'Bumblebee' might open up the Transformers franchise to a new audience

Paramount's spin-off/prequel to Michael Bay's franchise has the potential to find a new audience, providing a high-quality coming-of-age drama and action spectacle together

Hailee Steinfeld in 'Bumblebee' (Paramount)

On December 21st, Paramount Pictures will release the latest instalment in the now seemingly dead-in-the-water Transformer's franchise, 'Bumblebee'. This spin-off/prequel is the first live-action film in the billion-dollar grossing franchise not to be directed by Michael Bay, which may be a good thing as fatigue with his style has led to poorer critical and commercial reception (his last film 'The Last Knight' bombed at the box office with 'only' $605.4 million globally on a $217 million budget and plunged the franchise into chaos). 

This flick is directed by new-comer Travis Knight, (ironic, know?) whose only previous credit is 'Kubo and the Two Strings' which may partly be down to why the film feels so scaled back (a positive thing by the way) but still delivers the spectacle that's become a trademark of the franchise. The screenplay was originally penned by Christina Hodson (who has three screenplays on the Hollywood black list as best unproduced scripts and is currently working on DC Film's 'Bird's of Prey') and has been re-written by Kelly Fremon Craig who reunites with the lead, Hailee Steinfeld, from 'The Edge of Seventeen' which she wrote and directed. (As a side note, 'Edge of Seventeen' is an excellent coming-of-age drama, telling characters stories I could certainly associate with and combing adult humour and emotional weight to form a compelling story - well worth a watch, honestly). Now, I partly think 'Bumblebee' will be successful (I'm not going to define the criteria to judge it's success as that would be unfair on the flick) and expand the franchise to a new audience because of the creative team behind it. Indeed, having two female writers on a film about a female protagonist (Hailee Steinfeld) makes it much more authentic and unusual for Hollywood, which sets this film apart. Added to this, the fact that they're credits show them to be quality writers who prioritise character and story over action and spectacle - something that will make this film stand out from the franchise and where it may target a new audience of movie-goers. 

The second factor in predicting the films potential success is that of the leading female, Hailee Steinfeld. I'm a massive admirer of the actress who, quite frankly, is underrated in the industry and has such a great range and versatility that she is indeed an upcoming talent with a promising career ahead of her. Ever since her debut in the Coen Brother's 'True Grit' she has continued to prove that if provided with the right material, her acting abilities can turn a film into an 'excellent' film. And here, it's likely she will once again be provided with the material, and if the trailer's are to be believed, her acting range and abilities should once again make this film stand-out as a well acted and written franchise offering. Unlike, arguably, the preference for bigger names in the Michael Bay films, and no offence to these actors, but they didn't have the range and talent that someone like Steinfeld possesses to truly turn these from action spectacle to heart felt drama. Here, that all might change.

The other thing to note, is the genre of this film. The plot synopsis released with the trailers we've seen online so far, reveals that the flick is set in 1987 and that teenager Charlie (Steinfeld) becomes the owner of a battle-beaten and broken VW bug - which turns out to be the transformer, Bumblebee. The two become close friends and commence a quest to save the world from an impending war. This film is, therefore, firstly a coming-of-age teenage drama with emphasis on small-scale, realistic human behaviour and promises to make the relationship between robot and their helper one that the audience actually believes in for once. The fact that the Travis Knight flick will prioritise what is considered to be an indie micro-budget genre over being just another "Transformer's flick with plenty of high-budget spectacle" shows how Paramount are targeting a completely different or expanded audience than where the series had been before. Second, also giving audiences that spectacle expected for a higher-budget franchise offering but making this subordinate to the smaller-scale aims of story and character allows existing fans and general audience movie-goers to still be interested in seeing the film. 

Therefore, I believe the audience of this film will extend from the die-hard fans of Michael Bay's flicks and in doing so give it critical and commercial success, that most aren't expecting. Hailee Steinfeld is popular with younger demographics (especially considering her solo career as a pop artist is widely followed) and will add many of these to 'Bumblebee's' target audience. Also, the actress, added with the female screenwriters mean that the film is a made by/starring females case, which will bring the female demographic to the audience in quantities arguably not seen by the franchise before. Lastly, general fans of the smaller-budget character-lead coming-of-age dramas will also flock to the picture with the lure of seeing this in a higher-budget movie with action spectacle. I will add that I am drawn to this movie for all of the above reasons, and although I have seen the original 'Transformers' and parts of the others and really not enjoyed/rated them very highly, Paramount will have secured my cinema ticket to an entry in a franchise I had no previous desire to witness - and that's a win for everyone. 

by Jack Linsdell