Transformers has been one of the most popular and groundbreaking franchises to have been released.
Basing the story on the media franchise and toy line from Hasbro, Transformers tells the story of an alien race of mechanical warriors from the planet of Cybertron. The basic premise of the story mostly pits the Autobots, honorable, heroic, and allies of Earth, against the Decepticons, their evil counterparts.
The live-action franchise debuted in 2007 from the house of Paramount Pictures. However, it already had its own animated TV series and an animated film, which had released back in the 1980s.
Premiering in 2007 with their first live-action film, the franchise has released seven titles, with the latest release being last week.
Rise of the Beasts is the seventh installment from the franchise and is a spin-off from the original series. The film was released on June 9 and has garnered a positive response from critics and audiences alike.
On its opening box-office weekend, the film has already grossed over $171 million worldwide, almost earning back its production budget of $200 million.
Ranking the 5 best Transformers films to watch
#5 Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the third installment under Michael Bay’s live-action film series that released in 2011.
Set as a direct sequel to Revenge of the Fallen, the screenplay for the film was written by Ehren Kruger. The film was praised for its visuals, original music, and cast performances, earning over $1.2 billion worldwide, which made it the highest grossing film of the franchise till date.
The cast featured Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Patrick Dempsey, John Malkovich and others in pivotal roles. Peter Cullen, Hugo Weaving, Leonard Nemoy and others played leading voiced characters.
Set two years after the events of Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon brings back the fight between the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth. When a powerful Cybertronian technology is discovered on the dark side of the moon, Optimus and the Autobots bring back the pillars and Sentinel Prime, who was guarding it.
However, Sentinel sides with the Decepticons and plans on bringing the barren Cybertron back to life, using Earth’s resources and enslaving human kind. The Autobots and allies of Earth ultimately wage an intense war in Chicago, finally defeating the Decepticons and saving the Earth once again.
#4 The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie is an animated sci-fi action adventure from the house of De Laurentiis Entertainment that released in 1986. Nelson Shin directed the movie with screenplay by Ron Friedman, which was inspired from the 1984 animated TV series of the same name.
The film was an older adaptation of the plotline explored in Rise of the Beasts.
Under attack by the world-devouring Unicron, the Maximals escape to Earth to save the Transwarp Key from falling into the wrong hands. Once on Earth, the Maximals team up with the Autobots to fight the Terrorcons and save Earth from being eaten by Unicron.
The movie released to a rather negative reception. However, with time, it has garnered critical acclaim and become one of the more celebrated animated films of the franchise, garnering a cult following.
#3 Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the latest installment to the franchise. Directed by Steven Caple Jr., the story was developed by Joby Harold as a direct sequel to Bumblebee.
The film is curently running in theaters after releasing on June 9, 2023 and has received mostly positive reviews about its action sequences and storytelling style.
The film stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback in lead roles. Other notable actors such as Peter Cullen, Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Pete Davidson, MJ Rodriguez and others have lent their voices.
The official synopsis for the movie reads as follows.
“Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new breed of Transformer – the Maximals – to the existing battle on earth between Autobots and Decepticons.”
#2 Bumblebee
Bumblebee is a 2018 release from Paramount Pictures that acted as a spin-off prequel to the 2007 Michael Bay film.
Directed by Travis Knight, the screenplay was worked on by Christina Hodson. The film starred Hailee Steinfeld, Jorge Lendeborg, John Cena, Pamale Adlon, John Ortiz and others in pivotal roles. Dylan O’Brien, Peter Cullen, Angela Bassett, Justin Theroux and others featured in notable voice roles.
Set in the 1980s, the film revolves around Autobot scout, Bumblebee, as he reaches Earth to take refuge from the war on Cybertron. The transformer befriends Charlie Watson, and together they escape from the Decepticons hunting for Bumblebee.
The duo then set off on an adventure to save the Earth from succumbing to the Decepticons.
Although the film did not gross as much as other titles in the franchise, Bumblebee was both a commercial and critical success. The film received positive reviews for its fresh take on the franchise, employing emotional storytelling instead of just an action-packed plot.
#1 Transformers
The film that kick started the live-action franchise was Michael Bay’s Transformers, released in 2007. It was a sci-fi action film from the house of Paramount Pictures, inspired from Hasbro’s toy-line of the same name. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman wrote the screenplay for the film.
The film starred Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Rachel Taylor, Anthony Anderson, Kevin Dunn, Julie White and others in pivotal roles. Peter Cullen, Mark Ryan, Darius McCrary, Hugo Weaving, Charlie Adler and others featured in notable voice roles.
The film follows Sam Witwicky, a teenager who realizes that his newly bought car is a transforming alien. As he gets entangled in a complicated plot involving warring factions of the aliens from Cybertron, Sam forges an alliance with the Autobots and fights to save the world from the Decepticons.
With its impressive use of digital VFX, Transformers was a visual marvel at the time of its release. The success of the first film spawned a whole franchise, which has continued till today.
These were some of our top picks of films from the Transformers franchise. Although some of the films received criticism for the lack of a well-written script, the use of animations and CGI has been breathtaking. This has in turn cemented Transformers as one of the most popular franchises in the last decade or so.
If you love the transforming aliens from Cybertron and their adventures, then be sure to catch their latest release Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in theaters. The film released on June 9, 2023 and has been hailed as one of the better titles from the franchise.