Though Bumblebee is still a few days away from arriving in cinemas, it’s already clear that Travis Knight’s film will appeal to a lot of viewers who’d long given up on Michael Bay’s Transformers flicks. Nonetheless, the ’80s-set prequel still occupies the same the same sci-fi world as its big and loud predecessors, and so the first of the movie’s two post-credits sequences reminds us of this connection to the wider universe. Be warned that spoilers follow from here.
Once Bumblebee and his human friend Charlie’s adventure is all wrapped up, the flick ends pre-credits with the title character driving across the Golden Gate Bridge alongside a semi-truck that viewers may recognize, and sure enough, in the first of the feature’s bonus scenes, Bumblebee is seen walking through the forest with none other than Optimus Prime. As the pair discuss the battle to come, the camera pans up to reveal a load more Autobots heading for Earth.
Time will tell whether this section sets up any Bumblebee sequels, or if the passage is simply linking the new story to the events of 2007’s Transformers, but in the next post-credits sequence, we at least get a little closure for Hailee Steinfeld’s character, should she not return for further films. In this scene, Charlie finally gets her late father’s 1959 Corvette running again, and we see her hitting the road, finding the freedom that she long craved.
These days, it’s a little hard to get a read on where Paramount intend to take the Transformers property from here, but while these two post-credits scenes don’t seem to offer any answers, they still sound like a nice pair of addendums to what’s by many accounts the franchise’s best installment to date by a wide margin. And you’ll be able to judge for yourself if this is one take on the series that’s worth revisiting when Bumblebee hits theaters on December 21st.
