starscream), as does Soundwave and Barricade, with Cena’s Agent Burns doing eveything he can to stop them.
With one late shot in the trailer showing Bee laying on the floor, crushed, his hand outstretched to Charlie, it looks like things are going to get weepy too, which is only fitting for a film that looks like it’s channelling E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial more than The Last Knight.
Bumblebee opens on Boxing Day.