Bumblebee Was The Wrong Transformers Movie After The Last Knight (It Should've Been This Instead)

Even though Bumblebee is the highest-rated live-action Transformers movie, it was the wrong film to make after The Last Knight. Before Michael Bay made his first Transformers movie, which was released in 2007, it was already a beloved franchise. Several Transformers animated series were released in the 80s and 90s, and showcased how many amazing characters there are in the franchise. A lot of these shows took place on Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers. However, Bay decided to set his live-action film on Earth.

In fact, all of Bay’s Transformers movies were set primarily on Earth. This made sense, since a live-action Transformers movie set entirely on Cybertron would require a mᴀssive budget. Additionally, Bay wanted to include human characters that audiences could connect to. However, it is still disappointing that none of the live-action Transformers movies have done the franchise’s mᴀssive scale justice. The live-action films now seem like they have to be set on Earth, which is why Bumblebee was the wrong movie to make after Transformers: The Last Knight.

Transformers’ First Live-Action Movie After Michael Bay Should’ve Been A Full Reboot

Bumblebee & Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Are Both Connected To The Bayverse

After 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight, Bay decided he would not direct any more films in the franchise. Since he had directed the five previous live-action Transformers films, this was a big deal. After The Last Knight, the future of the franchise could have aligned with Bay’s vision and visual style, or diverted and gone in a new direction. Ultimately, the two live-action Transformers movies since The Last Knight have felt very similar in style and tone to Bay’s films. This is disappointing, since the franchise desperately needs a change.

Every Transformers Movie	Worldwide Box Office	RT Critics Score
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)	$5,849,647	62%
Transformers (2007)	$708,272,592	57%
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)	$836,519,699	19%
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)	$1,123,794,079	35%
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)	$1,104,054,072	18%
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)	$602,893,340	16%
Bumblebee (2018)	$464,731,819	91%
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)	$439,241,749	51%
Transformers One (2024)	$128,317,666	89%

This is not to say that all of Bay’s Transformers movies are bad. However, Bay exiting the franchise as a director after The Last Knight presented the perfect opportunity for it to start over. Both Bumblebee and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which is the most recent live-action film in the franchise, are loosely connected to Bay’s movies. Instead of proceeding this way, the first live-action Transformers movie after The Last Knight should have been a full reboot, and introduced new versions of beloved characters like Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee.

Bumblebee’s Opening Sequence Teased What A Transformers Reboot Could’ve Been

Bumblebee’s Opening Sequence Is Set On Cybertron

Bumblebee and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts are both primarily set on Earth, just like all of Bay’s films. Bumblebee takes place in the 80s and Rise of the Beasts in the 90s. Because of this, they present a somewhat fresh take on the franchise, but they are still too similar in style and tone to Bay’s movies. Instead of trying to remain connected to Bay’s movies and staying on Earth, a full reboot would have started from scratch, and could have seen Transformers characters on Cybertron.

Even though Bumblebee’s opening scene only lasts a couple of minutes, it showcases a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron.

The opening of Bumblebee actually showed us what a live-action Transformers movie set on Cybertron would look like, and it is fantastic. Even though Bumblebee’s opening scene only lasts a couple of minutes, it showcases a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron. This battle scene is epic and the scale of the planet is mᴀssive. This opening scene is actually possibly the most impressed I’ve ever been watching a live-action Transformers movie. However, unfortunately, Bumblebee is quickly sent to Earth in this sequence, completely changing the vibe of the movie.

Bumblebee & Rise Of The Beasts’ Half-Measure Changes Have Made Things More Complicated

The Transformers Franchise Refuses To Leave The Bayverse Behind

Even though Bay’s Transformers films were not all hits with critics, they were all mᴀssive successes at the box office. As seen in the above table, two of Bay’s Transformers movies, Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction, made well over $1 billion at the box office (via The Numbers). Because of the mᴀssive box office success they experienced, the producers of the franchise do not want to fully let go of Bay’s Transformers movies. This is precisely why Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts are both connected to the Bayverse.

However, while Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts go out of their way to remain part of the same canon, they also both break the canon of the Bayverse and go against things that were established in previous Transformers movies. This proves that the writers, directors, and producers of these films are only half committed to connecting to Bay’s movies, which has made the entire franchise look slightly worse. At this point, the live-action Transformers timeline is so confusing, which is why it would have been better to reboot the franchise after The Last Knight.

Transformers One Is Another Important Reminder Of What The Franchise Can Be

Transformers One Shows How Epic The Franchise Can Be

In addition to the incredible opening sequence of Bumblebee, the entirety of Transformers One is a reminder of what the franchise could be. Unlike Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts, Transformers One is part of a standalone continuity and is not connected to any of the Bayverse movies. Because of this, the writers of Transformers One had the creative freedom to make bold decisions with its story and characters.

Unlike all the live-action movies, Transformers One is set entirely on Cybertron. Showcasing Cybertron is easier since the film is animated, but I still wish a live-action Transformers movie would try to show more of the awe-inspiring planet. The story of Transformers One follows Orion Pax and D-16, who will eventually become known as Optimus Prime and Megatron, respectively, as they start a rebellion against the corrupt leader of Iacon City. Throughout the movie, Orion Pax becomes a better leader while D-16 tragically embraces his darker side, which leads to them being enemies.

Transformers One honors the classic animated shows and proves how grand and epic the franchise could be. Ever since watching the film, I have desperately wanted a sequel to Transformers One because of its complex story and characters. In comparison, all the live-action Transformers movies feel so underwhelming, since they do not successfully capture the scale of the franchise. Rebooting the series could have allowed for some positive changes, but unfortunately, recent live-action Transformers movies are still connected to Bay’s films.