The Michael Bay <em>Transformers</em> movies mainly received negative reviews, but there are many aspects of the sequels that we appreciate. Bay made his first Transformers movie in 2007, and it was an entertaining action release about the Hasbro toy line featuring robots called Autobots that transform into vehicles and battle the evil Decepticons.
However, while the first movie received a slightly positive Rotten Tomatoes score of 57%, the four Michael Bay sequels were ranked as rotten by critics, with three of the films failing even to reach 20%. Despite the reviews, there are elements of the Transformers sequels that demonstrate the movies aren’t as bad as they might seem.
The Sequels Improved Battle Scenes
The most significant improvement from the first Transformers movie was the battle scenes. In that first movie, the battle scenes used a lot of shaky cam, and the Autobots and Decepticons all looked similar to each other, making it very hard to follow the big fight scenes. Fans complained, and Michael Bay addressed this in the sequels.
If anything, Bay listened to the fans. He eliminated most of the shaky cam shooting and ensured that the Autobots and Decepticons were designed more distinctively, allowing fans to follow the battles more easily. While the L.A. battle in the first movie was incredible, the giant fights in the sequels were even better thanks to these changes.
The Autobots & Decepticons Looked Impressive
As mentioned, Michael Bay ensured that the Autobots and Decepticons in the sequels were easier to distinguish, enhancing action scenes. The first movie clearly allowed Optimus Prime and Bumblebee to shine, but others tended to blend together. That was not an issue in the sequels.
The first movie introduced the Autobots on Earth and their battle with the Decepticons. However, the sequels brought in fan favorites, and Bay made sure they all looked incredible. The second movie introduced Autobots like Sideswipe, Jolt, and Arcee, while later films added Topspin, Crosshairs, and more.
The Decepticons featured characters like Grindor, Shockwave, Laserbeak, Stinger, Onslaught, and Shatter. Notably, hybrids like Devastator in Revenge of the Fallen, and the Dinobots in Transformers: The Last Knight, led to the introduction of Maximals in post-Bay movies.
This is one area where Michael Bay’s Transformer sequels excelled — providing franchise fans with classic characters they always wanted to see brought to life on screen.
The Music Score of Revenge of the Fallen
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