The Transformers media franchise is one of the most successful of all time, encompassing a popular line of transforming mecha toys, multiple animated television series, video games, comic books, and, of course, numerous live-action films. Despite the franchise’s popularity, many of the Transformers movies have proved divisive among critics and audiences alike; while some released to rave reviews, others were critically panned.
Regardless of their respective ratings from critics, the Transformers film series continues to draw audiences in. It all started with the 1986 feature film continuation of the animated television series, and soared to new money-making heights with director Michael Bay’s 2007 special effects extravaganza.
In the list below, we’ve assembled each and every feature-length movie from the franchise and ranked them in order of their Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
9
‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ (2017) – 16%
The last of the Bay-directed Transformers films, Transformers: The Last Knight, is also the lowest-rated film (according to the Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes) in the entire franchise, and its underwhelming 43% Popcornmeter from fans also proves that Bay and his big-budget way of storytelling was losing steam with audiences. The movie follows inventor Cade Yeager, played by Mark Wahlberg, on a mission to save the world from a brainwashed Optimus Prime.
‘The Last Knight’ Jumped the Shark For Critics & Fans
Along the way, Yeager teams up with Bumblebee, a professor, and an English lord, and delves deep into a well of ancient Cybertonian lore, including the fact that the Autobots once fought alongside King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. Despite the appearance of acclaimed actors like Stanley Tucci and Anthony Hopkins as well as boasting plenty of stunning special effects, this ridiculous sequel is generally considered the one that jumped a shark too far.
8
‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ (2014) – 18%
Transformers: Age of Extinction is the fourth film in the live-action Transformers franchise and tells the story of struggling inventor Cade Yeager (Wahlberg), who discovers a beat-up truck that turns out to be Optimus Prime. The film features an entirely new cast of human characters and actors like the aforementioned Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammer, and Nicola Peltz, as well as new transformers, such as the Dinobots.
‘Transformers’ Experiences Major Growing Pains
Although the movie was ambitious, it unfortunately didn’t connect with audiences, with many reviewers criticizing Mark Wahlberg’s turn as the lead, and the film’s poor writing and inflated runtime. As Den of Geek explains, “There are no fewer than three sequences which would have been a suitable climax for any other summer blockbuster, so by the time the ending actually comes, you’re numb and probably hard of hearing.”
7
‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ (2009) – 19%
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is the second movie in the live-action Transformers film series. It’s about Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky attempting to settle back into civilian life after helping to save the world from the Decepticons in the previous film. As he prepares to start college, an ancient evil awakens that draws him back into the fight.
‘Revenge of the Fallen’ Crushes the Box Office Despite Negative Reviews
Winner of the dubious honor of Worst Picture at the 2010 Razzie Awards, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen overwhelms with its busy visuals to distract viewers from its underwhelming story. Despite such an abysmal Tomatometer rating, audiences still gave the big screen extravaganza a B+ CinemaScore and even received an Oscar nomination for Best Sound Mixing. The sequel also went on to dominate the box office and grossed over $836 million worldwide, surpassing its predecessor and becoming the fourth-highest earning release of the year.
6
‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ (2011) – 35%
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is another low-scoring sequel and the third film in the live-action Transformers series. It follows Sam Witwicky and the Autobots once again sticking it to the Decepticons, and culminates in a fiery showdown in Chicago. Megan Fox was notably absent from the installment following her fallout with Bay, with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley appearing as Sam’s new love interest along with newcomers Patrick Dempsey, John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand.
“Bayhem” Is in Full Swing in ‘Dark of the Moon’
Although the plot is just as thin as Revenge of the Fallen’s, Dark of the Moon is generally better-liked for being one of the purest, most unadulterated expressions of “Bayhem”; the final fight in Chicago is so over-the-top that one can’t help but be drawn into the fray. The sequel also became the first entry in the franchise to reach the billion-dollar mark at the box office and subsequently became the highest-grossing film of Bay’s career, with the actioner earning $1.124 billion during its run.
5
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ (2023) – 51%
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the seventh film in the live-action Transformers film series, as well as a sequel to 2018’s Bumblebee. Influenced by the Beast Wars line of toys, comics, and television series, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts sees the Autobots teaming up with the Maximals – a faction of Transformers disguised as Earth animals – to defeat a new foe who threatens to destroy both Cybertron and Earth.
Ramos Delivers Endless Charm as the New Franchise Lead
Although the film wasn’t a sweeping critical success by any means, it did receive praise for featuring human drama of considerably higher quality than what was featured in many of the previous entries in the series; Anthony Ramos is a capable lead who imbues the explosive material with enough charm and pathos to make even the non-special effects-fueled sequences engaging. Despite its underwhelming critical and commercial performance, a new installment is currently in the works with Bay in talks to return as both director and a producer.
4
‘Transformers’ (2007) – 57%
One of explosion expert Michael Bay’s best movies, Transformers is an endearing slice of mid-aughts action filmmaking, and is the movie that revived global interest in the Transformers media franchise. The modern-day reimagining tells the story of Los Angeles teenager Sam Witwicky as he finds himself caught up in the brutal war between the heroic Autobots and nefarious Decepticons, as the two shape-shifting alien robot factions fight for control of the artifact AllSpark.
Bay Epically Brings Back the Beloved Media Franchise
Featuring memorable performances from Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, and the always amazing John Turturro, Transformers is a well-acted sci-fi spectacular that’s loaded to the brim with stunning CGI effects that hold up remarkably well today. The electrifying movie became the fifth highest-grossing film of the year and nabbed an impressive 85% Popcornmeter from audiences, while spawning a brand new generation of Transformers fans. It may be “dumb fun,” but what else could you ask for from a summer blockbuster?
3
‘The Transformers: The Movie’ (1986) – 62%
The Transformers: The Movie is the first feature-length film in the Transformers franchise, and a direct continuation of the original Transformers cartoon series. With upgraded animation and the voice talents of Leonard Nimoy, Casey Kasem, Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Eric Idle, and Orson Welles (among many others), the film brought the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons to the silver screen in unforgettable fashion.
Time Has Been Kind to the Animated Cult Classic
The animated flick memorably featured Peter Cullen as the fan-favorite character Optimus Prime (as he previously had voiced the character in the TV series), and Cullen would later go on to reprise the role in the Michael Bay live-action series over two decades later. Although it was once critically reviled for its unexpected violence and overall dark tone, The Transformers: The Movie has since been reappraised and is now considered to be one of the greatest animated films of the ’80s.
2
‘Transformers One’ (2024) – 89%
Led by a stacked cast of Hollywood heavyweights including Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, and Laurence Fishburne, the animated sensation Transformers One explores the Cybertron mythology and serves as an origin story for the sworn enemies Optimus Prime and Megatron, chronicling the early relationship between the two powerful alien robots who were once as close as brothers but later became bitter foes.
‘Transformers One’ Delivers on All Thrilling Fronts
Eric Pearson (The Fantastic Four: First Steps) helped co-wrote the screenplay for the visually stunning film, which became a massive knockout with both critics and fans alike thanks to its winning blend of humor and heart, charming voice performances, and refreshing depth. Transformers One landed an A CinemaScore and phenomenal 97% Popcornmeter from viewers and remains one of the franchise’s greatest entries, with RogerEbert.com declaring it “so earnest, bringing notes of freshness and innocence to a prequel that, by all rights, shouldn’t have had any.”
1
‘Bumblebee’ (2018) – 91%
Bumblebee is a Transformers prequel about popular character Bumblebee’s first arrival to Earth in the late 1980s. The first in the series to be made without Michael Bay in the director’s chair, the movie was directed by Travis Knight and stars Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena, with the film centering on the troubled 18-year-old Charlie as she struggles to get her life on track and ends up developing a profound bond with Bumblebee (Dylan O’Brien).
‘Bumblebee’ Is a Brilliantly Crafted Origin Story
Considered by many to be the strongest entry in the live-action Transformers series, Bumblebee came as a great surprise to moviegoers, who fully expected to witness yet another overlong and explosive sci-fi diversion. What they got instead was a clever and carefully-crafted origin story that works perfectly as a great stand-alone movie. In the words of Collider, “A box-office and critical success, Bumblebee is a beautiful, heart-warming journey that you don’t want to miss.”
