After five incredibly divisive movies, the Transformers movies (aka BayFormers, named after series director Michael Bay) finally got it right with its first spin-off movie Bumblebee. Focusing on the titular Autobot soldier who’s best known for transforming into a Volkswagen Beetle or a 1977 Chevrolet Camaro, Bumblebee showed how it was possible to have a Transformers movie that would appease both fans and critics alike.
The movie proved to be a hit, and word of a sequel immediately circulated. Now with news about Paramount Pictures planning to revitalize Transformers in some way, Bumblebee fans were quick to voice their support for a Bumblebee 2. The sequel’s status and possible plot are currently unknown, but we won’t be surprised if it does become a reality. So while waiting for more details, here are five reasons why we need a Bumblebee 2 and five why we don’t.
NEED: More Life On Cybertron
We’ve seen Cybertron every once in a while in the BayFormers movies, but Bumblebee was the first one to show the actual war that drove the Autobots to Earth in the first place. The prequel’s opening three-minutes showed this alongside many of the classic robot looks, much to the excitement of long-time fans.
Through more flashbacks and maybe a scene or two on the robot planet that’s probably under Decepticon control by now, Bumblebee 2 has the chance to explore life on Cybertron more than the mainline Transformers movies did. This won’t just flesh the conflict out more, but also give more room for those sweet Gen1 designs.
DON’T NEED: Enough Of The ‘80s
The marketing of Bumblebee made a big deal about how much it not only took note from the ‘80s cartoons, but the fact that it’s set in 1987. This was pretty much expected, since Bumblebee came out when ‘80s nostalgia was at an all-time high, with Stranger Things and IT dominating the conversation.
That being said, it’s about time we let go of the ‘80s. The surface-level nostalgia for the decade has already hit the point of oversaturation, with the aesthetic now exposed as a crutch for the lack of substance (i.e. Pixels). Just because Bumblebee is based on an ‘80s cartoon doesn’t mean it should chain itself to that one decade forever.
NEED: The Hidden Cybertronian War
The crux of the entire Transformers canon is that the Cybertronian civil war spilled over onto Earth, and now humanity is caught in the crossfire. In the movies, this war has apparently been waged in the shadows for some time before becoming public in the 2000s.
A second Bumblebee movie has the chance to develop this hidden conflict, as the first movie ends with the Autobots finding refuge on Earth. It could be assumed that the Decepticons will follow suit, setting up their eventual clash. Whether the sequel follows the BayFormers canon and keeps the war secret or publicizes it earlier than before, count us interested.
DON’T NEED: More Humans & Transformers
Some Transformers purists took issue with Bumblebee because the whole movie wasn’t just the first three-minutes extended into feature length. This echoes many of the original criticisms lobbed against the BayFormers, which cited that the Transformers were almost always sidelined in favor of the annoying human characters.
Since Bee is still stuck on Earth by the end of his solo-adventure and for practicality’s sake, this means that he’ll most probably be spending more time with humans than Transformers in his potential sequel. The humans were almost always the weakest part of the BayFormers movies and people go to Transformers for, well, the Transformers, so bringing in more human characters seems more counterproductive than anything.
NEED: More Bumblebee Adventures
With Bumblebee being set in 1987 and the first Transformers taking place in 2007, that means there’s roughly an entire decade left unexplored. What was Bee up to in those years and how did he cope with the ‘90s? All these and more could be explored in a potential Bumblebee 2.
Doing so wouldn’t just make room for ‘90s nostalgia, but it could also fill in the blanks of the Transformers lore. Right now, there’s little to no explanation as to what the Autobots and Decepticons were doing in the ‘90s outside of some broad strokes. Bumblebee 2 could finally provide these answers and improve the franchise’s world-building.
DON’T NEED: Make Way For Other Transformers
According to some old-school fans, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee hogged the screen in the BayFormers. While it makes sense for Optimus, Bumblebee is just a foot soldier. Granted, his toys sold the most back in the ‘80s and he’s a long-time fan favorite, but there are other Transformers who are just as (if not more) interesting as Bee.
The Transformers canon is filled with many interesting robots from both sides of the conflict, and it wouldn’t hurt to give them some attention. Bumblebee has been one of the two main faces of the Transformers series for long enough, and there’s no better time than now for him to share some of the spotlight.
NEED: Bumblebee Could Meet A New Friend
Curiously, Bumblebee ends not with Bumblebee and Charlie going off to new adventures like Sam Witwicky did with Optimus Prime, but with both characters parting ways. The only logical conclusion this leads to is that while still hanging around on Earth, Bumblebee meets a new person after learning a lot from Charlie.
After seeing how well the cinematic version of Bumblebee works with human characters like Charlie, it would be exciting to see him hang out with someone new. With that new friend will (obviously) come a new set of supporting characters, all of which we’re curious to see fight alongside or against Bee.
DON’T NEED: It’s A Complete Movie
Bumblebee works perfectly as both a prequel and soft reboot for the BayFormers movies. While it does leave a few questions open and teases subplots, it’s complete as it is and making a sequel would just keep the wheels spinning instead of pushing the story forward.
The movie ends with Bumblebee going off to complete his mission while leaving Charlie and the other human characters in a much better place than they were in before. Bringing them back would be fun, but this risks undermining everything they’ve emotionally achieved – especially Charlie accepting her father’s death. Some movies need a sequel but Bumblebee isn’t one of them.
NEED: More Bumblebee & Charlie
The heart and soul of Bumblebee is the sincere bond that Charlie forms with her sentient Volkswagen Beetle that she later names “Bumblebee,” and we’d be lying if we said that we never wanted to see them again.
Their friendship perfectly captures the charm of the original cartoons and comics, where the human characters would really connect with the Autobots who found a new home on Earth. This heart was sorely missing in the mainline Transformers movies, and seeing it return through this duo would be great.
DON’T NEED: The Transformers Reboot
Even with Bumblebee’s success, Paramount is considering a full-blown Transformers reboot. The given information is currently vague at best, but suspicions claim that Paramount is planning to divorce itself from the BayFormers as much as it can.
Despite some minor continuity adjustments and changes, Bumblebee is still directly connected to the BayFormers canon, meaning that it’s not (yet) immune from the coming reboot. To put it lightly, the Transformers franchise has had a bumpy ride in terms of reception, and a clean slate would be the best way for it to move forward. This may mean sacrificing the one good movie in its entire run, but it’s a risk that may be worth taking.
