Michael Bay Movies List 14. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

Behind the Magic | The Visual Effects of Transformers: Age of Extinction

Age of Extinction is a Transformers film that promised Dinobots in all of the marketing, and then didn’t have them show up until the last 30 minutes. Promising one thing and delivering a film that spends as much time explaining why it’s okay for a guy to date an underage girl as it does explaining the villain’s motivations is entirely monstrous.

20% Filmmaking 65% Bayhem 10% Fun to Watch 32% OVERALL SCORE The Good VFX

N/A

N/A The Bad Too Many Characters

Lack of Cohesion

Far Too Long Michael Bay's Best Movies Conclusion Transformers: Age of Extinction barely qualifies as a film. With no stakes properly established, it’s just a bunch of chaos onscreen. Watch It Now

Movies Directed by Michael Bay 13. 6 Underground (2019)

Behind the Scenes | 6 Underground

One thing becomes abundantly clear watching 6 Underground. You can have all the cool set pieces and explosions you want, but without actual scenes stringing it all together, it just becomes meaningless noise. 6 Underground shows Bay indulging in his worst instincts, and the result is something destined to get lost on Netflix.

25% Filmmaking 70% Bayhem 20% Fun to Watch 38% OVERALL SCORE The Good Deadpan Humor

N/A

N/A The Bad Incoherent Plot

Over the Top

Exhausting MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion Netflix clearly wanted a big bombastic blockbuster to call its own. Unfortunately, they made that wish on a monkey’s paw and ended up with 6 Underground. Watch It Now

Michael Bay Films List 12. Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)

Behind the Scenes | Transformers: The Last Knight

World building is an incredibly important aspect of any fantasy film. For a primer in how not to world build, just look at The Last Knight. It’s implied that Earth was a giant Transformer all along and Merlin and Hitler get thrown in the mix. It’s messy. It’s convoluted. It’s a Transformers movie.

25% Filmmaking 75% Bayhem 30% Fun to watch 43% OVERALL SCORE The Good VFX

N/A

N/A The Bad Just Too Much

Convoluted Plot

Too Loud MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion Transformers: The Last Knight is misguided in every sense of the word. Making Transformers movies should be fun, but Bay just throws everything at you without any consideration for the bigger picture. Watch It Now

All Michael Bay Movies 11. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

Special Domestic Destruction | Transformers 2

Revenge of the Fallen ran into some trouble due to the 2007-2008 Writers’ strike. Needing to crank out such a massive sequel in two years is no easy feat, and you can feel for the filmmakers trying to put something cohesive together in such a quick turnaround time. However, it’s ultimately no excuse for a film that just feels lazy. If you need more time to make your movie, then definitely use it.

30% Filmmaking 75% Bayhem 35% Fun to Watch 47% OVERALL SCORE The Good VFX

N/A

N/A The Bad Lack of Humility

Overly Long

Racial Stereotypes MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen loses sight of what people enjoy about Transformers in the first place. It’s supposed to be fun, but this just feels overly serious and dark. Watch It Now

Top 10 Michael Bay Movies 10. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Autobots Storm Chicago | Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Just one more and then we’ll stop talking about Transformers movies for a while. Cool? Timing is an important issue for any filmmaker. When studio heads spoke to Michael Bay about a release date for Dark of the Moon, he assumed they were talking about 2012. He agreed and later learned they meant 2011. An entire year off of production definitely shows itself in this film. Who knows if more time could’ve saved this franchise? At least we may have gotten something somewhat comprehensible. Timing is an important issue for any filmmaker. When studio heads spoke to Michael Bay about a release date for Dark of the Moon, he assumed they were talking about 2012. He agreed and later learned they meant 2011. An entire year off of production definitely shows itself in this film. Who knows if more time could’ve saved this franchise? At least we may have gotten something somewhat comprehensible.

40% Filmmaking 80% Bayhem 55% Fun to Watch 58% OVERALL SCORE The Good VFX

3D Effects

N/A The Bad Overly Long

The Last Hour

Indiscernible Plot MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion Dark of the Moon may have been a slight improvement over its predecessor. However, it’s still just noise with little plot to move it along. Watch It Now

Michael Bay Films 9. Pearl Harbor (2001)

Movies With Mikey | Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor wants to go down the Titanic route of being an epic romance set against the backdrop of a tragedy. Unfortunately, the film never finds its footing. It tries to give a romanticized ideal of a 1940s romance alongside a gritty depiction of war. The movie never strikes a balance and despite an impressive action sequence, the whole thing just falls flat.

60% Acting 75% Filmmaking 50% Writing 62% OVERALL SCORE The Good 40-Minute Action Scene

Cinematography

N/A The Bad The Dialogue

Many Performances

Too Many Cliches MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion The action in Pearl Harbor is impressive. It’s just a shame the dialogue between characters is so clunky that it feels like a PSA to join the military rather than an actual exploration into human emotion. Watch It Now

The Complete Michael Bay Movies List 8. The Island (2005)

Making Of | The Island

The Island wants to be two different films. It wants to be an intriguing sci-fi film, which it accomplishes decently well, but it also wants to be a mindless action flick. The result is a film that feels like it wants to be a Minority Report but gets too caught up in the action to properly deliver any kind of thesis.

60% ACTING 50% Writing 80% Action 63% OVERALL SCORE The Good The First Half

Intriguing Concept

N/A The Bad The Second Half

The Dialogue

Poor Characters MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion The Island could’ve been a chance for Bay to establish himself as a thoughtful sci-fi director. Instead, he fell back on old habits and lost track of what could have been an interesting premise. Watch It Now

All Movies Directed by Michael Bay 7. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)

The Men Who Lived It | 13 Hours

A lot of controversy surrounded 13 Hours with everyone from CIA officials to the Libyan people disputing some of the events portrayed in the film. While some historical revisioning happens with pretty much every true-life film, it’s important to consider viewpoints from multiple sources. Politics aside, which is kind of hard to do with this film, it’s a pretty engaging thriller that’s welcomingly restrained.

75% Filmmaking 65% Bayhem 60% Fun to Watch 67% OVERALL SCORE The Good Good Performances

Action Scenes

Tension Building The Bad Dialogue

Jingoistic

Overly Long MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion 13 Hours makes for a decent thriller. However, as far as a realistic depiction of what happened in Benghazi, you should do a little reading on the side to complement the viewing experience. Watch It Now

The Complete Michael Bay Films List 6. Bad Boys II (2003)

Bloopers & Gag Reel | Bad Boys II

For an action-comedy, Bad Boys II gets half of the equation right. The chemistry between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence is great, a lesson the filmmakers clearly learned from the first film. However, the action is far too bloated to leave any kind of impression. You could cut out several car chases and shootouts and still have the same film albeit a lot more enjoyable than what we see.

45% ACTING 90% Writing 90% Action 75% OVERALL SCORE The Good Chemistry in Leads

The Humor

N/A The Bad The Editing

Overly Long

Mean-Spirited MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion Bad Boys II is the weakest film in the franchise. If you want dumb fun, you can do a lot worse. Watch It Now

All Michael Bay Movies He Directed 5. Armageddon (1998)

Commentary | Ben Affleck Mocks Armageddon

The best way to watch Armageddon is with Ben Affleck’s commentary because he pretty much talks crap about the movie the entire time. Through his commentary, you pretty much get a good sense of Michael Bay’s sensibilities. It doesn’t matter is a plot makes sense as long as it allows for cool set pieces, like car chases in space, then he’ll do whatever he can to put the characters in the right place at the right time to do something cool.

70% ACTING 80% Writing 80% Action 77% OVERALL SCORE The Good VFX

Action Scenes

The Aerosmith Song The Bad Cheesy Dialogue

The Editing

Noisy and Long MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion Armageddon is a quintessential Bay film. It makes fun of “nerds” and has plenty of bombastic action sequences that try to make you forget that none of this makes any sense. Watch It Now

Good Michael Bay Films 4. Pain & Gain (2013)

Michael Bay Interview | Pain & Gain

Like 13 Hours, the biggest flaw with Pain & Gain is how it treats its real life source material. It’s clear Bay wanted to make a Scorsese-esque satirical crime thriller, but the tone doesn’t gel with the actions on-screen. Just looking at the film as a satirical indictment on capitalism, it’s actually not bad. But when looking at the real life events, it’s enough to make your stomach turn.

90% ACTING 70% Writing 80% Action 80% OVERALL SCORE The Good Dark Humor

Action Scenes

Chemistry of Leads The Bad Historical Inaccuracies

Bloated Runtime

Sexist ​ MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion Pain & Gain wants to be Goodfellas on steroids. It’s fun for a while, but like most Bay films, it overstays its welcome and leaves a bad taste in your mouth at certain points. Watch It Now

Michael Bay Movies List, Ranked 3. Transformers (2007)

Why Transformers Works | iamthatroby

There’s a genuine sense of awe and wonder present in Transformers that’s lost in the sequels. When cars transform into giant aliens for the first time, the camera takes its time. You see every component move into place. It feels like that moment in Jurassic Park when you see the brachiosaurus for the first time. There’s actual care present here, and it’s a shame it was lost in the sequels.

80% ACTING 90% Writing 90% Action 87% OVERALL SCORE The Good VFX

Lead Characters

The Final Battle The Bad Too Many Characters

A lot of Product Placement

Some Confusing Action MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion The first Transformers may not be a masterpiece. It’s not even the best Transformers movie (that distinction goes to the amazing Bumblebee). However, it’s not bad when you just want to shut your mind off and watch a movie about a boy and his car. Watch It Now

Great Michael Bay Films 2. Bad Boys (1995)

The Boom and the Bang | Bad Boys

Michael Bay allowed Will Smith and Martin Lawrence to improvise often during filming because he was supposedly unhappy with the script. This decision led to some of the most memorable moments in the film. Yes, there are your typical Bay action scenes, but they’re anchored in a pair of strong performances, which is a winning combination Bay has tried to replicate at other points in his career to mixed results.

80% acting 95% Filmmaking 100% Writing 92% OVERALL SCORE The Good Chemistry of Leads

The Humor

Buddy-Cop Formula The Bad Overly Long

No Emotional Impact

Stale in Parts MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion Bad Boys launched Michael Bay’s career. It’s interesting to see his trademark style in development here and where it would eventually lead him. Watch It Now

The Best Michael Bay Films 1. The Rock (1996)

Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer Interview | The Rock

Studio executives weren’t exactly thrilled with Michael Bay’s work during the production of The Rock. However, Sean Connery accompanied him to a meeting and stood up for him, and the rest is pure 90s action movie glory. The Rock is easily Bay’s greatest film, encapsulating everything people love about the director while delivering a quintessential 90s action flick. It’s zany. There’s chemistry between the leads. And explosions abound. The Rock showcases everything Michael Bay is about and really shows you what he’s capable of.

95% ACTING 95% Writing 100% Action 97% OVERALL SCORE The Good Chemistry Between Leads

Action Scenes

The Humor The Bad Choppy Editing

Bloated Runtime

N/A MICHAEL BAY'S BEST MOVIES Conclusion The Rock makes a good case for how Bay needed to direct all his action scenes. It’s a shame he got caught up in himself and never ascended to the same heights as this. Watch It Now