Every Live-Action Transformers Movie Ranked

For the seventh time since 2007, a live-action . Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is arriving on the big screen this weekend and opening up a new chapter of the Paramount Pictures film franchise. Moving the story to the 1990s, Rise of the Beasts seems to be taking a route similar to 2018’s Bumblebee, but it does feature some massive Transformers battles, in line with the five Michael Bay Transformers films.

As we wait to see what Rise of the Beasts has in store, there’s an opportunity to look back on what the franchise has done over the past 16 years. How have the various Transformers films aged? Are they still worth revisiting? How do they stack up against one another?

Those questions are what I set out to answer when I embarked on a Transformers rewatch ahead of Rise of the Beasts‘ theatrical debut. Looking back on these films now, it’s abundantly clear that Transformers is a series with a ton of ups and downs. The highs are high, but the lows are very, very low.

Which Transformers movies are more than meets the eye? Check out the final rankings below, ordered from worst to best.

6. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

As hard as it is to believe looking back, Transformers: Age of Extinction made more than $1 billion at the box office, one of only two Transformers movies to do so. Of the 53 movies that have ever crossed the billion dollar threshold, there’s a good chance this one is the worst.

There are very few redeeming qualities to Age of Extinction, a movie that runs nearly three hours but feels twice as long. It’s genuinely exhausting. Mark Wahlberg’s takeover as the franchise lead puts a total charisma vacuum at the center of the story, and it’s abundantly clear from the jump how much this series needed someone like Shia LaBeouf at the center.

Age of Extinction also has a character who keeps a laminated card of a Texas “Romeo and Juliet” law in his wallet, that he pulls out to explain why it’s okay for him to date a 17-year-old. That might be the single worst scene in the entire Transformers franchise, and that’s saying A LOT.

5. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

If you’ve ever wondered what a writers’ strike can do to a movie, go watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Michael Bay was working with more of an outline than a script and it shows.

Revenge of the Fallen is a tough watch all the way through. There’s an entire subplot about a college-aged girl who is actual a Decepticon that is both misogynistic and very lame, highlighting some of Bay’s worst tendencies as a storyteller.

The lone bright spot in this movie is the Witwicky family. We never appreciated them enough. Even when the material they’re given is rough, Kevin Dunn and Julie White find ways to be wacky and memorable movie parents. It’s a shame we ever had to watch a Transformers movie without them.

4. Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)

The Last Knight isn’t a great movie, but it’s certainly not as bad as many of the reviews indicate. The well for Bay’s Transformers ran dry long before The Last Knight was released in 2017, and it feels like the overall frustration with the franchise led to a lot of added hate for this movie. Looking back on it now, it’s a lot better than a couple of its predecessors.

Cade Yeager is still a terrible lead character, but this movie strips him down to a more traditional action hero and it’s a better fit for Mark Wahlberg’s strengths. What really makes this one work is the cast they put around Wahlberg. Jerrod Carmichael and Isabella Merced are wonderful in what screentime they’re given. And I can’t say enough about Anthony Hopkins. He’s fully committed to playing this weird old man who harbors alien secrets, and there’s something incredibly entertaining about watching an actor like him give his all in a movie like this.

3. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

While the original remains the best of Bay’s Transformers movies, Dark of the Moon is easily the most fun of the group. It’s big, loud, and often very dumb, but there are very few times throughout the movie you’re not having a great time.

Dark of the Moon is also one of the only Transformers movies with memorable set pieces. The car chase that sees Bumblebee make multiple changes with Sam inside is a classic, and that final battle in the city remains the biggest and best action sequence in all of Transformers.

It helps that Dark of the Moon contains the best live-action Transformers villain. Megatron is the baddie we’re all most familiar with, but his live-action design has always been lacking and his motivations are repetitive. Sentinel Prime, however, is fantastic in his lone outing as the main antagonist. And his death at the hands of Optimus? Chef’s kiss.

2. Transformers (2007)

The first film in the live-action Transformers franchise may not be the best of the series, but it’s certainly the best of Michael Bay’s run. Although the style of these films grew tiresome over the course of five movies, it still holds up so well in that first outing.

This first Transformers movie feels like a 2007 time capsule in a lot of ways; from the music choices and character attire to the film’s commitment to making robot aliens based on a cartoon feel “real.” Yes, it’s dated, but in a way that’s endearing 16 years later. The same can’t be said for its sequels, though.

1. Bumblebee (2018)

This is one of the rare situations where the battle for “best movie” in a franchise is an easy one to call. It’s also one of the only times that the runaway favorite isn’t the first film in its franchise. Bumblebee is the best Transformers movie by quite a wide margin.

After five films from Michael Bay, Travis Knight stepped in to take over with a grounded, more human approach to the material. Christina Hodson wrote a deeply relatable script, bringing to life maybe the first human character in all of Transformers that actually feels like a real person. The entire approach to Transformers here was a desperately needed course correction, doing a lot to show fans that there was still gas in the tank.

Visually, Bumblebee sets itself apart from the very first shot. The film opens with the war for Cybertron and it’s clear that the original animated series was a much bigger inspiration here than the Bay films. The colors pop and nothing feels like that mesh of twisted metal and chrome that became a staple of the Bay era.