For those who slinked out of the theater utterly exhausted after the two-and-a-half-hour, explosion-filled slog Transformers: The Last Knight, the thought of expanding that cinematic universe and the slapdash mythology it's acquired over a decade doesn’t exactly sound enticing. However, now that we’ve seen two trailers for the prequel Bumblebee, there's a new spring in our step. Instead of begrudgingly dragging ourselves to the theater out of some bizarre sense of completionism, we're actually excited for the live-action franchise for the first time since, well, 2007.

Despite Michael Bay's best efforts, we're not as jaded by this new film as we expected. In fact, from what we've seen thus far, Bumblebee has the potential to not only rescue the franchise from the brink, but it might be what a new generation of fans have been waiting for (even if they don't yet realize it). So what seems to set this film apart from its predecessors? If these trailers are any indication, Bumblebee is aiming for something more personal. Instead of telling a story filled with apocalyptic destruction and characters chasing the McGuffin required to prevent it, this 1980s-set prequel appears to be scaling down and focusing on what these films have been missing for quite some time: warmth, heartfelt character relationships, and stakes that carry emotional weight.

RELATED: New Bumblebee Teasers Give First Look at Optimus Prime, Soundwave

Now, here's the thing: the Transformers Film Franchise doesn't exactly need "saving." Each film brings in a ton of money both domestically and internationally. And while the last entry Transformers: The Last Knight didn't exactly perform like gangbusters to the level Paramount Pictures would've liked to have seen, $600 million at the box office is nothing to sneeze at. What we think this entry could "save" the is the heart of the franchise. Yes, that might sound a bit crass considering the source material for these films was an action figure line and a cartoon developed to help sell those toys to children, but the nostalgia adult fans feel for this property is palpable.

Bumblebee

A film like Bumblebee looks as if it will play well for fans who remember bawling their eyes out when Optimus Prime passed away, losing his pigment in the animated Transformers: The Movie. They recall the first time they got a hold of an overly complicated Transformers toy that left them momentarily stumped, followed by that feeling of victory once they figured it out (after all, Transformers were puzzles as much as they were action figures). There's a deep emotional connection to the original cartoons and toys for a lot of fans.

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If Bumblebee delivers on its promise, it could get a new generation of fans emotionally invested in these characters. From a narrative standpoint, this might be the first live-action Transformers film that successfully pushes for the bond between a kid and one of these robotic aliens\. If the over-the-top adult figures and the ridiculous potty humor that permeates the franchise like a rotten casserole in the back of a fridge can be purged long enough for some moments of levity and real compassion between Bumblebee and Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld) to take the forefront, there might be a reason to love Transformers again, beyond that they look cool (which they do, especially in the Bumblebee trailer).

The older fans will be back on board for this entry because it appears as if the film is hitting all nostalgia trigger points for geeks in their 30s and 40s by showing us characters from our youth who actually look the way they did decades ago. It might seem like a radical notion now, considering the techno-sinew, Testuo: The Iron Man aesthetic the Decepticons and the Autobots have adopted, but Transformers used to be bright and boxy and wonderful (and they still are outside the films).

RELATED: Bumblebee International Trailer Reveals More Optimus Prime & Cybertron

While much of the End of Days action still appears to be part of Bumblebee in some capacity, there's more emotional connection in the trailer when the titular hero Autobot breaks Charlie's couch than there is when a group of Transformers levels a city block in previous films. As silly as it may sound, trying to keep a friendly robot from accidentally destroying your home is oddly more relatable than trying to stop the end of the world. Even if Bumblebee is nothing more than a retread of films like E.T. the Extraterrestrial or Pete's Dragon, in which a child befriends an extraordinary creature and risks everything to save it from pursuers, if the story is constructed with a respect for the audience, fans may finally get a Transformers film they will happily pass on to generations to come.


Directed by Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings) from a script by Christina Hodson, Bumblebee stars Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Pamela Adlon, Jason Drucker, Abby Quinn, Rachel Crow, Ricardo Hoyos and Gracie Dzienny. The film arrives Dec. 21.