To those who disliked Michael Bay's Transformers films, what did you think of Bumblebee?

Late to the party in asking this I know, but we all know how damn near everyone feels about Michael Bay's Transformers films (though I still quite like the first one myself), but... Bumblebee, where Bay steps back as director (still producer though) and is now headed by Travis Knight, has been received as a legit good film in the franchise.

And honestly, I'm of that opinion. Action scenes were more pleasing to look at. Transformers look more like the toys they're based on.

So to that, I ask you, what did you think of Bumblebee?

I have always like Bayformers movies (call it a guilty pleasure) myself. Michael Bay isn't the best nor worst movie director, he just gets carried away with the amounts of explosions and over the top action stuff but for the most parts, I love Transformers series, so it's why I'm cool with the Bayformers.

As for Bumblebee vs Bayformers, the best thing about Bumblebee movie is how well everything blends together. It has a good balance of action, heart, cheesy moments and humor. Even the moments of "dumb" humor just somehow work better than in the previous movies. Plus, that opening scene with Optimus Prime is really epic and sets the stage for the rest of the movie. It's a step in the right direction but I personally wanted more on Autobots vs Decepticons war on Cybertron (nothing like from Activision Fall of Cybertron like) while being based on G1 models is what made me like that part. Hasbro did well on this one but please, I want more on Cybertron stuff and very less Humans involve.

The only transformer movie I didn't watch. Don't have any urge to see it anytime soon.

I picked up the blu-ray like 2 months ago but haven't gotten to it yet. Maybe this weekend.

Call me old but all the computers and cgi in the world can't make a movie better than the G1 cartoons and 1986 motion picture.

Not bad for a sting movie.

I really enjoyed Bumblebee. Bay can shoot action sequences like no one's business, but can't tell a story to save his life. This had a good balance of action and storytelling, at least I thought so.

And I would also like to see a movie set on Cybertron as well. Maybe one day...

I stopped watching after number three. I don't understand what an adult would get out of any of the movies tbh. No offense to anyone that likes them.

Huge, huge, huuuuuuge improvement over the Bay Transformers films.

I always thought the Bay films were too "busy"; too much random dialogue, too much detail in the transformers...just too much stuff going on. There doesn't always have to be something going on. It's like someone with ADD made the movie (no offense to anyone with ADD).

Bumblebee improved upon this.

For starters, they focused on a single transformer.

Second, it didn't look too shiny, too flashy, too busy. It looked like a machine, not some mechanical organism with a million moving parts.

I'll take this elegant, straight-forward design...

...over this vain, flashy design.

I also enjoyed the dialed-down plot a lot more. There was still a lot at stake, but it wasn't as pointlessly epic "oh you're the chosen one" blah blah blah "something something it's fate something". It's just a girl (great actress, btw) who misses her dad and bonds with a robot. Simple and sweet.

And I don't have a grudge against Shia The Beef like everyone else seems to have, but I am glad they abandoned that whole storyline and did a reboot. The new actress was great, glad they went the Volkswagon route and not the Camaro, and John Cena is really a fun actor to watch.

I think a prequel "Fall of Cybertron" (or something, I don't know) would be awesome.

I stopped watching the Transformers movies and that includes Bumblebee.

I thought the first Bayformers was decent, but honestly even back then that film had a lot of the hallmarks of bad Bay films. These traits just got amplified over the years to the point that new Bay films are basically just the negative traits with few redeeming qualities. Explodey nonsense, nonsensical plots, terrible writing, baffling visual design choices in films like Ninja Turtles, recycling shots between his movies, lazy visual effects editing, awful/low brow "humor", etc. You can pretty much make a Bingo board out of all the lame tropes and techniques that he uses in all of his films, and once you spot them you can even go back and recognize them in his earlier and better films like The Rock or Con Air.

Also, if I never have to see Shia Lebouffing all over the screen of a film I'm watching I'd be good with that.

Bumblebee was actually a decent "outcast/weird kid meets alien buddy" type film like old stuff such as Flight of the Navigator, but not aimed at quite as young an audience. Good flic.

Bumblebee was a great movie all around. What I really loved is that it had so much more in common with the old Transformers that I grew up.

@Solaryellow: "Call me old but all the computers and cgi in the world can't make a movie better than the G1 cartoons and 1986 motion picture."

CGI looks awful in movies.

I enjoyed Bumblebee