The live-action Transformers film franchise kicked off in 2007, with Michael Bay directing, and instantly became a success. Bay would go on to direct the subsequent four Transformers films, before serving the series as merely a producer. Although the first film was well-received, critical and audience reception took a sharp decline with later installments.
Still, many would argue that the best Transformers films are animated, including 1986’s Transformers: The Movie and 2024’s Transformers One. After the track record the live-action films had become known for, Transformers One was a welcome return to form, again proving why so many fell in love with the characters. However, it seems the sequel to Transformers One isn’t happening. Instead, Michael Bay is again set to direct another live-action iteration.
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Transformers One is considered one of the best films featuring the famed robots in disguise. It boasts a stellar ensemble voice line-up, including Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm, and the inspired casting of Steve Buscemi as Starscream. The movie even holds glowing reviews, earning an 89% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with audiences and critics alike loving the origin story of some of the most well-known characters from Transformers lore. However, it didn’t get the box office returns the studio had hoped.
Transformers One carried a reported $75 million budget, which is modest compared to Bay’s bombastic live-action outings. Still, it only earned $129 million worldwide, falling short of expectations. With such a large IP behind the film, with notable heroes and villains and spectacular reviews, Transformers One was poised for so much more. And considering the fan love surrounding the film, it makes the fact that it won’t be getting a sequel that much deeper of a wound. Director of Transformers One Josh Cooley stated (via Collider):
I wish I had something to announce, but I do not. What I’ve been told is that Paramount Animation is not interested in making a sequel. That’s what I was told. I wish we could. I have ideas, too. So it would have been cool. We’ll see what happens. You never know.
Yet while Transformers One is not getting a sequel, Michael Bay served as a producer on the animated film and looks to bring the live-action films back under his direction.
Michael Bay helped shepherd the Transformers into the live-action realm, and the first film captured fan attention despite not perfectly encapsulating the characters they had come to love. However, Bay offered the franchise nothing but diminishing quality over the subsequent sequels. Each film saw dwindling critics’ scores according to Rotten Tomatoes, with even audiences continually giving the sequels Rotten marks.
|
Movie |
RT Critic Score |
RT Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Transformers (2007) |
57% |
85% |
|
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) |
19% |
57% |
|
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) |
35% |
55% |
|
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) |
18% |
50% |
|
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) |
16% |
43% |
|
Bumblebee (2018) |
91% |
75% |
|
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) |
51% |
91% |
|
Transformers One (2024) |
89% |
97% |
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the highest-rated films in the franchise weren’t directed by Michael Bay, with every one of his films earning a Rotten Critics rating. Furthermore, aside from the first 2007 film, paying customers seem to have rejected the quality of Bay’s movies. Considering the audience score, paying viewers were even thrilled by Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which was also thought to have fallen short of box office expectations, likely fueled by Bay’s chaotic treatment of the series.
However, despite it all, according to Puck News (via Screen Rant), Michael Bay is developing another Transformers movie that he intends to direct, which begs the question: Why? If the Rotten Tomatoes scores prove anything, the franchise is better off in other creators’ hands. With Bay at the helm, it’s a recipe for shallow action and horrible characters that will likely spell disappointment for fans who hope for better.
While Bay’s Transformers films have repeatedly disappointed audiences, the evidence for why the director would return is clear. The studio puts profit over quality, and the box-office returns prove this.
|
Movie |
Worldwide Box Office (According to Box Office Mojo) |
|---|---|
|
Transformers (2007) |
$709 million |
|
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) |
$836 million |
|
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) |
$1.123 billion |
|
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) |
$1.104 billion |
|
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) |
$605 million |
|
Bumblebee (2018) |
$467 million |
|
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) |
$441 million |
|
Transformers One (2024) |
$129 million |
The best-reviewed films in the franchise, like Transformers One and Bumblebee, came in far under expectations, while most of Bay’s films earned immense box office returns. While Bay’s movies performed better in theaters, there is a clear pattern. The better-reviewed films in the franchise only began flagging at the box office once Bay had tanked the brand’s quality. Allowing Michael Bay to direct the next iteration is taking the wrong lesson. It will be another surefire miss, continuing to torpedo Transformers rather than letting it thrive with new outings like Transformers One gave audiences.
If Bay returns to direct another film, the Transformers franchise may have a bleak future at the box office. While Transformers One missed, audiences are finding it on streaming, and it is becoming universally beloved. Still, rather than lean into original ideas, the Transformers look doomed to more “Bayhem.”
September 20, 2024
104 Minutes
Chris Hemsworth
Orion Pax / Optimus Prime
Brian Tyree Henry
D-16 / Megatron
Scarlett Johansson
Elita -1
