Throughout my life, I can say that I was a passive fan of Transformers. Granted, I was never heavily into the lore or history of the characters as some of my friends are, but I found myself enjoying their robotic world all the same. Most mornings would find me sitting in front of my television, eyes wide as I watched the latest episode of "Transformers: Animated." In fact, growing up it was one of my favorite cartoons to watch. I was invested in the lives of these walking and talking robots which, as time passed, got me interested in the fanbase as a whole.

Thus, as Transformers movie after Transformers movie hit the big screen, I found myself sitting in the theaters. Honestly, I was so little that I have only vague recollections of the early films, but I know that they left a somewhat positive impact on me then due to their creative characters and interesting design choices. However, unlike a fine wine, these movies have not aged well with the fanbase. With what fans called awful designs and long, drawn-out plots, the Transformers movies could not seem to catch a break. Fans were waiting with each movie that released for the Transformers movies that really represented and upheld the spirit of the original franchise.

Fortunately, now we have "Bumblebee" added to the Transformers film base.

Honestly, when I heard how well Bumblebee was doing in the theater, I was a bit surprised. A Transformers movie that is getting good reception? What a concept! With all the glowing praise, I knew that I had to go give this film a watch for myself and I am honestly glad I did so. "Bumblebee" is a fun and exciting movie that reaches far beyond what a Transformers movie was thought to be in the past.

There are several things that really work in this movie and a lot of it stems from the overall designs and animation of the Transformers themselves. I must be difficult and take a lot of work to design an interesting looking and unique robot character while staying true to the source material. However, personally, I think that the designs in "Bumblebee" stand head and shoulders above those in previous film adaptations. These designs do well in bringing these robotic characters to life while giving them their own personality and life; they are both creative and nostalgic which works in the film's favor. On top of this, we are introduced to these well-designed and fun looking characters in an environment where they truly belong: on Cybertron. The design of the planet and all the animation associated with it were absolutely stellar making the first three minutes or so a complete delight to watch.

Beyond this, the action is just too amazing good in this film. The timing, speed, and camera angles all work together to provide us not only with an action sequence that keeps us on the edge of our seats but with an action sequence that one can actually follow without confusion. It has a continuous nature that doesn't feel broken or forced. Plus, what surprised me was how good the physical action was in this film; the movies and punches these robots do look extremely real and look like they could do some serious damage. The action kept me on the edge of my seat and I found myself gasping more than once at how fast-paced and well-done it was.

However, what really this film has going for it is the focus placed on humanity and I don't mean just the human characters. What makes this movie work so well is its focus on human emotions. As people, we really want to find something human in other things which explains our tendency to bond with objects and creatures that aren't human; we want to give them personalities because on some level we want that form of communication. This movie really shines when it comes to getting us to connect with Bumblebee himself. What is especially interesting is that we don't really get to hear the character actually speak. Instead, we get to watch him connect with the world and with his human character friends (who, by the way, are also fun characters who warm up to you very quickly). Though he is a robot, we get to see bits of humanity in him which make him an adorable and relatable character; we want to laugh at the funny moments (and this movie has those) and cry at the sad moments with him. We want to share this movie experience with a robot and that is what makes this film so interesting.

Is this movie absolutely perfect? No, all movies have spots that are considered weaker than others. Personally, I think that John Cena's character, unless he plays a bigger role in the future, was kind of unnecessary in the long run. If you are to consider his character, the movie could still function without him existing. His position and actions are not so tied to the movie's survival which makes it difficult to relate to the character as a whole. On another note, I think it ties in well in the end, but it is kind of tired that the main character lost her dad; it is important for her character growth and makes sense in terms of reality and the film's story, but I couldn't help but lightly roll my eyes. In my opinion, it is tired cliché often used for pushing character building and development.

However, despite clichés, this is a fun movie that really does transform the Transformers franchise. Hopefully, they will roll out with even better movies in the future.