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The franchise had utilized the music of Steve Jablonsky for all its prior live-action installments, and the choice of Marianelli for Bumblebee represented a carry-over of a successful collaboration between the composer and Knight on The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings. Marianelli is known best for scoring more thoughtful cinematic concepts, and his uninterrupted assignment to the "Transformers" franchise was met with minor astonishment and optimism from the film music community. Certainly, the tone of Marianelli's score differs from the pounding and slashing, anthemic equivalent from Jablonsky's comparatively dumb music, and there may be some disappointment from listeners that the franchise's primary Autobot theme doesn't make even a token cameo as Optimus Prime and Bumblee reunite at the end of the film. (The passage at 1:35 into "Meeting Bumblebee" may be a connective hint.) Still, Marinelli supplies four recurring themes to Bumblebee, and while none of them is the memorable guilty pleasure type that Jablonsky supplied, they function well as developed for this particular narrative. Marianelli has written a slew of edgier scores for orchestra and synthetics through the years, some of them quite accomplished. That general blend continues here, with the friction of the story afforded some brash, atonal attitude and electronic effects. There is a fair amount of unexpected comedy in the score as well, Bumbebee's antics and the young woman's family all supplied with surprisingly affable humor by the composer. There is definitely a significant divide between the score's three major personalities: the contemporary, Danny Elfman-like soft rock identity for the young woman, the electronically brash battle scenes and everything involving the robots, and the aforementioned, largely symphonic humor. The theme for the woman is an interesting study, seemingly inspired by Elfman's Real Steel and conveyed mostly by acoustic guitar and piano for much of the story's length. Its chords and progressions are intentionally broken in Carter Burwell fashion for most of the film as she grieves her father, starting in "Charlie." But, as hinted in "Dad's Old Videotapes," the idea has a more tonally accessible side, and Marianelli unleashes this resolved version of the theme in "Not Quite There" at the end. In between, the identity spans the character's electric guitar-driven defiance in "Charlie Sneaks Out" and melodramatic sadness in "Charlie Dives In."

While the theme for the young woman in Bumblebee earns the most attention on screen, the idea for the robots is arguably the new franchise identity here. It's literally the first thing you hear in "Cybertron Falls," and it consists of an ascending series of phrases anchored by its first three notes, which become ubiquitous throughout the score's robot-fighting sequences. Marianelli collectors will recognize this theme as a close cousin in style and structure to his alluring rhythmic material in V for Vendetta, and by the time he fully expresses the theme as the Autobots escape Cybertron at 1:13 into the cue, you can clearly hear the percussive, choral, and string ostinato similarities to "Knives and Bullets (and Cannons Too)" from V for Vendetta exposed clearly. The motif returns in full during the action of "Shutdown" and becomes downright nasty with the introduction of the Decepticon triple-changers in "Dropkick & Shatter Arrive." Marianelli really twists the identity into snarling disdain with electric guitars in "Desert Council," as the triple-changers negotiate with the human military forces. The V for Vendetta-inspired version of the material returns briefly in "Optimus Prime's Message," the film's other Cybertron-set scene. The theme tinges both "Army Meeting" and "Double Ambush" before reaching its frenzied crescendo in "Marina Tower." When the Decepticons are present, the composer layers a variety of hybrid metallic and electronic sounds into the mix, which functions better at times than others. His slapping of snare drums remains a more effective characteristic in his style for this purpose. The idea receives an ultra-cool send-off to conclude "Saying Goodbye." The third theme in Bumblebee exists for John Cena's group of hapless American military buffoons. (Cena is forced into the role of villain for too long in the story, even after he's humorously questioning why any of the humans should trust robots named "Decepticons.") Typically conveyed on noble brass, this theme consists of three note phrases as well and is introduced late in "Bee in the Run." The idea mingles well with the robots' theme as the military and Decepticons form their alliance, the manifestation of this uneasy situation taking the form of the tentative alternation between the two themes in the latter half of "Desert Council." The same blending occurs in "Army Meeting," though it's more skewed towards the military's theme, which finally gets a full airing at the start of the cue. The idea turns melodramatic dark at 1:52 into "Double Ambush," as Bumblebee is finally apprehended.

While not itself a major thematic presence in the score for Bumblebee, a bold merging of the military and robot themes exists briefly at 0:53 into "Bee on the Run," and this mutation eventually develops into a major-key declaration of victory at 2:03 into "Charlie Dives In." These ideas are teased at times in the score's comedy passages, the robot ostinato humorously anchoring the end of the upbeat "Chasing Mum." Similarly chirpy brass and woodwinds express funny intent during the toilet-papering scene of "Pranking Tina," at the end of which Marianelli throws in an ensemble-hit resolution of classical heritage. Bass woodwinds often blend with electronics to represent Bumblebee's awkwardness in these scenes, blurting about in "Bee in the Kitchen" as well. A straight orchestral action cue offering the fourth, heroic theme in fragments (against the military theme) entertains in "Ron's Driving," featuring wild flute lines and ending with more ensemble hits for comedic intent. Generally, the choral usage in Bumblebee is also a highlight, naturally accompanying the V for Vendetta-inspired passages with deep male presence but also making itself heard in key passages later in the film. The "Death and Resurrection" scene is the top symphonic moment of the whole score despite owing a bit to James Newton Howard, its mixed choral majesty providing the movie's most heartbreaking appeal. Prior to this motif's symbolic return in "Charlie Dives In," Marianelli resorts to muscular male chanting in "Marina Tower" and higher, aspirational tones in "Bee's Had Enough." The entire score is surprisingly textured and intelligent despite its tendency to slash you with harsh electronic tones for the Decepticons; seek a lossless option for this reason. The use of bass woodwinds and gurgling synthetics for Bumblebee is fantastic, and the composer even uses hints of the vintage transformation sound effect from the original show (also carried over to this film, most notably for Ravage) in stuttering accents early in "Meeting Bumblebee." More application of this bass effect would have been welcomed. On screen, the score holds its own despite all the song placements, though the acoustic guitar theme for the woman sounds a bit out of tune at times given its broken progressions in comparison to all the tonal songs surrounding its usage. And the absence of a cameo for the Jablonsky theme or the original television show's theme at the reunion scene on the Golden Gate Bridge (Optimus Prime in Freightliner truck mode has never looked so good) is a missed opportunity. But Marianelli's thoughtful entry into this franchise is very well handled and certainly merits his continued involvement. On album, a belated 2021 CD option reprises the original download-only presentation from 2018.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Dario Marianelli reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.64 (in 11 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.33 (in 6,024 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.