Between a disappointing dinosaur movie, a heartfelt family film, and lots of CGI, the Transformers franchise is a mixed bag, according to IMDb users.

While the Transformers series has been quiet lately, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is well into production and the original Transformers movie has reentered theatres for its 15th anniversary. The Transformers franchise couldn't be more interesting right now, as the upcoming movie comes six years after its predecessor, it's the first one not directed by Michael Bay, and it comes off the heels of the standalone spin-off, Bumblebee.

The upcoming movie could go in any direction, and the franchise needs a refreshing new take on the main Transformers series, as the movies had been getting worse with each consecutive release. But there's plenty to love about the series. Between a disappointing dinosaur movie, a heartfelt family film, and tons of CGI fests, the Transformers franchise is a mixed bag.

Transformers: The Last Knight is one of the most unenjoyable action movies released in recent memory, and this time, not even audiences were fooled by the impressive effects in the trailers. The film somewhat halted the franchise's trajectory, as the movie's poor box office performance forced Paramount to rethink and restructure the series.

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The Last Knight made just $600 million worldwide, and while that figure sounds like a lot, it's a disappointment considering the film cost $260 million to make. It's even more disastrous given that it's a whole $500 million less than its predecessor, Age of Extinction. However, this movie's failure is to thank for the lower-scale and surprisingly heartfelt Bumblebee, so it did something right.

As criticized as the previous two movies were, they still delivered on showcasing the iconic Transformers. Bumblebee is one of the best robot characters, and he was on full display in every movie, but Transformers: Age of Extinction changes things up. The Dinobots were an interesting change of pace from the Decepticons, but it still wasn't enough to keep the film from being a cacophony of CGI and unfollowable action.

Not only did the 2014 movie introduce the Dinobots, but there's a whole new cast of human characters too, but that's where the movie falls flat. While Shia LaBeouf has been traded in for a much more charismatic Mark Wahlberg, his performance is more reminiscent of The Happening than The Departed. And with a bloated runtime of two hours and 45 minutes, many feel that it's a slog to get through.

Following the well-received first movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen misunderstood what audiences enjoyed about the original. The sequel doubles down on the messy action and gets in the way of what little plot there is. The movie introduces the ancient Decepticon The Fallen, who wants to destroy the sun and all life on Earth. That premise could have made for an epic sci-fi movie and a worthy follow-up to Transformers, but too much CGI, product placement, and unnecessary shots of a scantily clad Megan Fox got in the way.

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Bay used IMAX cameras to shoot some of the action sequences, and it does look impressive, but it would have had more of an impact if audiences were connected to what was going on. But the most insulting part of the flap was Skids and Mudflap, two extremely annoying Transformers and some of the worst comic relief characters ever.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is one of those bad movies with great trailers, and the marketing team did a great job at putting together an exciting-looking trailer. But the movie still has its merits and is far from the worst Transformers film. After the disappointing Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon delivered more of the goods that made the first movie so great.

The action sequences are actually more cohesive than in the previous film, and the jokes land better too. A ton of celebrated actors somehow gravitated toward the blockbuster movie as well, as Dark of the Moon sports a supporting cast including John Turturro, John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand. How Bay convinced these prestigious performers to star in the movie is anyone's guess, but it's a pleasant surprise seeing them periodically crop up throughout the 154-minute movie.

Bumblebee came as a huge surprise to audiences, and some might have been shocked that it's tied to the Transformers franchise. The film is a relatively quiet family movie, and it focuses on the main character's bond with Bumblebee better than any previous release. It beats the 2007 film at its own game, as Charlie's relationship with the yellow Transformer is more engaging and touching than Sam's was.

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Six movies in, the series finally features a well-written female character too, as Charlie isn't just a love interest or there to scream at what's going on, but she's actually mature, clever, and entertaining. Along with the franchise's best human character, the comparatively modest action, and the well-crafted screenplay, Bumblebee was a brave direction for the series, and the film's critical success is something that Paramount will hopefully learn from.

2007's Transformers started a multi-billion-dollar franchise, but where its sequels were more successful, none of them are more entertaining than the original. The first film in the long-running franchise captivated viewers from the very first shot. A tracking shot of The Cube in space narrated by Optimus Prime gave off a sense of wonder that none of the sequels ever did.

Transformers is a faithful adaptation of the source material, the action isn't overdone, and it has an incredible movie score. More than anything, the film had some creative casting. Bay brought back Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus Prime, as well as cast Hugo Weaving as Megatron.

Transformers: The Movie is a movie continuation of the original 1980s television series, but audiences don't need to have seen the show to enjoy the film. The movie even has some of the most prestigious cast ever, as Orson Welles voices Unicron, a villain and original character from the 1986 release. The film's hand-drawn animation is so detailed, and the voice acting is on another level from its peers.

The movie is so much fun and a great piece of nostalgia, but it also goes to show that the franchise was messy and convoluted long before Bay got his hands on the series. Non-stop action and fighting fill the film from beginning to end, and even for fans of the TV show, it's hard to make total sense of what's going on.

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Currently residing in Madrid, Stephen Barker has been a staff writer at Screen Rant since 2020. Since graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a bachelor's degree in Film, Television, and Cultural Studies in 2014, he has written for numerous movie and music websites. Stephen has been obsessed with movies since he first watched Jurassic Park on VHS, and with a deep interest in screenwriting, he loves 70s character-driven movies. But he's just as much of a defender of Batman & Robin, The Fast and the Furious, and Small Soldiers. Visit Stephen’s personal blog, Quaranste, where he writes about guilty pleasure movies, his latest musical discoveries, and how he stays creative during global pandemics, or contact him directly: Quaranstine@gmail.com.