Bumblebee

Well, the Transformer film franchise certainly needed a reboot after the last disasters in Age Of Extinction and The Last Knight.  So like other superhero/comic book film franchises that find themselves going down the wrong path, they did a reboot.  Since the Transformers started in the 80's, it was only appropriate to make that (1987) the setting for Bumblebee here.  Having grown up in the 80's myself, being a fan, and watching the early television shows and  films, I've never run into anyone who didn't consider the character of Bumblebee to be one of their favorite Transformers.  So giving him a bit of an origins story and pairing him up with a troubled teenager (Hailee Steinfeld) turns out to be a no brainer.  The special effects and action are, of course, all there but they aren't unecessarily saturated over substance like many of the earlier films, even with Michael Bay still as one of the producers.  Instead, nostalgia, character chemistry and humanity, and humor are in equal doses here under the helm of  director Travis Knight. 

Triple Threat

You've got an all star dream team of martial artist here in Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Tiger Chen, Michael Jae White, Scott Adkins, and Jeeja Yanin to name just a few.  That alone promises a lot of potential and their is surely great action to supplement the badly executed story.  Don't get me wrong.  It's certainly not the worst executed plot and most martial art fans understand that, expecting more action.  On this note, it's great and there is never a dull moment with the variety of styles showcased and going against one another.  Yet, I would certainly argue that each of these stars already has or can potentially make their own stand alone movie even better executed action.  Tony, Iko, Scott, and Michael for sure have showcased their prowess better in their own films.  But a buffet of action stars that aren't yet ready for the Expendables movies from an international cast is still just magnificent to behold, especially in seeing the teaming of Tony and Iko and their respective western counterparts of Michael and Scott.  Granted, an action cast that extensive and talented is rather doomed to fully live up to the expectations and possibilities of the fans given the time restraints and budget of a regular feature film format, even as visceral as Triple Threat is.

September 16, 2019. Finally!!!