Although he has his critics, Michael Bay is one of the most recognizable directors in Hollywood and has created some mᴀssive blockbusters throughout his career, making his highest-rated movie incredibly fitting. His explosive style full of eye-catching action isn’t for everyone, but there’s no denying Bay knows how to put on a spectacle. Alongside plenty of interesting one-off projects, Michael Bay turned Transformers into a box office sensation, having produced five movies in the live-action series. While it’s fair to say they aren’t all cinematic masterpieces, they certainly made a splash financially and kept audiences hooked for an entire decade.
Though his projects often divide critics and general audiences, it can’t be denied he’s made a huge impression on modern cinema, and his blueprint has proved effective over the years. Even Bay’s very first movie, Bad Boys, remains relevant today, as it received a fourth installment in 2024, albeit without the director involved. Love him or hate him, his body of work has left a large impression, but despite making 15 films, Michael Bay’s best movie is his most recent one according to Rotten Tomatoes, and it contains exactly the sort of elements you’d expect.
Ambulance Is Michael Bay’s Highest-Rated Movie On Rotten Tomatoes
No Other Michael Bay Movie Has A Higher Audience Or Critical Score Than Ambulance
Throughout his 30-year career, Michael Bay has had plenty of epic hits, but 2022’s Ambulance is his highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie currently boasts a 68% critics score and an 87% audience score, making it the highest in both categories out of all his main projects. While several of his other movies have come close, Ambulance‘s slightly more grounded nature makes it much easier to follow, while still containing many of the director’s iconic elements. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza González, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in the leading roles, whose performances are crucial to the fun and entertainment.
In addition to Ambulance‘s excellent cast, the story itself has a gripping premise that helps explain why the movie received such a strong reception. Danny Sharp (Gyllenhaal) teams up with his adopted brother Will (Abdul-Mateen II) for a bank heist in order to pay for Danny’s wife’s medical treatment, but when the robbery goes wrong, they are forced to steal an ambulance. Inside is a medic (Gonzalez) with an injured patient, and the duo has to desperately evade the law while helping keep the wounded officer alive, creating one of the most exciting and dramatic action concepts in recent years.
Ambulance Has Everything You Could Ask For From A Michael Bay Movie
The Movie Is Filled With Drama & High-Stakes Action
Ambulance‘s high-stakes plot sets up plenty of potential for drama and large action sequences, and the movie doesn’t disappoint. There is no shortage of bullets flying, with the film featuring one particularly long firefight, but it is far from the only Michael Bay trademark featured in Ambulance. Chase scenes are a prominent part of the story, as the protagonists are constantly being pursued by police cars and even helicopters, adding to the spectacle. Explosions are also a recurring element in the film, and although they don’t appear quite as often as Bay’s usual work, they’re definitely still present.
Combining most of his favorite tropes with one of his most unique premises yet certainly helped the movie become one of Bay’s all-time greats.
Wide sH๏τs of the city and slow-motion sequences also play a role in 2022’s Ambulance, the sort of techniques that are synonymous with most of the director’s previous work. He even managed to slip his love for dogs into his latest project, as his real pet is featured in the film, showing just how unapologetically Michael Bay Ambulance is. Combining most of his favorite tropes with one of his most unique premises yet certainly helped the movie become one of Bay’s all-time greats, but despite it being everything you’d expect from the Hollywood icon, Ambulance‘s success didn’t translate financially.
Ambulance Is Strangely One Of Michael Bay’s Lowest-Grossing Movies
Despite Its Popularity, Ambulance Didn’t Make A Huge Box Office Impression
While audiences and critics were finally in agreement over a Michael Bay movie, the overall reception didn’t help Ambulance become a box office hit, as it’s surprisingly one of Michael Bay’s lowest-grossing films. Despite costing $40 million, Ambulance only earned $52.3 million, meaning the project probably lost money after factoring in marketing costs. In comparison, Bay’s highest-grossing project, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, grossed $1.2 billion, highlighting the stark contrast. Naturally, Dark of the Moon had the advantage of being part of a huge franchise, but the difference is still staggering, all things considered.
Michael Bay’s next movie is a thriller тιтled Drop which is set to be released on April 11, 2025.
Given the director is usually a mᴀssive box office draw, it’s a surprise to see one of his projects struggle so much. The fallout of COVID-19 certainly didn’t help the film, nor did its compeтιтion. Ambulance was released alongside Sonic the Hedgehog 2, while movies like The Batman and Everything Everywhere All at Once were still in theaters, and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore came out shortly after. As a result, Ambulance never quite managed to stand out among the compeтιтion, and while it may be one of Bay’s best outings, it’s one of his worst financially.
Ambulance
Michael Bay returns to the director’s chair with Ambulance, an action-thriller film that follows siblings Danny and Will Sharp in a high-stakes heist that goes terribly wrong. When Afghanistan veteran Will’s wife needs medical treatment they can’t afford, Will seeks help from his criminal-record-toting brother, Danny. To help him, Danny offers him the chance to join him on the biggest heist of his life, which would take care of his wife and more. But when the heist goes wrong, the two find themselves hijacking an ambulance with a wounded officer and a stellar EMT as they attempt to fend off law enforcement in a bombastic unyielding chase across Los Angeles.
- Release Date
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April 8, 2022
- Runtime
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136 minutes
- Cast
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Cedric Sanders
, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
, Wale Folarin
, Olivia Stambouliah
, Remi Adeleke
, Eiza Gonzalez
, Jesse Garcia
, Jessica Capshaw
, Jackson White
, Colin Woodell
, Victor Gojcaj
, Jake Gyllenhaal
, A Martinez
, Moses Ingram
, Keir O’Donnell
, Garret Dillahunt
, Devan Chandler Long - Director
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Michael Bay
- Writers
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Chris Fedak
- Budget
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$40 million
- Studio(s)
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Universal Pictures
