Michael Bay Embraces "Bayhem" Discussion

Earlier this week, ComicBook.com discussed a new video that looked into the 'Bayhem' of director [...]

By Russ Burlingame

Earlier this week, ComicBook.com discussed a new video that looked into the "Bayhem" of director Michael Bay's films.

It's just one of a number of articles that have hit recently identifying Bay as a "vulgar auteur," somebody whose style is identifiably his but who many critics and scholars wouldn't call an auteur simply because they would be uncomfortable lumping him in with Scorcese, Kubrick and the like.

Bay's official Twitter account retweeted a link to the same video discussed above, although it was difficult at that time to tell whether he actually saw the validity in it or whether he was offering it up to his fans to skewer.

The tweet came immediately following a pair of other retweets -- a fan who said, "Today's internet meme: over simplistic, annoyingly dismissive breakdown of Michael Bay's visual style. It's like watching someone analyze how a horse runs by picking apart the patterns of it's hair."

Today, though, without any such negative context and similarly without conversation, Bay's account retweeted an article from Rope of Silicon titled "Michael Bay, Blockbuster Expressionist," which favorably compared Transformers: Age of Extinction to Pacific Rim, asking whether the film was Bay's "vulgar masterpiece."

The implication here seems to be that Bay (or whoever maintains his social media presence) is aware of this new wave of criticism -- which essentially argues that while his films may be technically bad they're also exactly what they're supposed to be -- and are on board with it.

Transformers: Age of Extinction is in theaters now. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which Bay executive produced, will be in theaters next month.

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