As promised, Paramount Pictures has released a brand new trailer for their first ever Transformers spinoff, Bumblebee. Directed by Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings), the film is set in a small Californian beach town outside of San Francisco in 1987 and finds Bumblebee, one of his races best warriors, on the run. Charlie, a now 18 year old young girl, who is trying to find her place in the world, discovers the battle-scarred Transformer and after learning that he isn’t your every day VW bug, revives him back to full strength to only learn that their story together is just beginning.

I said it in the title and I’ll say it now, this is by far the best Transformers trailer we’v ever been given. There’s been some good ones, but the one and only reason why this one stands above the rest can be put into one simple word: nostalgia. This is the movie this franchise should’ve been started with over 10 years ago. It has everything we want from a live-action Transformers movie, and then some. Not only does the action look absolutely phenomenal with more of a focus on pure combat rather than gigantic set pieces, but it also tugs at your heart strings.

One aspect that these movies have always tried to bring across is the connection these Transformers feel with specific human beings. First it was Sam Witwicky, then Cade Yaeger, and now Charlie, who is played by the fabulous Hailee Steinfeld. There are some incredibly powerful moments in the trailer, ones that will bring every fan of the franchise back to exactly why they fell in love with it all those years ago. As I wrap this up, how can I leave without mentioning how freaking badass Cybertron and the other Transformers looked? A flashback to the 1980s has never looked so good!

Check out the new trailer below, and please make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments! Are you a life-long fan of the franchise? How did you feel after watching this trailer? What about it has you saying wow? Also starring John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg and John Ortiz, Knight’s Bumblebee rolls into theaters on December 21st.

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary, yellow VW bug.