From Paramount Pictures comes their sixth entry into the Transformers franchise, “Bumblebee”. Directed by Travis Knight and starring Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena. Set in 1987, “Bumblebee” opens on the homeworld of Cybertron where it houses the Autobots and Decepticons. The two factions who are currently waging war with one another. After being pushed to their heels, Optimus Prime sends Bumblebee to Earth to seek refuge for the peace-keeping Autobots. From that point forward, “Bumblebee” brings the laughs, thrills, and depth that the Transformers franchise has lacked since 2007. For a franchise that was hellbent on bringing destruction to every major city across the globe through the lens of Michael Bay, it’s refreshing to see the franchise take a step back. “Bumblebee” exchanges the indecipherable action and incoherent storytelling for a simpler story in hopes of achieving a form of emotional effectiveness even if familiar. Familiar in the sense that Travis Knight extracts the foundation of iconic 80s films to bring Bumblebee to life. The greatest example of this is the overdose of 80s references and the star Hailee Steinfeld. Steinfeld who has come into her own since “The Edge of Seventeen” as a comedic talent, and now leading a big time blockbuster. Steinfeld completely disappears in the role as Charlie and brings the angsty young-adult 80s persona to life in tremendous fashion. Not only does she have the look, but she makes Charlie the first character in the Transformers franchise seem realistic. Not a heightened version of herself a-la Shia Labeouf, but a character with resonant characteristics and journey from beginning to end. Disappointingly enough her co-star John Cena was underutilized. He delivered some cheesy lines but he didn’t really bring anything to the film other than some machismo presence. As for “Bumblebee’s” issues it has become readily apparent that TV and Film want to make sure that they make 80s films as EIGHTIES as possible. When “Stranger Things” released their first season on Netflix back in 2016 it seemed to resurrect the “kids on bikes meeting aliens” craze. For better or worse, most films set in the 80s have completely overdone it since. Strangely enough, film-makers and studios think that teens and young adults were head over heels for John Carpenter’s “The Thing” as his poster has plastered the walls of many of their rooms. There is also sequences on top of sequences that scream, “LOOK HOW 80S WE ARE!” Musical cues, cassette tapes, records, old school carnivals, and even the story is framed in a way that wants to remind audiences that the 80s are just so darn cool. Which, the 80s are cool, that era of pop culture has defined a lot of our lives and media we digest, but the best films set in the 80s are when they don’t go out of their way to constantly remind you about the aesthetic of that decade as if we’ve forgotten. Trust me, the 1980s is not an era of time that will be forgotten anytime soon. It was also relatively underwhelming at the lack of style for “Bumblebee”. Michael Bay’s “Transformers” by comparison at least has some balls to it’s style. Almost too many balls, sure, but Bay still incorporates awe-inspiring framing that brings about lots of unique stylistic flourishes to Bay’s personality. Although “Bumblebee” has more coherent action and storytelling it feels a bit too vanilla from a visual perspective despite a more clear understanding of which robot is which during a scuffle. To conclude, “Bumblebee” really is a pretty good movie with loads to love, and a bit to be disappointed in. For a franchise that has become all about the money and Bay getting far too self-indulgent with “The Last Knight” it feels good to see a “Transformers” film with lots of passion behind it. It bodes for a great jumping off point for the future of “Transformers” on the big screen even if it plays it a little too safe by comparison to the childish nature of Bay. I’d still contend it’s the best “Transformers” flick yet due to its effectiveness in being concerned with a smaller, more honed in story. Bigger isn’t always best. “Bumblebee” gets a 74/100