Michael Bay’sTransformersmovies became a huge cinematic spectacle and one of the biggest blockbuster universes ever seen on the big screen. However, the franchise’s latest film feels like the first time we’ve seen the realTransformerssince the inception of the Bayverse, and while it was a breath of fresh air, the movie still faced one major issue. Despite their polarizing nature, there’s no doubt Michael Bay’s films gave us some of thebestTransformersbattlesand delivered high-octane action that hooked audiences. The series simply felt unmissable during its peak, hence why it found so much cinematic success.
Even though the reviews were never particularly kind to the Bayverse - both from audiences and critics -Michael Bay’sTransformersmovies became box officejuggernauts and earned an obscene amount of money. The director’s unorthodox take on the Autobots was certainly an acquired taste, but he won over a loyal fan base and proved he could maintain their interest with each installment. Unfortunately, the live-action projects have failed to make the same kind of impression since Bay’s departure, butTransformers' most recent animated outing was a welcome change of pace and felt extremely authentic, despite facing one major challenge.
Transformers One Felt More Like Transformers Than Any Of The Live-Action Movies
The Transformers' Strong Personalities & Interesting Relationships Shined In Transformers One
Based on its reviews, it’s safe to sayTransformers Oneis easily the most belovedTransformersmovie in years, with the animated project becoming one of 2024’s most underrated films. While this can be attributed to its great storytelling and vibrant personality,Transformers One’s success also comes down to it feeling like a trueTransformersmovie. Bay’s films were undoubtedly effective in generating a large audience, but at times they seemed to be missing the core aspects of the franchise, with most outings focusing on human protagonists and failing to give the Autobots overly distinct traits.
Transformers Onefixed this problem by being purely about theTransformersthemselves, adding a light-hearted tone to the story while still producing a compelling narrative. The comradery between the central characters feels much more in line with what we expect when it comes to the Autobots, and there is also a healthy blend of humor mixed in there. Additionally,Transformers Onehas better villains than the live-action movies, adding a more personable tension to the conflict, as opposed to the Bayverse, which often relied on an even more world-threatening enemy than the last, a trope that quickly became old.
There is no denying Michael Bay’sTransformersmovies did an excellent job of taking this iconic franchise and making people interested, butTransformers Onetruly understands what makes these characters so memorable.
There is no denying Michael Bay’sTransformersmovies did an excellent job of taking this iconic franchise and making people interested, butTransformers Onetruly understands what makes these characters so memorable and delivers a fun tone that still allows for a serious plot, culminating in my favoriteTransformersmovie of all time.
Transformers One Was Not Nearly As Successful As The Michael Bay Movies
Despite Its Positive Critical Reception, Transformers One Couldn’t Match The Financial Success Of The Bayverse
Despite absolutely thriving critically,Transformers Onestill fell a long way short of the Bayverse financially. While cinematic success isn’t simply defined by how profitable a movie is, it remains a critical factor, especially for studios. Although many of Michael Bay’sTransformersmovies were panned by critics and audiences, numerous projects earned over $1 billion at the box office and helped makeTransformersone of the highest-grossing movie franchises of all time. As a result, Bay’s series continued to get sequels and had a decade of longevity, something thatTransformers Onewill have a tough time replicating.
Its financial struggles don’t take away from its unquestionable quality and unique charm, butTransformers Oneis sadly one of theworst-performingTransformersmovies at the box office. While I’d love to see Paramount continue to invest in this fantastic animated movie series and give it a real chance to grow,Transformers Onesimply didn’t come close to having the same sort of financial impact as Bay’s huge blockbusters, suggesting a sequel would have to perform exceptionally well to warrant the story continuing.
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Few people would have expected the animated project to exceed the live-action movies' box office success, but it earned just under $130 million, making it the lowest-grossingTransformersmovie of the 21st century. I’m still a huge fan of the animated hit and I think it deserves all the praise it gets, but this shortcoming will undoubtedly impact the franchise’s future. Still, I’m hopeful this won’t be the lastTransformers Onemovie.
There Should Be Room For All Kinds Of Transformers Movies In The Franchise
Transformers One Proved The Franchise Needs Fun Animated Movies Just As Much As Live-Action Blockbusters
AlthoughTransformers Onedidn’t quite make the box office splash that has been associated with the franchise in recent years, its overwhelming popularity suggests there is room for all kinds ofTransformersmovies. Michael Bay’s films will always be the most lucrative projects financially, as they have that blockbuster appeal that hasn’t been replicated since. Even if they don’t always capture the essence ofTransformers, the Bayverse still produced plenty of fun moments, and if the director ever wanted to come back, there is undoubtedly still an audience for his take on the Autobots.
Alternatively, whileBumblebeewasn’t a massive financial draw, it followed a similar path toTransformers Onein terms of being universally loved among critics and fans. Therefore, interesting one-off stories should also be considered forTransformers, as despiteBumblebeehaving connections to the Bayverse, it acted as a self-contained narrative.Transformers Onealso proved there can be a popular animated movie series alongside a live-action one, confirming there is room to do both simultaneously.
Although having the Bayverse, an animated universe, and a new live-action movie series may seem like overkill, they could all help one another and makeTransformersone of the most active movie series out there. As a result, I hope the franchise doesn’t sacrifice one project for the other and gives all kinds of films a chance to shine, asTransformersstill has plenty to offer despite its recent box-office difficulties.
