Bumblebee

*ing: Hailee Steinfeld, Dylan O’Brien as Bumbleee, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr,

John Ortiz, Jason Drucker, Pamela Adlon

Rated: 8/10

Machines ko dard nahi hota but when someone like Steven Spielberg is handling these gargantuan machines, that too an alien race, there are bound to be some tantalising humanism and Bumblebee is all about that. In fact, the Autobots, the advanced robotics community from space is all about goodness and emotion and Bumblebee is the face of that humanised warrior machine.

This one takes a step back into time and narrates the story of how this lovable robot came to earth in the first place. Well, it was to save the Autobots from extinction at the hands of the Decepticons, the bad robots, who are about to win the war on another planet. So, Optimus Prime smuggles Bumblebee out of the battle to send him secretly to Earth to revive and regroup for the ultimate battle.

That’s how it all begins and Bumblebee, despite all the clank quotient of nut, bolts and spare-parts, is more human than human can be, this time companioning a teenaged girl with daddy issues. Together, the two script an endearing story to balance emotion with purpose, flesh and blood with sheer iron clutter, a yellow beetle with a groovy driver and a side chase which is all set to gobble the humans and their planet.

The action is high on dope here and beautifully crafted, as is the emotional asides that envelop this heady tale of man and machine without any “too muchness” to either drama or action.

Even the non-robotic cinema buffs are going to love this one as it plays out.