While the box office disappointment ofTransformers : The Last Knightseemed to signify the close of theTransformersfranchise , 2018’sBumblebeeproved there was still cinematic lifetime in the property after all . Now , the studio is following up its ‘ 80s - set hit with a ‘ ninety - mark continuation , Transformers : advance of the Beasts , to be point byCreed II ’s Steven Caple , Jr.

As it turns out , The Last Knightonly mark the end of the Bay era ofTransformersmovies . Now , Paramount is moving into more close , lighthearted territory withBumblebeeand its upcoming sequel . Inspired by theBeast Warsstoryline , hike of the Beastscan take these important lessons from the winner and failure ofBumblebee .

The Human Characters Are Just As Important As The Robots In Disguise

As loveable as Bumblebee himself is , the heart of theBumblebeemovie is Hailee Steinfeld ’s derive - of - age arc in the role of Charlie . After the Bay film peddled one - distinction archetypes , Rise of the Beastsshould continueBumblebee ’s stress on its human characters .

Fortunately , the cast ofRise of the Beastsis rounded out with some interesting part : Anthony Ramos will play Brooklyn family man and antique - military electronics expert Noah , Dominique Fishback will play constantly undermined artefact researcher Elena , andDexterstar Luna Lauren Vélez will play Noah ’s mother .

Avoid The Usual Pitfalls Of Prequels

Bumblebeecreates all sorts of problem in theTransformerstimeline , namely that Bumblebee chuck Charlie at the end to wait for the Autobots to arrive , despite the fact their comer was decades aside .

Set Battle of Midway betweenBumblebee ’s ‘ 80s setting and the Michael Bay motion-picture show ’ present-day place setting , ascending of the Beastsneeds to avoid the usual pitfalls of prequels at all costs . UseBetter Call Saulas a guidebook .

The Characters’ Relationships Are More Interesting Than Mindless Bayhem

In Michael Bay’sTransformersmovies , dialogue scenes were a necessary evil on the way to mindless bout of Bayhem . He was more concerned in bungle up machine than explore interpersonal relationships .

The largely activeness - freeBumblebeeinstead captivated consultation with the friendly relationship between Charlie and Bumblebee , which proved to be far more interesting than any number of exploding motorcar .

The Classic Transformer Designs Are Infinitely Better Than The Bay-Era Re-Imaginings

In translating the transformer to the enceinte cover , Michael Bay re - imagined their feeling a bit too literally , result in characters that literally face like walking trucks . phonation actors like Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving have brought their all to the roles , but since the characters have no distinguishable facial faces beyond crumpling metal , there ’s no human connector .

InBumblebee , the Transformer design are much more close to their classic aesthetic , and it was much loose to plug in with the title character emotionally as a result .

Fill The Soundtrack With Hits From The Decade In Which The Movie Is Set

Bumblebee ’s soundtrack was full of ‘ eighty hitsby artist like Bon Jovi , Duran Duran , the Smiths , A - ha , Tears for Fears , and Simple Minds to plunge the hearing in its nostalgic historical place setting .

Since it ’s been announced to take position in the ‘ 90 , following the one - decade - at - a - clip tradition of theX - Menprequel series , Rise of the Beastscan have similar fun with beloved ‘ 90s tunes by Nirvana , Pearl Jam , and Nine Inch Nails .

Leave The Aspect Ratio Alone

Since Michael Bay shoots his movies on a multitude of huge , expensive television camera with vary lens sizes , his aspect ratios are all over the place . The letterbox size of it exchange from cut to slue . It ’s fiendishly cark , especially during action scenes .

InBumblebee , director Travis Knight left the facet ratio alone . It ’s a caboodle easier to focus on the story and character when the shape of the frame is n’t changing intermittently .

Nostalgia’s A Helluva Drug

As nontextual matter movement beyond even postmodernism and collapses in on itself , nostalgic callbacks tofranchises   masses love likeStar WarsandJurassic Parkare becoming more and more common . That ’s why nostalgia is such a strong element in filmsThe Force Awakens , Jurassic World , and , yes , Bumblebee .

But if it ai n’t broke , do n’t fix it . Transformersfans are laughably nostalgic about the quality ’ authoritative designs and the aesthetic of the sometime animated cartoon . Bumblebeeleaned into that , andRise of the Beastsshould , too .

Live-Action Cybertron Is Awesome

One of the bang-up sequences inBumblebeeis its opening , which sets up the titular Autobot ’s origin taradiddle but also givesTransformersfans the most lifelike springy - action depiction ofthe polite state of war on Cybertronto date .

Travis Knight essentially directed this succession as a hot - actionTransformerscartoon , which is what fans have want since Paramount first announce it was turning the toys into a movie enfranchisement .

Strike The Right Balance Of Heart, Humor, And Spectacle

The ground why Marvel ’s movies are so popular is that they consistently run into the pure balance between the three main ingredients of a cheering blockbuster : heart , humor , and spectacle . If a movie is life - affirming , funny , and full of explosive action , it ’ll be a crowd - pleaser .

TheTransformersmovies struggled to combine this cinematic cocktail for a while . The comic stand-in in Bay ’s movies is cringeworthy at best , while their soulless alloy - on - metallic element action has no emotional substance . Mercifully , Bumblebeerighted the ship with a angelical message about friendly relationship , fun banter between the character , and mountain of engaging action scenes with genuine stakes . ascension of the Beastsneeds to retain that trajectory and not fall back into old habits .

NEXT:5 Reasons Why The Transformers Movie ( 1986 ) Is Better Than The Current Films ( & 5 Reasons They ’re Better )

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