Bumblebee Movie Re-script

Warning: Spoilers ahead

In this review I will be discussing what happened in the movie and how things could have been better, so obviously there will be spoilers, you have been warned twice.

Bumblebee

Brief summary

The movie starts with robot wars between the Autobots and the Decepticons, with the Autobots on the verge of losing, Optimus Prime sends Bumblebee (B-127) to earth. The whole robot wars thing is very boring to me, so I am going to gloss over that.

Charlie, the main character, discovers this beetle on her birthday and the shop owner gives it to her for free. Charlie attempts to fix the beetle and Bumblebee transforms. During this period Charlie accidentally triggers a homing signal for the Decepticons to find him. Bumblebee accidentally damages the property when he tries to transform in the house. Her mother notices this but Charlie lashes out about the pain of missing her father and leaves with Bumblebee.

The Decepticons get a hold of Bumblebee, so Memo and Charlie setup a rescue mission to get Bumblebee back. They find where he is being held, bring him back, turn off the Decepticons beacon and Bumblebee destroys the two Decepticons.

Charlie says goodbye to Bumblebee and he drives off, transformed as a Chevrolet.

My thoughts

On a quiet Saturday night, I decided that today's the day I watch Bumblebee on Netflix. I had a long week so the start of the plot was hard to concentrate on, having found myself in the middle of some civil war that was being lost. When Bumblebee finally travelled to earth I started enjoying it a little more and I liked seeing the history of how Bumblebee's voice came to be a radio noise.

I think I liked Charlie most of the time and I enjoyed the relationship that she built up with Bumblebee, that was all very sweet. The parts where she figured out how to repair him and the fact that she named him were some of my favourite.

I felt sorry for her friend Memo, their relationship felt very awkward and forced. The chemistry was just off, even the part in the end where they held hands. It was just so forced.

I didn't mind the action scenes and didn't feel the need to focus too much on that part, because I was watching a girl and her robot. The parts that I did mind a bit was Charlie's crazy mother Sally. This character was so irrational, I started wondering why the actor didn't question some of the reactions she had to make.

My aim with this blog is highlight the things that bothered me and offer an alternative story, a "re-script", if you will.

Fixing Memo

Memo played by
Jorge Lendeborg Jr.

So the first time I see Memo in the movie is where he attempts to introduce himself to Charlie, but she's too preoccupied. He later tries to introduce himself again and she brushes him off again. This build up made the third attempt feel like Memo was super desperate for a girlfriend. I had questions like, Did he see her in school? Did they maybe know each other before? Has she not noticed him this whole time?

I think the aim was to show that Memo is the nice guy who really cares about Charlie and perhaps even has known her in school for a long time, likes her for who she is, yada yada yada... And it appeared as if the movie hinted at a romantic relationship, but left it open ended. Those endings really used to bother me when I was a teenager, like either commit to it or not at all.

I think the movie would have been okay without the romantic sub-plot. There was no spark between the two characters, I didn't feel like there was a very strong defining moment. I would have preferred a best friend relationship that could one day grow into a romantic one if it made sense to, but it was just awkward.

The re-script

It would have been better if Memo was just Charlie's neighbour that casually greeted her every now and then. I also think it would have been great to focus on his character development by showing some of his interests, and highlighting that he enjoys science fiction. 

It would have been cool if Memo walked in on Bumblebee's transformation in the very beginning so that him and Charlie shared the exact same experience. I think that might have helped strengthen the friendship as well, because they would have had to come to the conclusion together that Bumblebee should be kept a secret.

What is up with Charlie's mother?

Sally played by Pamela Adlon

I noticed that Sally Watson and her daughter are supposed to have this tense relationship, which stems from Sally meeting Ron some time after losing her husband, there isn't even an indication of how long it was before she met him. With how weird this character is, I wouldn't be surprised if it was only a month later.

There is a scene where Charlie is watching a video tape of her father coaching her on diving and it was basically the only scene where I was introduced to her father, so I didn't care as much about it as I probably should have. But from this, I think Sally is supposed to see her daughter as the typical rebellious teenager who is acting out because of this, which sounds very reasonable right?

I can't help but feel like siding with Charlie. One of the things that really bothered me was when Sally saw Charlie bringing the beetle home and scolding her for not telling her first about it. The reason this upset me so much was that this was after Charlie had asked for a car on top of the fact that Charlie has been trying to get her dad's Corvette running, like is Sally just not present? Even worse, she later decides to randomly use the car when it was a problem that Charlie brought it in in the first place. I would have felt so ashamed.

The second major thing that stood out was when Bumblebee destroyed the house and Charlie tried to take responsibility for it. I don't know about you, but if someone destroyed my house like that all by themselves my first question would be "What happened?" not "Why did you do this?", like seriously this woman is nuts about the rebellious phase, so much so that it has become disproportional to what is actually happening outside her reality.

Also, on a side note, let's not forget that Ron gave Charlie a book for her birthday on how to be happy, which was a terrible present to give with very poor timing after her fathers recent passing and this was most likely being her first birthday without him. But even after he did that, I am still not as bothered with Ron as I am with Sally. I mean Ron is at least human.

Unfortunately, Sally does not behave like I would expect around her daughter. The third and final major flaw was when the military showed up at her house and she just believes every word they say, without even asking Charlie for her point of view, she just decides her child is a rebellious teenager and would totally harbour a fugitive.

The re-script

In order to refine Sally, I still want to stick with the intent of her character and her relationship with her daughter in respect to the scripting. I think that the family situation they are going through is difficult, having lost a husband or father, the dynamics will change. Questions regarding her mother moving on are necessary and we can keep that, so let's break this down into the order of events.

Part one

First, focus on a picture of the family together before Ron, let the picture come to life (on a beach for example) and see the family having fun, make the audience feel happy. Then start switching tone with the music and fade to sirens and heartbreak. Next, switch to Charlie holding the album, but don't immediately introduce Ron, let it sink in a bit.

After that, Charlie should start working on the Corvette, with Charlie talking to herself muttering something along the lines of "okay dad, let's hope this works". The car still needs further refinement so she leaves the garage, and then continue with the scene of Ron kissing Sally. Now here's the thing, nothing needs to be said, Ron can stop and look at her apologetically as Charlie grabs her bag and heading for the door.

Part two

Sally sees Charlie doing some work on the Corvette and she pauses in front of the door, smiling with a tear in her eye. Charlie notices her mother and Sally say "you and your father had a special bond." This makes Charlie smile for a second before being hit with a pang of sadness, "it looks like I was the only one that did.", Sally walks away feeling hurt.

Going back to the lounge, she notices their pet seemingly ill, realising she needs to take her to the vet, she rushes to get the carrier and runs outside and instead of ordering an Uber she takes the buggy (Bumblebee) without asking Charlie, due to the recent episode they had.

Part three

We are now at the scene where Bumblebee destroyed the house and Sally returns from work, "What happened?" she says, looking at her daughter with big eyes, "did you do all of this just because you were angry with me?"

Charlie tries to think of a better excuse, but panics and agrees, "it was too soon Mom. Dating Ron made me feel like you never loved dad." and Sally comes over to comfort her daughter, "That was not my intention and I understand that you feel that way, I am still very sad about your father and there is no amount of time that will make me feel completely okay again. I pushed myself to move on because I know you need a mother who is strong and if I kept looking back I don't know how I would have felt."

Charlie hugs her mother back, "you don't always have to be strong for me mom." and with that, Sally looks back and wipes away her tears, "oh yes I do, you and your brother are so special to me, I wouldn't burden you like that."

Part four

Skip to Charlie being on the run with Bumblebee and the cops appearing at their home. Charlie soon returns to see the cops talking to her mother and Ron. Charlie catches the last few words about harbouring a fugitive and Sally notices Charlie entering and says, "Look officers, I know my child has done many things, but she wouldn't do something like this. I would like to hear from my daughters perspective at least."

In conclusion

The movie had some pacing issues and strange character decisions that could have been improved, but overall it was a watchable movie.

 

To my readers,

I just want to make one final distinction that bringing a script to life is a difficult task that directors have to do and we shouldn't forget how much effort they put into making their vision a reality. Some things are easier to notice in hindsight and because of that there will always be room for improvement.