While theTransformersseriesmay not have the greatest track record,it’s usually very good in two major departments. The first is VFX; these movies look great and have surprisingly great visual effects. The second is the thrilling and high-octane action. Even whenTransformersis at its worst, the action is always enough to get audiences through the typical 2-hour runtime with little to no effort.
Ironically, theworst entries in the franchise, theMichael Bayfilms, have some of the best action in the series. Bay may not be able to consistently tell a good story, but he can direct some incredible action with set-pieces that can truly leave jaws dropping. What’s funny enough about theTransformersseries is that the best films don’t typically have as good action as their more mediocre siblings. It’s almost as if Bay knew when he had a flop on his hands and decided to throw a ton of money at the action sequences. But hey, it worked, andthe most action-packedTransformersmovies are usually the ones with the weakest story.
7’Bumblebee' (2018)
Directed by Travis Knight
WhileBumblebeeis easilythe bestTransformersmovie yet, the intention of the film was not to be a full-fledged action film.Bumblebeewas always supposed to be a smaller, more intimate adventurethat spent more time building the relationship between Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld) and Bumblebee (Dylan O’Brien) to strengthen the series' themes of human-robot dynamics.
The action that is in the film is spectacular and a ton of fun, especially the opening fight between Bumblebee and Blitzwing (David Sobolov), which perfectly ties to Bumblebee’s Earth origins. However, the rest of the movieoffers very little overt action, instead favoring smaller sequences. This approach is partially what makesBumblebeethe bestTransformersfilm: it’s far more focused on plot and character than anything else, and that helps it a lot.
6’Transformers: The Last Knight' (2017)
Directed by Michael Bay
Easily the absolute worst and most ludicrousTransformersfilm,Transformers: The Last Knightis the culmination of everything that’s wrong about Michael Bay’sTransformersfilmmaking. The final entry in Bay’sTransformersseries should have, in theory, the best action sequences, a sort of go-big-or-go-home situation. Unfortunately, that was just not the case.
While engaging enough,the action inTransformers: The Last Knightis simply far less creativethan it has been in the past. It offers more of the same, presenting its action sequences in such uninspired manners that they can’t help but feel unoriginal and almost boring. One would think that the inclusion of the legendary King Arthur and his iconic mythology would open up more possibilities for action. Alas,The Last Knightis a completely inept piece of filmmaking, and its action is just as mediocre.
5’Transformers: Age of Extinction' (2014)
Transformers: Age of Extinctionintroduced many new concepts to theTransformersseries that opened the doors to new ideas to implement into action sequences. UnlikeTransformers: The Last Knight,Age of Extinctionmanages to actually implement them well. Sure, it has some ofthe worst characters in theTransformerssaga, butthe action is pretty good.
The introduction of Lockdown (Mark Ryan), one of the series' best villains, and Grimlock birthed some amazing action sequences, benefitting from the characters' might and ruthlessness. Lockdown was so powerful it took Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), Bumblebee (Ben Schwartz), Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), Tessa Yeager (Nicola Peltz), and Shane Dyson (Jack Reynor) to take him down.Optimus Prime also had an amazing action sequencewhen trying to earn Grimlock’s respect, a bot almost ten times the size of the Autobot leader.
Transformers: Age of Extinction
4’Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' (2023)
Directed by Steven Caple Jr.
Acting as the second film in the soft-reboot starting withBumblebee, the surprisingly solidTransformers: Rise of the Beastsmade a splash byintroducing the Maximals, who spiced up the action and made the series seem exciting again. The Maximals' ability to transform into animals rather than vehicles gives them far more combat abilities than the typical Transformers surrounding them.
Their animal formsallow them to hop into action with a more dynamic approachthan anything previously shown in the series. In fact, the Maximals stay in their animal forms for most of the film, allowing the action sequences more fluidity than if they had stuck with their humanoid forms. The action inTransformers: Rise of the Beastshas variety and a distinctive visual uniqueness, which had been missing since the early days of the franchise.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
3’Transformers' (2007)
The film that started it all,Transformersearned significant praise upon release, not only for its pretty serviceable plot but also for its mind-blowing and groundbreaking action for the year 2007; in fact, it still holds up to this day. Given the fact that this film was the first time the robots in disguise hit big screens in live-action, the action sequences presented were new, fresh, and very engaging.
Transformersis packed to the absolutebrim with action left and right without becoming too overwhelmingand affecting the plot. It also keeps things fresh with variety, focusing not only on robot-to-robot action but also human-to-robot, resulting in some amazing moments that definedthe action and adventure genres in the 2000s. Major William Lennox (Josh Duhamel) taking down Blackout with the help of his crew and no Autobots is still one of the franchise’s highest points.
Transformers
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2’Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' (2009)
If someone doesn’t think thatTransformers: The Last Knightis the worstTransformersfilm, they most certainly thinkTransformers: Revenge of the Fallenis. But no matter how unbearable the film can be (especially with those racist robots), it’s undeniable that it has some pretty badass action sequences.Revenge of the Fallenis all about the spectacle, with the final fight happening around the Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
This film is basically a parade of action sequences, each one louder and more bombastic than the one before. Whether it’sDevastator (Frank Welker) climbing and destroying the Pyramid of Gizaor Optimus facing off against multiple Decepticons at once in a forest, leading to his eventual death,Transformers: Revenge of the Fallenhas some of the most creative and thrilling action sequences in the saga.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
1’Transformers: Dark of the Moon' (2011)
Nothing brings about the best of the action genre like the supposed end of the world. Indeed, the third act ofTransformers: Dark of the Moonis pretty much one giant battle to save the world in Chicago, of all places, as the Decepticons have completely taken over, and all hope seems lost.
The Autobots have been betrayed and cast off of Earth, the Decepticons have taken over Chicago in hopes of bringing back Cybertron, and the United States Government has essentially become defunct in the battle to stop them.The stakes have never been as high as they got inTransformers: Dark of the Moon, leading to the best action the series has had to offer. Every sequence is jaw-dropping and intense, but the third act takes the cake asa masterclass in over-the-top actionthat remains unmatched in theTransformersuniverse.
