Spanning 11 years at this point, the Transformers film series helmed by Michael Bay has enjoyed healthy success at the box office, earning a collective total of $4.38 billion. Yet despite that, each entry has gotten mixed and negative reactions from critics, which is nothing Michael Bay hasn’t dealt with before (”I make movies for teenage boys. Oh, dear, what a crime.” he once infamously said). Since I am a sucker for giant robots duking it out and a big fan of this franchise, I think it’s only fair to give my two cents on this critically despised film series.
To start, the CGI is excellent, especially on the Transformers themselves. This is one element many people agree theses films get right as the VFX artists put in alot of effort into making these giant robots feel authentic. The Autobots and Decepticons have a more alien look in their design, yet they still maintain some semblance of their cartoon counter-parts. I like how the Decepticons maintain a grey/black color scheme while the Autobots have more colorful designs. This really sells the fact that the Decepticons could take the form of any aircraft or vehicle and you wouldn’t be able to tell until it’s too late. With each installment, the filmmakers introduce new kinds of Transformers with different abilities and personalities to make them standout. It’s also worth pointing out that for all the CGI in these films, there are still moments of practicality in these movies. From the famous Michael Bay explosions, to damage done to the given setting, there are a lot more practical effects used in these films then people give them credit for.
Let’s talk about the human characters, since people tend to make fun of how over the top and goofy most of them are. Sam is very much the eyes of the target audience for the first 3 movies. He’s awkward, a nervous wreck, and just wants a normal life like every other young men his age. At the same time, he’s funny, brave, and has a good heart when it comes to saving the world. Mikaela was the spunky, brave and smart love interest for Sam in the first 2 films, but due to behind the scenes squabbles, she was dumped and replace with the caring and optimistic Carly. Sam’s parents, Ron and Judy, provide some laughs for their time on screen, despite being the typical “embarrassing parents” so often seen in comedy films and sitcoms. Then there’s Agent Seymour Simmons, who is just a riot. Every time this character is on screen, the movie just get’s better. He’s funny, quirky, a wiseguy, and a lot of fun. The last 2 films in the franchise ditch the OG cast in an attempt to softly reboot the franchise (tl;dr, they wanted to focus on other human characters in this universe). Cade is a brave, ambitious and optimistic inventor that just wants the best for his daughter, Tessa. Mr. Joshua Joyce makes for a nice Agent Simmons-lite with his eccentric and quirky personality and Sir Edmund Burton provided some laughs and lore to the franchise. What really brings these characters to life are the performances of the actors. Shia LaBeouf may be a meme now, but his portrayal of Sam Witwicky is no doubt memorable for better or worse. Same for Mark Wahlberg, who makes for a funny and noble lead in his own right. But of course, the best performances in this franchise belong to John Turtorro and Stanley Tucci, as they chew the scenery and embrace the lunacy of this franchise every chance they get.
For the Transformers, the Autobots and Decepticons maintain their differing ideologies and contrasting personalities from the cartoon. Optimus Prime is still the brave, heroic and, well optimistic leader of the Autobots in contrast to Megatron’s cold, bitter and spiteful lust for power. Starscream is still very much Megatron’s cunning yet loyal second in command while Ratchet is still Optimus’ trusted colleague. Now, to address a bit of controversy regarding the portrayal of Skids and Mudflap being “black stereotypes,” 2 things: 1. It was established in the first film the Transformers learned Earth’s languages through the Internet and 2. Their personalities were chosen by the actors who played them, Tom Kenny and Reno Wilson, the former being no stranger to voicing non-White characters (i.e. Raimundo from Xiaolin Showdown) and the latter being African American himself. The one standout character of the franchise though is Bumblebee, who protected Sam in the first 3 films and in each entry is known for speaking through the radio. Evidently the character is so popular, he’s getting his own solo film this December.
Lastly, I want to talk about the stories told in these films and how they’re executed. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: there’s a McGuffin that the Autobots and Decepticons are fighting over and the humans are right in the middle of it. Gee, that sounds like the plot of the first film…and the film after that…and the film after that. When people complain about the repetitiveness of this series, they’re referring to the stories. Each film follows the same basic McGuffin plot, and by the time the 5th film came out, audiences were just tired of it. I meanwhile, saw this as a minor problem as I found the executions to be worth going through the same beats. I very much like how each film tries to not only give the audience more than what they got last time around, but also address complaints that were made beforehand. Didn’t care for Skids and Mudflap? They were reduced to blink and you’ll miss it easter eggs. Thought Sam’s parents were annoying? They had reduced screen time. Thought Nicole Peltz wasn’t a good actress? Completely written out of the next film. There comedy is also kept sharp and witty with each new entry, as well as the action scenes. Cogman was easily the funniest Transformer in the franchise, having such great comedic timing and an excellent performance by Jim Carter. My personal favorite action set piece in the franchise is the battle in Egypt in Revenge of The Fallen. So much is at stake and my heart was just pounding as the climax went on, wondering who would make it out alive, if any.
While I don’t agree these films are inherently bad, they do still have problems like all films. The stories are repetitive, not all the side characters get equal development as the main ones and it feels odd every time they retcon the origins of the Transformers in each installment. That said, I still very much enjoy these films as the big popcorn spectacles they are. I’m very much looking forward to the Bumblebee solo movie and whatever the future holds for this franchise.
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