Triple-changers, Soundwave, Optimus Prime and more in new Bumblebee trailer

The Transformers movies haven’t been all that faithful to the classic Generation 1. But this new Bumblebee trailer changes quite a bit of that.

Back in time

I have to admit that I smiled at some of that. Yes, the human characters still look like they’re much too big of a part of the film, I get that. And Bumblebee still can’t talk either, which makes no sense whatsoever. But even so, I find it hard not to get just a little bit excited.

The first appearance of triple-changes, a classic Transformers character type, is awesome. Plus that was Shockwave. That was Soundwave too, complete with Ravage jumping out of his chest. Prime looked like the classic G1 Prime… all really good stuff.

There is one thing that’s kind of a bummer going into the movie however. That’s that the first Transformers movie to get things right is probably the last one. Paramount and Hasbro had previously talked about ending the series after Bumblebee, since the previous few films had been declining at the box office. Actually, it’d probably be over already if Bee here wasn’t so far along when these decisions were made. But that might not be all bad either.

Hasbro, makers of Transformers toys (and much of the core fiction), will reportedly have a much bigger say going forward. So there’s a better chance for future Transformers movies to be like the classic property now. That’s only a good thing, and I have to wonder too if we’re seeing a little bit of that influence in this film. Maybe just a touch.

Either way, Bumblebee is looking fun. And might be a nice sendoff for the first Transformers movie franchise. It hits theaters this holiday.