The film was released in the United States on June 27, 2014, byParamount Pictures.[6] It received generally negative reviews from critics, criticizing its pacing, runtime, direction, plot, and dialogue, although the action sequences and visual effects were praised. The film was a box office success, grossing $1.105 billion worldwide against a $210 million production budget, making it thehighest-grossing film of 2014, the only film in 2014 to gross over $1 billion, and thetenth-highest-grossing film of all time at the time of its release. It was followed by a sequel,Transformers: The Last Knight in 2017.
Plot
Sixty-five million years ago, an alien race known as the "Creators" used devices called Seeds to cover Earth with a metallic alloy called "Transformium",supposedly wiping out the dinosaurs in the process. In the present day, geologist Darcy Tirrel excavates the Transformium for K.S.I. Industries, using it to build Transformer drones.
In the years after the Battle of Chicago,[a] humans view Transformers as hostile and terminate all joint operations with them includingNEST. Though the public believes that theAutobots were granted sanctuary, they are hunted down by a rogueCIAblack ops division, Cemetery Wind, led by opportunistic, rogue intelligence operative Harold Attinger, who believes that all Transformers are dangerous and must be destroyed.Lockdown, a Cybertronian assassin andbounty hunter working for the Creators, is tasked to findOptimus Prime. In exchange, he gives Attinger a Seed if his division manages to capture Optimus. Lockdown locates and kills Ratchet when he refuses to give up Optimus's location.
Optimus, badly damaged inMexico City, hides in Texas and is discovered by Cade Yeager, a financially struggling inventor and a single father. While his teenage daughter Tessa and business partner Lucas Flannery encourage him to turn Optimus over to the authorities, Cade instead fixes Optimus. Hoping to collect an advertised reward, Lucas alerts the authorities, and James Savoy, Attinger's field commanding operative, attacks the Yeager farm, but Optimus, and Tessa's secret boyfriend,Irishrally car driver Shane Dyson, rescue the family. During the pursuit, Lucas is killed by one of Lockdown's grenades. Optimus summons the surviving Autobots –Bumblebee,Hound, Drift, andCrosshairs. Using a stolen CIA drone, Cade discovers K.S.I.'s involvement with Cemetery Wind and the attacks on the Autobots.
Infiltrating K.S.I.'s headquarters in Chicago, Cade discovers the dead Autobots andDecepticons being melted down to make Transformer drones. The K.S.I. CEO, Joshua Joyce, is in league with Attinger to revolutionize global defenses and improve human society using the Seed to make more Transformium. He has also used the captured Brains andMegatron's head to create prototype Transformer soldiers,Galvatron and Stinger. The Autobots storm the building and destroy the laboratory, but they soon leave after Joshua declares that they don't need them anymore. Attinger forces Joshua to deploy Galvatron and Stinger to capture the Autobots. During the battle, Galvatron's behavior becomes erratic. As Galvatron battles Optimus, he gets autonomously freed from control. Suddenly, Lockdown arrives and abducts both Optimus and Tessa while Galvatron retreats.
While Lockdown's large prison spacecraft hovers over Chicago to hand over the Seed, Cade, Shane, and the Autobots sneak on board to rescue Optimus and Tessa. They hijack a smaller ship, containing other Transformers called theDinobots, just before Lockdown leaves Earth. The Autobots learn that Galvatron is Megatron reincarnated, plotting to use the Seed and the Transformer drones to conquer the world and that KSI plans to use the Seed in the Mongolian desert to create vast amounts of usable Transformium. Cade informs Joshua, who agrees to hand over the Seed with help from Darcy and his Chinese business associate Su Yueming. Galvatron reactivates himself and takes control of the drones, organizing them into a new Decepticon army. A battle follows in Hong Kong between the Autobots, Cemetery Wind, and the Decepticons. During the fight, Cade sends Savoy plummeting to his death while Optimus frees the Dinobots and wins their allegiance throughtrial by combat, becoming essential to the Autobots' victory.
Lockdown returns to recapture Optimus and the Dinobots, using a large magnet to cause destruction. After disabling the magnet, Optimus fights Lockdown. In the ensuing duel, Optimus kills Attinger to save Cade, but the distraction allows Lockdown to pin Optimus down with his sword. Cade ends up fighting Lockdown one-on-one while Tessa and Shane use a tow truck to free Optimus, who kills Lockdown before destroying the remaining Decepticons with Lockdown's grenade. Galvatron retreats, vowing to return. Optimus asks the Autobots to protect the Yeagers while Joshua offers to help them build a new home, before flying away into space with the Seed, sending a message to the Creators that he is coming for them.[b]
Mark Wahlberg as Cade Yeager: A single father and struggling inventor.[7]
Stanley Tucci as Joshua Joyce: An ambitious, arrogant businessman and the head of KSI who wants to build his own Transformers.[8][9]
Kelsey Grammer as Harold Attinger: A formerNavy SEAL and rogue government official who created the CIA black-ops unit, Cemetery Wind to eliminate all Transformers, Autobot or Decepticon, from Earth.[10]
Nicola Peltz as Tessa Yeager: Cade's daughter who is secretly dating Shane.
Jack Reynor as Shane Dyson: Tessa's boyfriend and an Irish rally car driver.[11][12]
Sophia Myles as Darcy Tyril: Joshua's geologist assistant and ex-girlfriend.[13][14]
Li Bingbing as Su Yueming: (苏月明Sū Yuèmíng) The owner of the Chinese factory used by KSI to build their artificial Transformers.[15]
Titus Welliver as James Savoy: A ruthless, corrupt CIA officer and second in-command of the Cemetery Wind working for Attinger.[16]
T.J. Miller as Lucas Flannery: Cade's employee and best friend mechanic.[17]
Greg Anderson, Ethan Graves, Melanie Specht andVictoria Summer play Joshua's assistants.[18][19]Han Geng portrays himself, playing the guitar and singing in a parked car that is magnetized by Lockdown's ship.[20]Ed Welburn plays a KSI executive.[21]Kevin Covais andRay Lui play motorists, whileCleo King appears as a realtor.
Mark Ryan as Lockdown: A ruthless Cybertronian assassin and bounty hunter who transforms into a grey 2014Lamborghini Aventador LP 700–4 Coupe. He is hired by the "Creators" to bring Optimus Prime back to them and kill any Autobots who refuse to give up his location.[23][25]
Reno Wilson as Brains: A former Decepticon drone turned Autobot who survived the Battle of Chicago and has lost his right leg who explains that Galvatron is a reincarnation of Megatron.
Ben Schwartz as Bumblebee: An Autobot scout and Optimus Prime's new second-in-command who transforms into a black1967 Chevrolet Camaro and later into a yellow and black2014 Chevrolet Camaro. While the character largely uses sound bites to "speak" in the film, Schwartz provides several lines of original dialogue for the character.[30]
Frank Welker as Galvatron: A human-made KSI Transformer drone modeled after Optimus Prime who transforms into a black and grey 2014Freightliner Argosy cab over trailer truck that uses data from the remains of the Decepticon leader Megatron; while being possessed by the latter as a new body.[25][26][31][32]
Non-speaking robots
Grimlock: The leader of the Dinobots captured by Lockdown and later released by Optimus Prime. He transforms into a fire-breathing mechanicalTyrannosaurus.
Stinger: A human-made KSI drone that works for Galvatron and is a remake ofBumblebee. He transforms into a 2014Pagani Huayra sports car.
Strafe: A Dinobot who transforms into a two-headedPteranodon.
Slug: A Dinobot who transforms into a mechanical spikedTriceratops.
Scorn: A Dinobot with the nickname "Spike" who transforms into a mechanicalSpinosaurus.
Junkheap: A human-made KSI prototype that transforms into aMack TerraPro garbage truck. Unlike other transformers in the series, Junkheap splits into three separate robots.
Production
Development
During production forDark of the Moon,Shia LaBeouf and Michael Bay stated that they would not return for a fourth installment of the franchise.[33]Roland Emmerich,Joe Johnston,Jon Turteltaub,Stephen Sommers,Louis Leterrier andDavid Yates were rumored to replace Bay.[34]Jason Statham was rumored to star in the fourth installment. Hasbro CEOBrian Goldner revealed that he was able to announce the film as he was talking with Steven Spielberg, Bay and Paramount Pictures.[35]There were rumors that the fourth and fifth installment would be shotback-to-back with Statham as the lead role, which he and Bay denied.[36] Spielberg hoped Bay would return for a fourth installment.[37]
After final negotiations with Bay to direct the film,[38] producerLorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed that there would be a fourth film in the franchise.[39] In February 2012, Paramount and Bay announced that Bay would be producing and directing a fourth Transformers film, scheduled for a June 27, 2014, release.[40][41] The film was not areboot but a sequel toDark of the Moon,[12] taking place four years later.[42]Ehren Kruger andSteve Jablonsky returned to write the script and the score, respectively.[43] In April 2013, it was announced thatChina Movie Channel and Jiaflix Enterprises wouldco-produce the film with Paramount.[44][45][46]
On September 1, 2013, Fusible revealed three possible subtitles for the film, which wereLast Stand,Future Cast, andApocalypse.[47] On September 2, TFW 2005 revealed one last possible title,Age of Extinction.[48] On September 3, 2013, Paramount released an official teaser poster for the film, revealing the title to beTransformers: Age of Extinction.[49]
Peter Cullen reprises his role as the voice ofOptimus Prime.[22]Glenn Morshower stated in September 2012 that he would appear in the next two films, reprising his role of General Morshower, but Morshower announced in May 2013 that he would not be able to appear in the new films due to a scheduling conflict.[52] In April 2013, Bay revealed that actorStanley Tucci had joined the cast.[53] On May 1, 2013, actorKelsey Grammer was cast as the lead human villain named Harold Attinger.[54] On May 6, 2013, actressSophia Myles was cast in a major role.[13] That same month, Chinese actressBingbing Li and comedianT. J. Miller joined the cast.[55] On July 14, 2013, Bay announced thatHan Geng had joined the cast.[20] That same month,Titus Welliver also joined the cast.[16]
Ahead of the film's release in May 2014, the film's voice cast for the Transformers was announced with actorsJohn Goodman andKen Watanabe voicing the Autobots, Hound and Drift. AlongsideRobert Foxworth andReno Wilson returning to voice Ratchet and Brains fromDark of the Moon, whileFrank Welker reprises his role of Galvatron fromThe Transformers television series, who was previously voiced byLeonard Nimoy inThe Transformers: The Movie, andJohn DiMaggio, andMark Ryan in new roles with DiMaggio voicing Crosshairs and Ryan voicing the film's antagonist Lockdown.[56] Nearly nine years since the film's release in May 2023, comedianBen Schwartz revealed he originally voiced several of Bumblebee's radio clips for the film. He was hired by Bay to come up with some of the radio dialogue for Bumblebee but was changed into radio sounds in the final cut, with the exception that some of his lines were left.[57]
Filming
Michael Bay filmingTransformers: Age of Extinction; actressesAbigail Klein, Melanie Specht and Victoria Summer are walking in a corridor.
Bay announced that filming had begun on May 28, 2013, inMonument Valley,Utah. Detroit, was used as a stand-in for Hong Kong[58] whileMcCormick Place in Chicago, was re-dressed to portray a city in China.[59] The movie was the first feature film to be shot using smallerdigital IMAX 3D cameras.[53] It also was shot in various other formats, including IMAX70mm film cameras, digital stereo 3-D, andanamorphic andspherical35mm film.[60] From May 28 to June 24, 2013, Michael Bay uploaded photographs of several cars featured in the film, all apparently Autobots, to social networks including Facebook and Flickr. The film featured two unknown Autobots that transformed into a black and blue 2013Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse (going by production name "Drift"), and a green 2014C7 Corvette Stingray concept (going by production name "Slingshot"). Also revealed was a truck fromWestern Star Trucks as Optimus Prime's new alternate mode. The Dinobots andLockdown were confirmed to appear. On October 29, Michael Bay's Official Twitter Account tweeted that principal photography ofTransformers 4 had been completed in Hong Kong, and the cast and crew were heading to the Chinese mainland.[61] (According to previous reports, crews would be filming there for one week.)[62] Additional filming in Detroit began in early 2014; a pair of steamships (Columbia andSte. Claire) which had once traveled between Detroit andBois Blanc Island's amusement park were partially restored and used as props for the film.[63]General Motors allowed film crews access to two of their facilities to be used during filming. Several scenes were filmed at theGeneral Motors Technical Center with scenes being filmed at the Design Center and the Wind Tunnel Facility at the complex. Film crews also were given access to theMilford Proving Grounds where highway chase scenes were filmed.[64]
Incidents
On October 17, 2013, while filming in Hong Kong, director Michael Bay was assaulted by two brothers surnamed Mak, who demanded a payment of HK$100,000 (12,900 U.S. dollars). The elder brother also attacked three police officers during the incident. Both brothers and a third man surnamed Chan were arrested on suspicion of assault, with the younger Mak also charged on suspicion of blackmail.[65] The Mak brothers pleaded guilty to both charges in February 2014 and were incarcerated, with the prosecutor noting that the case had attracted a great deal of media attention and affected Hong Kong's image.[66]
Post-production
Industrial Light & Magic's VFX supervisor Scott Farrar, who had also supervised the three prior films in theTransformers franchise, rendered the visual effects. He said the film contains about ninety minutes of visual effects (out of the movie's 165-minute length).[67] Farrer said it was the biggest project, using the largest crew, of his career, and noted that over five hundred people had worked on it, using various facilities.[68]
The nine different formats used in the film included IMAX film, IMAX digital, single-frame anamorphic film, GoPros, crash cams, Red cameras on 3Ality stereo 3D gigs, and red cameras for 3D.[68]
Steve Jablonsky composed the film's score, marking his sixth film collaboration with director Michael Bay, four of which are Transformers films. The soundtrack album sold more than 15,000 units worldwide. It is also the firstTransformers film for which rock bandLinkin Park did not contribute an original song, though their single "Until It's Gone" is included in the soundtrack of the video game based on the movie.[69]
Skrillex worked on sound design for the film, having said that he was creating "the craziest Skrillex sounds I could ever make" and mentioned working on sounds for the Dinobots.[70][71]
Imagine Dragons wrote a single specifically for the film itself, titled "Battle Cry" was featured in both the final battle scene and the credits as well as an unreleased single called "All For You". The track "Leave Planet Earth Alone" samples the drum beat of Battle Cry so that the former serves as an intro to the latter as the credits start, though this version is only present in the film; Battle Cry isn't featured on the soundtrack album, and Leave Planet Earth Alone has a unique outro. No mashup version or otherwise is available for purchase. Imagine Dragons also worked with Steve Jablonsky andHans Zimmer to contribute additional music to the film's score.[72]
On June 30, 2014, anextended play was digitally released oniTunes, featuring four tracks as a teaser for the full official score, which features variations of the four themes.[73] On July 4, 2014, thelong play was released digitally on iTunes containing the full score of the film.[74][75] The soundtrack album was released on CD by record label La-La Land Records on October 7, 2014.[76][77]
On November 20, 2014, Steve Jablonsky released a statement via Facebook saying that the score would no longer be available on iTunes and other digital music stores after it had reached its limit of 15,000 units before re-use fees would have to be paid. Jablonsky personally expressed his own disappointment in the turn of events, hoping there would be a way to eventually re-release the score, along with the score toTransformers: Dark of the Moon, which had also been removed from iTunes and other digital music stores several months prior when it too reached the 15,000 unit limit.[78]
Release
The film had itsworld premiere in Hong Kong on June 19, with a live concert by Imagine Dragons.[79]
Marketing
The first televised advertisement forTransformers: Age of Extinction aired duringSuper Bowl XLVIII. In a poll byFandango, the spot was determined to be the most anticipated film trailer to be shown, receiving 48% of the vote in the poll.[80] The first official teaser trailer was released on March 4, 2014.[81] A viral marketing campaign was started for the film upon the teaser trailer's release.[82] On March 30, 2014, a shortened version of the teaser trailer was aired during the season 4 finale ofThe Walking Dead.[citation needed] Another shortened version of the teaser trailer was aired during the2014 MTV Movie Awards.[citation needed]
Hasbro released an app on May 8 surrounding the film available for iOS and Android devices, allowing users to access exclusive material such as character biographies, images, and the interviews with the stars, among other things.[84] A clip featuring never-before-seen scenes from the film and an interview with Imagine Dragons aired duringThe Voice on May 12, 2014.
DeNA and Hasbro teamed up to construct an official mobile video game for the film. The game was first announced on May 13, 2014, though, the title is still in active development.[85] Also on this date,Oreo launched a marketing campaign to promote the film.[86] This included a television commercial where a boy gives a wounded Optimus Prime an Oreo cookie to continue the fight.[87][better source needed]
An exclusive theatrical trailer debuted on May 15 oniTunes Movie Trailers at 12:01 am Pacific Standard Time.[88] On May 21, 2014, two television spots appeared online, both containing new footage from the film.[89] The film's viral campaign updated on May 22, showcasing all-new posters and realistic news reports of the damage done to Chicago from the third film.[90] Three more television spots, all sporting new footage, appeared online on May 30, 2014.[91][92][93]
Imagine Dragons's single for the film officially released online on June 2, 2014.[94]
Jack Reynor and Nicola Peltz made multiple appearances in theTwin Cities on June 8, 2014.[citation needed] During an appearance onthe Canadian version ofThe Morning Show, both Reynor and Peltz promised big things that would please fans.[95] Kelsey Grammer made an appearance onThe Late Show with David Letterman on June 9, 2014. During his visit, the very first clip from the film debuted, showcasing Grammer's character and Wahlberg's in a heated argument. During the first commercial break for the show, a brand new television spot aired.[96] On June 10, 2014, two television spots appeared online, both containing extensive new footage from the film.[citation needed]
At theNickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 29, 2014, Mark Wahlberg, who stars in the film, hosted the event.[citation needed] There was also a transmission from Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, and Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor assembled with Wahlberg to take out cannons that fired slime.[citation needed]
Three more television spots appeared online on June 14, 2014, containing new footage of the Dinobots transforming and of Lockdown speaking.[97] On June 17, a brand-new television spot aired onComedy Central containing new footage.[citation needed] Another television spot appeared online on June 18, sporting new footage as well.[citation needed]
The film's unusual marketing strategy of letting people video the shooting of the film in select locations was the subject of film critic Kevin B. Lee's critical video essayTransformers: The Premake.[98]
In summer 2014,Rovio andHasbro announcedAngry Birds Transformers. The game hasTransformers movie designs on multiple characters.
Home media
Transformers: Age of Extinction was released onBlu-ray, DVD, andBlu-ray 3D formats on September 30, 2014, in North America. The film's Blu-ray release was the first to feature aDolby Atmos home theater soundtrack encoded withDolby TrueHD.[100] The film was also released ondigital download throughiTunes andGoogle Play on September 16, 2014. AnUltra HD Blu-ray release followed on December 5, 2017.[101] The film grossed $65.3 million in home sales.[102]
Reception
Box office
Worldwide
Transformers: Age of Extinction grossed $245.4 million in the United States and Canada and $859.8 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $1.105 billion, against a budget of $210 million.[4] On August 3, 2014, the film crossed the $1 billion mark,[103] and is the only film of 2014 to do so at the box office worldwide.[104]Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $250.2 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film, making it the most profitable film of 2014.[104] Worldwide, in its opening weekend, the film earned $302.1 million, which is the28th-highest ever, the highest in 2014, and the second-largest forParamount behindTransformers: Dark of the Moon ($382.4 million).[105] It was the10th-highest-grossing film worldwide and thehighest-grossing film of 2014 during its theatrical run.[106]
North America
Transformers: Age of Extinction is the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2014 in the U.S. and Canada.[107] It was released on June 27, 2014, in across 4,233 theaters in North America. It earned $8.75 million from Thursday late-night run, which was the fifth-biggest of 2014.[108] On Friday, the film grossed an additional $31.25 million bringing its total day gross to $41.6 million, including $10.7 million from IMAX 3D theatres. In its opening weekend, the film earned $100,038,390[c] setting an opening record of 2014 (overtaken byThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 with $121.9 million),[111] which is the fourth-highest opening for Paramount,[112] and the fifth-highest for a film released in June.[113] The opening-weekend audience was evenly split among those under and over the age of 25 (with 58%), male (64%), and under 18 (27%).[114] The film remained at the summit for two consecutive weekends before being overtaken byDawn of the Planet of the Apes in its third weekend. It also crossed the $200 million mark in its third weekend, becoming the fifth film of 2014 to do so.[115][116] The film closed its theatrical run on October 9, 2014[117] and earned a total of $245,439,076, making it the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2014 in the U.S.[117][118]
Outside North America
Outside North America, it is the highest-grossing film of 2014,[119] and the sixth-highest-grossing film.[120]Transformers: Age of Extinction earned $202.1 million in its opening weekend from 37 countries in 10,152 screens, which is 35% bigger thanDark of the Moon and marking the biggest international opening of 2014 (breakingX-Men: Days of Future Past's record set one month prior).[121] It scored the biggest IMAX international opening weekend with $16.6 million from 266 theaters (overtaken byJurassic World).[121][122] The film topped the box office outside North America for four consecutive weekends despite coinciding with the2014 FIFA World Cup before being overtaken byDawn of the Planet of the Apes in its fifth weekend.[123]
International openings of over $5 million occurred in South Korea ($21.7 million), Brazil ($16.5 million), Germany ($11.2 million), Australia ($9.6 million), France ($8.8 million), Taiwan ($8.1 million), Malaysia ($6.7 million), Japan ($6.4 million), the Philippines ($5.7 million), India ($5.35 million), Hong Kong ($5.1 million), and Italy ($5 million).[121] In Russia, the film opened to number one with $21.7 million from 1,100 screens, which is the second-largest in the territory for which 3D accounted for 80% of the total gross. IMAX comprised $2.6 million of the total gross from 34 IMAX screens.[121] Its biggest opener outside the U.S. was in China, where it scored one of the biggest non-North American openings of all time with $91.2 million from 4,400 screens, which was once the second-biggest opening of all time there.[121][124] The film set an all-time IMAX opening record with $9.7 million.[121][125] After five days of its release,Age of Extinction surpassed its North American run with $134.5 million.[126][127] In China, the film earned an additional $50.9 million in its second weekend for a total of $212.8 million. In only 10 days of its release, it became thehighest-grossing film in China with $222.74 million, thus overtakingAvatar's previous record.[128][129][130] Adding to the film's revenue and popularity were product placements of Chinese brands edited into the movie specifically for Chinese audiences.[131]
It became thehighest-grossing film in China, with $301–$320 million[d] in revenue surpassing 2009's record set byAvatar ($204 million),[133][138][139] until it was surpassed byFurious 7 in 2015 over $390 million.[140] It is also the first movie in China to gross more than $300 million at the box office.[141] A large part of the success in China has been attributed to the large fan base there and because of itsaccompanying animated TV series—which ran during the 1980s and 1990—was one of the highest-quality TV programs at that time which resulted in many children getting attached to it. Transformers toy merchandising was one of the first successful cases by a foreign company in China at its time, its line of transforming robot toys was highly sought-after, especially by boys.[142]
At the end of its theatrical run outside North America, the film earned $858,600,000 which is 77.8% of its total gross. In total earnings, the highest revenue came from China ($301 million), Russia ($45.2 million), South Korea ($43.3 million), Germany ($38.2 million), Mexico ($33.5 million), the UK ($33.1 million) and Australia ($24.9 million).[143]
Authenticity over North American box office opening
The $100 million opening announced forTransformers: Age of Extinction is disputed within the industry. According toRentrak—which has a direct line into the vast majority of theatres in the United States and Canada to track actual ticket sales—about 4,100 of the 4,233 theatres playing the film generated $95.9 million. The projected total from the Rentrak sales data would put the opening three-day weekend gross at around $97.5 million. ForTransformers to have crossed the $100 million threshold, it would have needed to gross more than the nationwide average in the theatres not tracked by Rentrak. Some media outlets have elected to go with the Rentrak figure.[109][110]
Critical response
OnRotten Tomatoes,Transformers: Age of Extinction has an approval rating of 18% based on 215 reviews and an average rating of 4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With the fourth installment in Michael Bay's blockbusterTransformers franchise, nothing is in disguise: Fans of loud, effects-driven action will find satisfaction, and all others need not apply."[144] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 32 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[145] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[146][147]
Richard Roeper gave the film a "D", saying that "the longer the movie goes on, the less interesting it becomes; it just wears you down. As we were finally reaching the 165-minute mark, all that noise and fury was about as exciting as the special effects in anEd Wood movie."[148] Peter Travers ofRolling Stone gave the film zero out of four stars, calling it "the worst and most worthlessTransformers movie yet."[149]A. O. Scott ofThe New York Times said in his review that "The story is scaffolding for the action and like every other standing structure, it is wrecked in a thunderous shower of metal, glass, masonry, and earth."[150]
Clarence Tsui ofThe Hollywood Reporter commented on his review that it "barely skirts the idea that humankind and planet Earth are about to be totally annihilated. What is extinguished is the audience's consciousness after being bombarded for nearly three hours with overwrought emotions ('There's a missile in the living room!' Tessa hollers — twice), bad one-liners, and battles that rarely rise above the banal. A trio of editors make a technical marvel out of the fight scenes, but can do little to link the story's multiple threads into something coherent."[151] Roth Cornet ofIGN gave the film a score of 6.3 out of 10, praising the "slightly darker/surprising tone and Lockdown" and his ship while criticizing the "logic/script issues and long running time."[152] Joe Neumaier of theNew York Daily News gave the film one out of five stars, commenting that "If the 'human scenes' all reek of adolescent dialogue and dopeysnark masquerading as character development, it's a toss-up if that's better or worse than seeing clattering collections ofcaliginous junk."[153]
Variety called the movie "a splendidly patriotic film, if you happen to be Chinese." They lamented the film's slipshod production and said that Michael Bay "crossed the line into self-parody".[154]
Controversy
A subplot and specific scene in Age of Extinction have garnered controversy since its release and ongoing notoriety for more than a decade.
In the film, 17-year-old Tessa is dating 20-year-old Shane, which would be illegal should the two engage sexually in several U.S. states but not in Texas (where much of the film is based) due to aRomeo and Juliet law — which generally protects against prosecution when someone over the age of 18 has sex with someone underage so long as both parties consented and the age gap is within a certain range.[155] The film calls attention to the gray area, as in one scene Shane is shown to be perpetually carrying a printed copy of Texas's age of consent laws in his wallet. "If only they had spent as much time justifying the plot as they did for having sex with a minor," joked the Honest TrailersYouTube channel at the time of release.[156] Reflecting on the scene in 2019 withThe Hollywood Reporter, and claiming that it wasn't in the original script, Reynor recalled "When you look at the culture of it now, especially given the advent of the#MeToo era, yeah, it's definitely a problematic joke."[157]
Observers have noted that the controversy could have been avoided through a simple script revision to change Tessa's age.[158]
The sequel, titledThe Last Knight, was released on June 21, 2017, to both critical andcommercial failure, with Bay stating it was his final entry of the series.
^The $100 million opening forTransformers: Age of Extinction is disputed within the industry. According toRentrak—which has a direct line into the vast majority of theaters in the United States and Canada to track actual ticket sales—about 4,100 of the 4,233 theaters playing the film generated $95.9 million. The projected total from the Rentrak sales data would put the opening three-day weekend gross at around $97.5 million. ForTransformers to have crossed the $100 million threshold, it would have needed to gross more than the nation-wide average in the theaters not tracked by Rentrak. Some media outlets have elected to go with the Rentrak figure.[109][110]
^A final number onTransformers: Age of Extinction tends to vary between theParamount reported $301 million and local data that reported $320 million.[132][133][134][135][136][137]
