Bumblebee (2018)

The posters and promotional materials for "Bumblebee" all feature the computer-generated title character more prominently than any of the film's human actors, which is an important reminder how much of a cultural fixture Transformers has become. But Travis Knight's spin-off/ prequel to the five Michael Bay monstrosities that catapulted the franchise to worldwide box office success shrewdly -- and powerfully -- sidelines the mechanics and mythology of its predecessors to focus on the changing emotional conditions of its characters, amazingly including those that actually came off an assembly line.

Bolstered by solid performances from Hailee Steinfeld, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz, and in a voice role, Angela Bassett -- not to mention a 1980s jukebox of pop-rock classics -- "Bumblebee" clears an admittedly extremely low bar to become the best "Transformers" movie yet made.