• Transformer 4 In Hindi Dubbed

Transformers: Age of Extinction is a 2014 American science fictionaction film based on the Transformers toy line. It is the fourth installment of the live-actionTransformers film series and a stand-alone sequel to 2011's Dark of the Moon, taking place five years after its events. Like its predecessors, it was directed by Michael Bay and written by Ehren Kruger, with Steven Spielberg and Bay as executive producers. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Sophia Myles, Bingbing Li, Titus Welliver, and T. J. Miller with Peter Cullen reprising as the voice of Optimus Prime. It is the first film in the series not to feature the human cast from the previous three films, but features a new cast of human characters and many new Transformers, including the Dinobots. Returning Transformers include Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Brains, Leadfoot, and Megatron (now known as Galvatron). The film was released on June 27, 2014, in IMAX and 3D.^[4]

Transformers: Age of Extinction received largely negative reviews from critics, many of whom considered it poorly directed, badly acted, terribly written, overlong, and full of product placement, but received some praise for its action sequences, stunts, effects, musical score and the performances of Wahlberg, Tucci, Grammer, and Cullen. The film received seven nominations at the 35th Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel, with Bay and Grammer winning the awards for Worst Director and Worst Supporting Actor, respectively.^[5]

Despite poor reviews, it was a massive box office success, grossing over $1.104 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2014, the second-highest-grossing film in the Transformers series, the 19th film to gross over $1 billion, and the 26th-highest-grossing film of all time. It was the sole film to gross over $1 billion in 2014.

A sequel, The Last Knight, was released on June 21, 2017, with Wahlberg, Tucci, and Cullen returning, and Bay directing.

• 2Cast
• 3Production
• 5Release
• 6Reception
  • 6.1Box office

Plot[edit]

Bindaas Hindi Hollywood. Autobots & Dinosaurs Autobots vs Decepticons: Final fight Scene 1.

Sixty-five million years ago, an alien race known as the “Creators” used devices called Seeds to cover Planet Earth with an alloy called Transformium. In the present day, geologist Darcy Tyril excavates the Transformium for K.S.I. Industries, which uses it to build man-made Transformer drones.

Five years after the Battle of Chicago, humans have begun to view the Transformers as a threat, leading the U.S. government to terminate all human-Autobot joint programs. Although the public believes the Autobots have been granted sanctuary, they are being hunted by a rogue CIAblack ops division known as Cemetery Wind, led by opportunistic government official Harold Attinger, who believes all Transformers should be exterminated regardless of their faction. They are aided by Lockdown, a Cybertronian bounty hunter working for the Creators, promising to give Attinger a Seed if his division manages to capture Optimus Prime. Cemetery Wind locates Ratchet in Mexico City and Lockdown kills him when he refuses to give up the whereabouts of Optimus Prime.

Optimus, damaged in Mexico City and disguised as an old Marmon 97 semi-truck, is discovered in an abandoned theater by Cade Yeager, a financially struggling Texan inventor, and brings him back to his farm. While his teenage daughter Tessa and business partner Lucas Flannery encourage him to turn Optimus over to the authorities after realizing what he really is, Cade instead fixes Optimus, hoping to understand his technology and unexpectedly revives him. Still skeptical of Optimus, Lucas calls Cemetery Wind, who attacks and destroys the farm, but Optimus and Tessa's boyfriend, Irish rally car driver Shane Dyson, come to the family's aid. While escaping Cemetery Wind and Lockdown, Lucas is killed by one of Lockdown's grenades. Out in the desert, they seek refuge in an abandoned gas station. Later, Optimus gains an alternate form after scanning a passing Western Star 5700 XE Phantom Custom truck with the original red and blue paint with flames (healing his injuries in the process) and summons the surviving Autobots – Bumblebee, who has assumed an alternate form (a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro), Hound, Drift, and Crosshairs – who have come to distrust humans due to Cemetery Wind constantly hunting them down. Using a CIA drone which he stole during the home invasion, Cade discovers K.S.I.'s involvement in the attacks on the Autobots. Optimus vows to personally kill Attinger for his actions against his brethren.

Infiltrating K.S.I.'s headquarters in Chicago, Cade discovers the remains of Autobots and Decepticons are being melted down to make the drones. Joshua Joyce, the ambitious company CEO, is in league with Attinger to revolutionize global defenses and improve human society using the Seed. He has captured Brains and used him and data from Megatron's head to create the drones and prototype Transformer soldiers Galvatron and Stinger. In a fit of rage, the Autobots storm the building, during which Bumblebee regains his original form by scanning a passing 2014 Chevrolet Camaro, where they rescue Brains and destroy the laboratory, but they leave after Joshua announces they are no longer needed. Attinger forces Joshua to deploy Galvatron and Stinger to attack the Autobots. During the battle, Galvatron's behavior becomes slightly erratic when it starts destroying vehicles, and when it fights Optimus it speaks to him. Lockdown then arrives and abducts Optimus while Galvatron and Stinger retreat; Tessa is inadvertently captured alongside Optimus in the midst of the chaos, leaving Cade and Shane devastated.

While Lockdown's large prison spacecraft hovers over Chicago to hand over the Seed, Cade, Shane, and the Autobots use the opportunity to sneak onboard and rescue Optimus and Tessa, hijacking a smaller ship containing a group of Autobots known as the Dinobots, just before Lockdown leaves Earth. The Autobots reveal to Cade that 'Galvatron' is in fact Megatron, who gave K.S.I. the data to build the Transformer drones so he could transfer his consciousness into the Galvatron drone, after they unknowingly revived him. What's more, Galvatron is plotting to use the Seed and the K.S.I. drones to conquer the world by detonating the Seed in Hong Kong, as K.S.I. has brought it there to use in the remote Mongolian desert to create vast amounts of usable Transformium. Cade informs Joshua about Megatron's presence in Galavatron, causing him to have a change of heart and agreeing to hand over the Seed with help from Darcy and his Chinese business associate Su Yueming. Meanwhile, Lockdown discovers Optimus' escape with the Dinobots, and returns to Earth to recapture them. Optimus decides after getting the Seed, the Autobots will no longer help the humans because of how they revived Megatron, but Cade explains to Optimus why he shouldn't lose faith in them. At the K.S.I. facility, during a disagreement between Joshua and Attinger over the Seed, Galvatron reactivates himself and promptly takes control of the K.S.I. drones, and a battle follows in Hong Kong's streets between Cade's group, the Autobots, Cemetery Wind, Galvatron and his drones. During the fight, Optimus gains the alliance of the Dinobots, who become essential to the Autobots' victory while Bumblebee kills Stinger.

Lockdown returns to capture Optimus and the Dinobots, using a large magnet in his ship that picks up and drops metal objects, causing destruction to the city. After disabling the magnet, Optimus fights Lockdown at an abandoned factory. In the ensuing duel, Optimus kills Attinger (who still angrily deems all Cybertronians aside from Lockdown as a threat) to save Cade, and avenging the deaths of his fellow Autobots, but this allows Lockdown to pin Optimus down by impaling his chest with his own sword. Cade, Bumblebee, Tessa, and Shane fight Lockdown, with Cade ending up fighting him one-on-one while Tessa and Shane use a tow truck to free Optimus, who kills Lockdown by cutting him in half before using one of his grenades to finish off the remaining drones. Galvatron retreats, vowing to return.

As Lockdown's ship leaves Earth, Optimus tells the Autobots to protect the Yeagers (with Joshua offering to help the Yeagers build a new home) and lets the Dinobots go, before flying away into space with the Seed to hide it away, sending a message to the Creators that he is coming for them.

Cast[edit]

• Mark Wahlberg as Cade Yeager,
  A single father and struggling inventor replacing Sam Witwicky.^[6]
• Stanley Tucci as Joshua Joyce,
  An ambitious businessman and the arrogant head of KSI who wants to build his own Transformers replacing Seymour Simmons.^[7][8]
• Kelsey Grammer as Harold Attinger,
  A paranoid CIA operative and government official who created the CIA black-ops unit, Cemetery Wind to eliminate all Transformers, Autobot or Decepticon, from Earth.^[9]
• Nicola Peltz as Tessa Yeager,
  Cade's daughter who is secretly dating Shane replacing both Mikaela Banes and Carly Spencer.
• Jack Reynor as Shane Dyson,
  Tessa's boyfriend and an Irish rally car driver replacing Leo Spitz.^[10][11]
• Titus Welliver as James Savoy,
  A ruthless CIA Agent and second-in command of the Cemetery Wind working for Attinger.^[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]
• T. J. Miller as Lucas Flannery,
  Cade's best friend and a mechanic.^[16]
• James Bachman as Gill Wembley,
  A scientist working with Joshua Joyce at KSI.
• Thomas Lennon as the Chief of Staff.

Greg Anderson, Melanie Specht and Victoria Summer play Joshua's assistants.^[17][18]Han Geng portrays himself, playing the guitar and singing in a parked car that is magnetized by Lockdown's ship.^[19]Edward T. Welburn plays a KSI executive.^[20]Kevin Covais and Ray Lui plays motorists.^[21]

Voices[edit]

• Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime
  The leader of the Autobots who transforms into a rusty Marmon 97semi truck and later, a blue and red Western Star 5700 XEsemi-trailer truck with flame decals.^{[22][23][24][25][26]}
• Frank Welker as Galvatron
  A human-made KSI Transformer drone intended to be modeled after Optimus Prime, but ultimately using data downloaded from the remains of Megatron. It is later revealed that the Galvatron drone has become possessed by the Decepticon leader, who molecularly transforms into a black and grey 2014 Freightliner Argosy cab over trailer truck.^{[25][26][27][28]}
• John Goodman as Hound
  An Autobot commando who transforms into an Oshkosh Defense Medium Tactical Vehicle.^[29][30][31]
• Ken Watanabe as Drift
  A Samurai-motif Autobot, tactician and a former Decepticon assassin who transforms into a black and blue 2013 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse and a Sikorsky S-97 Raider Helicopter.
• Robert Foxworth as Ratchet
  The Autobot medical officer who transforms into a white and green 2004 Search and rescueHummer H2 ambulance.
• John DiMaggio as Crosshairs
  An Autobot paratrooper and elite sniper who transforms into a black and green 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray.^[23]
• Mark Ryan as Lockdown
  An extremely powerful, relentless, heavily enhanced, ruthless Cybertronian bounty hunter who transforms into a grey 2013 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700–4 Coupe and is hired by the mysterious Creators to bring Optimus Prime back to them.^[23][25]
• Reno Wilson as Brains
  A former Decepticon drone turned Autobot who survived the Battle of Chicago and has lost his right leg.^[26]

Non-speaking characters[edit]

• Bumblebee
  An Autobot scout and Optimus Prime's new second-in-command, who communicates through voice clips and sound bites via his radio who transforms into a modified 1967 Chevrolet Camaro and later, a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro concept.
• Grimlock, the leader of the Dinobots who transforms into a mechanical horned, fire-breathing Tyrannosaurus.^[23][25]
• Strafe
  A Dinobot who specializes in assault infantry and transforms into a mechanical two-headed, two-tailed Pteranodon.^[25][27]
• Slug
  The Dinobots' destroyer who transforms into a mechanical spiked and bestial Triceratops.^[25][27]
• Scorn
  The Dinobots' demolition specialist who transforms into a mechanical three-sailed Spinosaurus.^[25][27]
• Stinger
  a human-made KSI Transformer modeled after Bumblebee who later becomes a Decepticon and molecularly transforms into a red and black 2013 Pagani Huayra.^{[23][24][25][26]}
• Junkheap
  A human-made KSI Transformer who later becomes a Decepticon under Galvatron's control and molecularly transforms into a Mack garbage truck of Waste Management, Inc.^[32]
• 'KSI Sentries'
  A human-made KSI Transformers modeled after Roadbuster who later becomes a Decepticon under Galvatron's control and molecularly transform into red, blue, black or white Chevrolet Traxes.^[33]
• 'Two-Heads'
  A two-headed human-made KSI Transformers modeled from the remains of Shockwave who later becomes a Decepticon under Galvatron's control.
• 'KSI Bosses'
  A human-made KSI Transformers modeled after Soundwave who later become Decepticons under Galvatron's control.
• Steeljaws
  Savage techno-organic wolf-like minions of Lockdown.

Cameos[edit]

Ironhide, Arcee, Wheeljack, Loader, Shockwave and Starscream make cameos, depicted on cards stamped with an X to indicate their deaths. The leader of the Wreckers, Leadfoot, makes a cameo voiced by Robert Foxworth in video footage shown after Cade steals the KSI spy drone, shown being killed by humans from Cemetery Wind. Sentinel Prime and Megatron's heads are seen in the KSI labs, where they download data from the dead Transformers' remains. Barricade and some Decepticon Protoforms make cameos in footage from the Battle of Chicago. The Insecticons make a cameo, transferring data from Megatron's mind, infecting the Galvatron drone.

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

During production for Dark of the Moon, Shia LaBeouf and Bay stated that they would not return for a fourth installment of the franchise.^[34]Roland Emmerich, Joe Johnston, Jon Turteltaub, Stephen Sommers, Louis Leterrier and David Yates were rumored to replace Bay.^[35]Jason Statham was rumored to star in the fourth installment. Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner revealed that he was able to announce the film as he was talking with Steven Spielberg, Bay and Paramount.^[36]There were rumors that the fourth and fifth installment would be shot back-to-back with Statham as the lead role, which he and Bay denied.^[37] Spielberg hoped Bay would return for a fourth installment.^[38]

After final negotiations with Bay to direct the film,^[39] producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed that there would be a fourth film in the franchise.^[40] In February 2012, Paramount Pictures and Michael Bay announced that Bay would be producing and directing a fourth Transformers film, scheduled for a June 27, 2014 release.^[41][42] The film will not be a reboot but a sequel to Dark of the Moon,^[11] taking place four years later.^[43]Ehren Kruger and Steve Jablonsky returned to write the script and the score, respectively.^[44] In April 2013, it was announced that China Movie Channel and Jiaflix Enterprises would co-produce the film with Paramount.^[45][46][47]

On September 1, 2013, Fusible revealed three possible subtitles for the film, which were Last Stand, Future Cast, and Apocalypse. On September 2, TFW 2005 revealed one last possible title, Age of Extinction.^[48][49] On September 3, 2013, Paramount released an official teaser poster for the film, revealing the title to be Transformers: Age of Extinction.^[50]

Casting[edit]

In November 2012, Mark Wahlberg was cast in the film.^[6] Also in November 2012, The Hollywood Reporter reported that casting had begun for two additional leads: the daughter to Wahlberg's character and her boyfriend, a race car driver. Isabelle Cornish, Nicola Peltz, Gabriella Wilde, and Margaret Qualley were all considered for the role of the daughter, while Luke Grimes, Landon Liboiron, Brenton Thwaites, Jack Reynor, and Hunter Parrish were all considered for the boyfriend. The leads are contracted for three films.^[51] In January 2013, Reynor was cast as the boyfriend,^[11] and in March 2013, Nicola Peltz was cast as Wahlberg's daughter.^[52]

Peter Cullen reprises his role as the voice of Optimus 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.^[53] In April 2013, Bay revealed that actor Stanley Tucci had joined the cast.^[54] On May 1, 2013, actor Kelsey Grammer was cast as the lead human villain named Harold Attinger.^[55] On May 6, 2013, actress Sophia Myles was cast in a major role.^[13] That same month, Chinese actress Bingbing Li and comedian T. J. Miller joined the cast.^[56] On July 14, 2013, Bay announced that Han Geng had joined the cast.^[19] That same month, Titus Welliver also joined the cast.^[12]

Filming[edit]

Bay announced that filming had begun on May 28, 2013, in Monument Valley, Utah. Detroit, Michigan, was used as a stand-in for Hong Kong^[57] while McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, was re-dressed to portray a city in China.^[58] The movie was the first feature film to be shot using smaller digital IMAX 3D cameras.^[54] It also was shot in various other formats, including IMAX 70mm film cameras, digital stereo 3D, and anamorphic and spherical35mm film.^[59] 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 2013 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse (going by production name 'Drift'), and a green 2014 C7 Corvette Stingray concept (going by production name 'Slingshot'). Also revealed was a truck from Western Star Trucks as Optimus Prime's new alternate mode. The Dinobots and Lockdown were confirmed to appear. On October 29, Michael Bay's Official Twitter Account tweeted that principal photography of Transformers 4 had been completed in Hong Kong, China and the cast and crew were heading to the Chinese mainland. (According to previous reports, they would be filming there for one week.)^[60] Additional filming in Detroit began in early 2014; a pair of steamships (Columbia and Ste. Clair) which had once traveled between Detroit and Bois Blanc Island's amusement park were partially restored and used as props for the film.^[61]

Incidents[edit]

On October 17, 2013, while filming in Hong Kong, Bay was assaulted by two brothers surnamed Mak, who demanded a payment of HK$100,000 (US$12,900). The elder brother also assaulted 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.^[62] 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.^[63]

Post-production[edit]

Industrial Light & Magic's VFX supervisor Scott Farrar, who had also supervised the three prior films in the Transformers franchise, rendered the visual effects. He said the film contains about ninety minutes of visual effects (out of the movie's 165-minute length).^[64] Farrer said it was the biggest project, using the largest crew, of his career, and noted that over five hundred crews had worked on it, using various facilities.^[65]

The nine different formats used in the film included IMAX film, IMAX digital, single-frame anamorphic film, GoPros, crashcams, Red cameras on 3Ality stereo 3D gigs, and red cameras for 2D.^[65]

Music[edit]

Like its predecessors, Steve Jablonsky composed the film's score, marking his sixth film collaboration with director Michael Bay, four of which are Transformers films. The film's score was praised by critics and fans. The soundtrack album sold more than 15,000 units worldwide. It is also the first Transformers film for which rock band Linkin Park did not contribute an original song, though their single 'Until It's Gone' is included in the video game soundtrack of the movie.^[66]

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.^[67][68]

Imagine Dragons wrote a single specifically for the film itself, titled 'Battle Cry'. 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 and Hans Zimmer to contribute additional music to the film's score.^[69]

On June 30, 2014, an extended play was digitally released on iTunes, featuring four tracks as a teaser for the full official score, which features variations of the four themes.^[70] On July 4, 2014, the long play was released digitally on iTunes containing the full score of the film.^[71] The soundtrack album was released on CD by record label La-La Land Records on October 7, 2014.

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 to Transformers: 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.^[72]

Release[edit]

The film had its world premiere in Hong Kong on June 19, with a live concert by Imagine Dragons.^[73]

Marketing[edit]

The first televised advertisement for Transformers: Age of Extinction aired during Super Bowl XLVIII. In a poll by Fandango, the spot was determined to be the most anticipated film trailer to be shown, receiving 48% of the vote in the poll.^[74] The first official teaser trailer was released on March 4, 2014.^[75] A viral marketing campaign was started for the film upon the teaser trailer's release.^[76] On March 30, 2014, a shortened version of the teaser trailer was aired during the season 4 finale of The Walking Dead. Another shortened version of the teaser trailer was aired during the 2014 MTV Movie Awards.

Chevrolet aired a commercial at the New York International Auto Show featuring General Motors vehicles with clips from the film, along with putting them on display.^[77]

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 interviews with the stars, among other things.^[78] A clip featuring never-before-seen scenes from the film and an interview with Imagine Dragons aired during The 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.^[79] Also on this date, Oreo launched a marketing campaign to promote the film.^[80] This included a television commercial where a boy gives a wounded Optimus Prime an Oreo cookie to continue the fight.^[81]

An exclusive theatrical trailer debuted on May 15 on iTunes Movie Trailers at 12:01 AM Pacific Standard Time.^[82] On May 21, 2014, two television spots appeared online, both containing new footage from the film.^[83] 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.^[84] Three more television spots, all sporting new footage, appeared online on May 30, 2014.^[85][86][87]

Transformer 4 In Hindi Dubbed

Imagine Dragons's single for the film officially released online on June 2, 2014.^[88]

Jack Reynor and Nicola Peltz made multiple appearances in the Twin Cities on June 8, 2014. During an appearance on the Canadian version of The Morning Show, both Reynor and Peltz promised big things that would please fans.^[89] Kelsey Grammer made an appearance on The 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.^[90] On June 10, 2014, two television spots appeared online, both containing extensive new footage from the film.^{[citation needed]}

At the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 29, 2014, Mark Wahlberg, who stars in the film, hosted the event. 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.

Three more television spots appeared online on June 14, 2014, containing new footage of the Dinobots transforming and of Lockdown speaking.^[91] On June 17, a brand-new television spot aired on Comedy 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 essay Transformers: The Premake.^[92]

Video games[edit]

In February 2014, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, developed by Edge of Reality, published by Activision was announced as a companion to the film. It was released in June 2014 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.^[93]

In summer 2014, Rovio and Hasbro announced Angry Birds Transformers. The game has Transformers movie designs on two of the characters.

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

Worldwide[edit]

Transformers: Age of Extinction grossed $245.4 million in the United States and Canada and $858.6 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $1.104 billion, against a budget of $210 million.^[3] It was the only film of 2014 to earn over $1 billion at the box office worldwide.^[94]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.^[94] Worldwide, in its opening weekend, the film earned $302.1 million, which is the 14th-highest ever, the highest in 2014, and the second-largest for Paramount behind Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($382.4 million).^[95] It was the 17th-highest-grossing film worldwide, the highest-grossing film of 2014, the second-highest-grossing film in the Transformers film series, and the 11th-highest-grossing film of Paramount (domestically).^[96] It is the second film in the Transformers installment to earn over $1 billion following Dark of the Moon^[97] and the 19th film overall. Despite being a box office hit, it was considered by several box office experts to have fallen well below expectations.

North America[edit]

Transformers: Age of Extinction is the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2014 in the U.S. and Canada.^[98] 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.^[99] 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 theaters. In its opening weekend, the film earned $100,038,390^{[nb 1]} setting an opening record of 2014 (overtaken by The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 with $121.9 million),^[102] which is the fourth-highest opening for Paramount,^[103] and the fifth-highest for a film released in June.^[104] The opening-weekend audience was evenly split among those under and over the age of 25 (with 58%), male (64%), and under 18 (27%).^[105] The film remained at the summit for two consecutive weekends before being overtaken by Dawn 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.^[106][107] The film closed down its theatrical run on October 9, 2014^[108] and earned a total of $245,439,076, making it the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2014 in the U.S.^[108][109]

Outside North America[edit]

Outside North America, it is the highest-grossing film of 2014,^[110] and the sixth-highest-grossing film.^[111]Transformers: Age of Extinction earned $202.1 million in its opening weekend from 37 countries in 10,152 screens, which is 35% bigger than Dark of the Moon and marking the biggest overseas opening of 2014 (breaking X-Men: Days of Future Past's record set one month prior).^[112] It scored the biggest IMAX overseas opening weekend with $16.6 million from 266 theaters (overtaken by Jurassic World).^[112][113] The film topped the box office outside North America for four consecutive weekends despite coinciding with the 2014 FIFA World Cup before being overtaken by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in its fifth weekend.^[114]

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).^[112] 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.^[112] 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.^[112][115] The film set an all-time IMAX opening record with $9.7 million.^[112][116] After five days of its release, Age of Extinction surpassed its North American run with $134.5 million.^[117][118] 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 the highest-grossing film in China with $222.74 million, thus overtaking Avatar's previous record.^{[119][120][121]} Adding to the film's revenue and popularity were product placements of Chinese brands edited into the movie specifically for Chinese audiences.^[122]

It became the highest-grossing film in China, with $301–$320 million^{[nb 2]} in revenue surpassing 2009's record set by Avatar ($204 million),^{[124][129][130]} until it was surpassed by Furious 7 in 2015 over $390 million.^[131] It is also the first movie in China to gross more than $300 million at the box office.^[132] A large part of the success in China has been attributed to the large fan base there and because of its accompanying 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.^[133]

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), and the UK ($33.1 million).^[134]

Authenticity over North American box office opening[edit]

The $100 million opening announced for Transformers: Age of Extinction is disputed within the industry. According to Rentrak—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. For Transformers 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.^[100][101]

Critical response[edit]

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 18% based on 198 reviews, with an average rating of 3.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, 'With the fourth installment in Michael Bay's blockbuster Transformers franchise, nothing is in disguise: Fans of loud, effects-driven action will find satisfaction, and all others need not apply.'^[135] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 32 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating 'generally unfavorable reviews'.^[136] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of 'A–' on an A+ to F scale.^[137]

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 an Ed Wood movie.'^[138] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film zero out of four stars, calling it 'the worst and most worthless Transformers movie yet.'^[139] Kyle Smith of the New York Post gave the film one-and-a-half out of four stars, commenting that 'This series was never good, but it was once fun, or at least flashy. Now that its gears have gone rusty, it’s time for an Alien vs. Predator-style rethink.'^[140] A. O. Scott of The 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.'^[141]

Clarence Tsui of The 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.'^[142] Roth Cornet of IGN 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.'^[143] Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News gave the film 1 out of five stars, commenting that 'If the 'human scenes' all reek of adolescent dialogue and dopey snark masquerading as character development, it's a toss-up if that's better or worse than seeing clattering collections of caliginous junk.'^[144]

Home media[edit]

Transformers: Age of Extinction was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and Blu-ray 3D formats on September 30, 2014 in North America. The film was also released on digital download through iTunes and Google Play on September 16, 2014. A 4K Ultra-high-definition Blu-Ray release followed on December 5, 2017.^[145]

Accolades[edit]

Sequel and Reboot[edit]

A fifth Transformers film, titled The Last Knight, was released on June 21, 2017 to poor reviews, with Bay stating it was his final entry of the series.

A spin-off/reboot film, Bumblebee, was released on December 21, 2018 to positive reviews.^[147]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

1. ^The $100 million opening for Transformers: Age of Extinction is disputed within the industry. According to Rentrak—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. For Transformers 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.^[100][101]
2. ^ A final number on Transformers: Age of Extinction tends to vary between the Paramount reported $301 million and local data that reported $320 million.^{[123][124][125][126][127][128]}

References[edit]

1. ^'Transformers 4 Age Of Extinction Official Classification & Running Time Revealed — Transformers News'. TFW2005. June 20, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
2. ^'TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (12A)'. British Board of Film Classification. June 19, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
3. ^ ^abc'Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
4. ^Lussier, Germain (March 12, 2014). ''Transformers 4' IMAX Poster: Giant Robots On the Giant Screen'. /Film. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
5. ^Bacle, Ariana (January 14, 2015). ''Transformers: Age of Extinction' leads Razzie nominations'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
6. ^ ^ab'Michael Bay Re-Teams With His 'Pain & Gain' Star Mark Wahlberg for Transformers 4'. Michael Bay.com. November 11, 2012. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
7. ^'CinemaCon: Stanley Tucci Joins Transformers 4'. Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
8. ^Meares, Tasha (2014-06-18). 'Seven new images from Transformers: Age of Extinction'. Fansided.com. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
9. ^Fleming, Mike (2013-05-01). 'Kelsey Grammer Lands Lead (Human) Villain In 'Transformers' Sequel'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
10. ^Kit, Borys (November 14, 2012). 'Michael Bay Testing Hot Young Actors for 'Transformers 4' Leads (Exclusive)'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
11. ^ ^abcKit, Borys (January 8, 2013). 'Jack Reynor Lands Starring Role'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
12. ^ ^ab''Transformers 4' Adds Titus Welliver'. Deadline Hollywood. July 24, 2013.
13. ^ ^ab'Sophia Myles to Join Mark Wahlberg in Michael Bay's 'Transformers 4' (Exclusive)'. Thewrap.com. 2013-05-06. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
14. ^'Transformers: Age of Extinction Interview with Stanley Tucci'. Collider.com. 2013-11-20. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
15. ^'China's Li Bingbing Boards 'Transformers 4''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
16. ^'T.J. Miller Joins 'Transformers4''. The Hollywood Reporter. 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
17. ^Dennis, Carly (February 23, 2014). 'Melanie Specht on her 'Transformers: Age of Extinction' Role'. Moviehole.com. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
18. ^'Victoria Summer: On Playing Julie Andrews and Working with Michael Bay'. Viva Glam Magazine. December 13, 2013. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
19. ^ ^ab'Han Geng'. Michaelbay.com. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
20. ^'GM's Top Designer Ed Welburn To Make Cameo Appearance In Transformers 4 Age Of Extinction — Transformers News'. TFW2005. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
21. ^'Transformers Age of Extinction'. aveleyman.com.
22. ^ ^abCollura, Scott (September 21, 2012). 'Peter Cullen Back as Optimus for Transformers 4'. IGN. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
23. ^ ^abcdeLovett, James (February 2, 2014). 'Transformers: Age of Extinction Super Bowl Trailer Preview'. Comicbook.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
24. ^ ^abKendrick, Ben (March 6, 2014). ''Transformers: Age of Extinction' Trailer Analysis, Photos, and Video'. Screenrant.com. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
25. ^ ^abcdefgh'Transformers Bios'. Hasbro.com. April 21, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
26. ^ ^abcdBay, Michael (May 8, 2014). 'John Goodman And Ken Watanabe Join The Autobot Voice Cast in Michael Bay's 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction''. Michael Bay. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
27. ^ ^abcdVieira, Anthony (February 15, 2014). ''Transformers: Age of Extinction' Toy Images Reveal New Characters'. Screenrant.com. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
28. ^Eisenberg, Eric (March 24, 2014). 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction CinemaCon Footage Brings Dinosaurs, Explosions And More'. Cinemablend.com. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
29. ^Lovett, James (February 2, 2014). 'Transformers: Age of Extinction Super Bowl Trailer Preview'. Comicbook.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
30. ^'Transformers Bios'. Hasbro.com. April 21, 2014. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
31. ^Bay, Michael (May 8, 2014). 'John Goodman And Ken Watanabe Join The Autobot Voice Cast in Michael Bay's 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction''. Michael Bay. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
32. ^Jones, Elton (April 17, 2015). ''Transformers: Age of Extinction': Top 10 Facts You Need to Know - 4'. Heavy.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
33. ^'GM using new 'Transformers' film to promote Trax SUV in China – Los Angeles Times'. Latimes.com. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
34. ^'Transformers 4 Collider Page 2'. Collider. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
35. ^'6 Directors Who Could Take Over the TRANSFORMERS Franchise Collider Page 100332'. Collider. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
36. ^'TRANSFORMERS 4 News and the Micronauts movie Collider Page 120848'. Collider. September 28, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
37. ^'TRANSFORMERS 4 and TRANSFORMERS 5 to Shoot Back-to-Back; Jason Statham May Star Collider Page 121014'. Collider. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
38. ^'Steven Spielberg Talks Michael Bay Returning for TRANSFORMERS 4; Says They Have a Genre for INDIANA JONES 5 Collider Page 130116'. Collider. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
39. ^'Michael Bay Returning to Direct TRANSFORMERS 4 Collider Page 130854'. Collider. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
40. ^'Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura Talks MAN ON A LEDGE, LAST STAND, and FIVE AGAINST THE BULLET Collider Page 137068'. Collider. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
41. ^Chitwood, Adam. 'Paramount Eyeing a 2014 Release for TRANSFORMERS 4? [Updated with Details]'. Collider.
42. ^Chitwood, Adam (February 13, 2012). 'Michael Bay Returning to Direct TRANSFORMERS for June 2014 Release'. Collider. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
43. ^Goldberg, Matt (November 11, 2012). 'TRANSFORMERS 4 to Take Place Four Years after TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON'. Collider. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
44. ^Goldberg, Matt (April 26, 2012). 'Ehren Kruger Returns to Write TRANSFORMERS 4; Shia LaBeouf Definitely Out'. Collider. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
45. ^Franich, Darren (April 2, 2013). 'Paramount co-producing 'Transformers 4' with Chinese company'. Entertainment Weekly.
46. ^Zakarin, Jordan (April 2, 2013). ''Transformers 4' to Film in China, Star Chinese Actors as Paramount Enters Co-Production Agreement'. The Hollywood Reporter.
47. ^Shackleton, Liz (April 3, 2013). 'Paramount partners with China on Transformers 4'. Screen International.
48. ^'Transformers 4 Title Revealed And Possible Spoilers Via Trademarks'. Tfw2005.com. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
49. ^'Transformers 4 film to be titled Apocalypse or Last Stand? Domains privately registered [UPDATED'. Fusible. September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
50. ^McMillian, Graeme (September 3, 2013). 'Transformers 4's Official Title, Poster Revealed: 'Age of Extinction''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
51. ^Kit, Borys (November 14, 2012). 'Michael Bay Testing Hot Young Actors for 'Transformers 4' Leads (Exclusive)'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
52. ^Wales, George (March 28, 2013). 'Transformers 4 casts Nicola Peltz as female lead'. Total Film. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
53. ^'General Morshower not returning to Transformers 4'. Transformers Live Action Movie Blog. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
54. ^ ^ab'Exclusive: Michael Bay Reveals TRANSFORMERS 4 Will Shoot the 'Showcase Scenes' With the New IMAX 3D Digital Camera'. Collider.com. 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
55. ^Fleming, Mike (2013-05-01). 'Kelsey Grammer Lands Lead (Human) Villain In 'Transformers' Sequel'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
56. ^'T.J. Miller Joins 'Transformers 4''. The Hollywood Reporter. 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
57. ^Williams, Candice (August 9, 2013). ''Transformers 4' ends filming in downtown Detroit with one last glimpse for fans'. The Detroit News. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
58. ^'Photos: Transformers 4 Filming in Chicago'. Chicago Tribune. August 21, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
59. ^Sciretta, Peter (June 17, 2014). '40 Things I Learned on the Set of 'Transformers 4: Age of Extinction''. /Film. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
60. ^''Transformers 4′: New Optimus Prime, Two New Autobots; T.J. Miller Joins Cast'. Screenrant.com. June 27, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
61. ^'Historic Boblo boats land role in Transformers 4'. CBC News. 11 July 2014.
62. ^Hoegberg, Alexandra; Li, Grace (October 17, 2013). 'Director Michael Bay attacked on 'Transformers 4' set in Hong Kong'. NBC. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
63. ^Wu, Venus (2014-02-26). 'Hong Kong brothers jailed for trying to blackmail 'Transformers 4' crew'. Reuters. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
64. ^Giardina, Carolyn (December 25, 2014). 'Oscars: 'Interstellar,' 'Hobbit' Visual Effects Artists Reveal How They Did It'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
65. ^ ^abGiardina, Carolyn (July 9, 2014). ''Transformers: Age of Extinction': 5 Things to Know About the Visual Effects'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
66. ^LAUNCH TRAILER: Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark on YouTube
67. ^Graff, Gary (May 30, 2014). 'Skrillex Talks Diplo, Dubstep & Adding 'Craziest Skrillex Sounds' to 'Transformers' Movie'. Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
68. ^Hogan, Marc (May 30, 2014). 'Skrillex Saving 'Craziest Skrillex Sounds' for 'Transformers' Movie'. Spin. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
69. ^Reyes, Mike (May 13, 2014). 'Michael Bay's Transformers: Age Of Extinction To Host A World Premiere Concert On June 19th'. Cinema Blend. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
70. ^'Transformers: Age of Extinction (Music from the Motion Picture) - EP'. iTunes. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
71. ^'Transformers: Age of Extinction (Music from the Motion Picture)'. iTunes. Apple Inc. July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
72. ^'Steve Jablonsky LP Post'. Facebook. November 20, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
73. ^Frater, Patrick (2014-05-13). ''Transformers: Age of Extinction' to Have Hong Kong World Premiere'. Variety.com. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
74. ^McIntyre, Gina (February 2, 2014). ''Transformers: Age of Extinction' Super Bowl spot: Wahlberg, Autobots'. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
75. ^Couch, Aaron (4 March 2014). ''Transformers 4' Unleashes New Trailer (Video)'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
76. ^'Transformers Are Dangerous'. Transformers Are Dangerous. March 4, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
77. ^Taggart, Natasha (April 17, 2014). 'Bumblebee and Chevy Cars Unveiled at the New York Auto Show?'. Enstars. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
78. ^McMillan, Graeme (May 8, 2014). 'Hasbro Launches 'Transformers' Movie App (Exclusive Video)'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
79. ^Beach, Stormy (May 30, 2014). 'TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION, the game, headed to Android later this Year'. AndroidSPIN. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
80. ^Ruminski, Bill (2014-05-13). 'Oreo, 'Transformers' in big-screen marketing deal'. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
81. ^OREO Transformers 4(YouTube) (Television production). United States: Oreo. 2014-05-20. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
82. ^Kendrick, Ben (May 15, 2014). ''Transformers: Age of Extinction' Trailer 2: A New Robot Army'. Screen Rant. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
83. ^Moran, Sarah (May 22, 2014). ''Transformers: Age of Extinction': New TV Spots & Poster'. Screen Rant. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
84. ^Eisenberg, Eric (May 22, 2014). 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction Viral Campaign Urges Us To Keep Earth Human'. Cinema Blend. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
85. ^McWeeny, Drew (May 30, 2014). 'Exclusive: New 'Transformers' Spot Reveals New Dinobots and An Epic Scale'. HitFix. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
86. ^Vestal, Shannon (May 30, 2014). 'Exclusive: Mark Wahlberg Gets Some Action in a New Transformers TV Spot'. Popsugar. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
87. ^Gettys, Tim (May 30, 2014). 'NEW TRANSFORMERS 4 TV SPOT'. IGN. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
88. ^'Battle Cry – Single'. iTunes. June 2, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
89. ^Kennedy, John R. (June 10, 2014). 'WATCH: 'Transformers' stars Jack Reynor, Nicola Peltz promise big things'. Global News. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
90. ^Dietsch, TJ (June 10, 2014). 'Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammer Face Off in First 'Transformers' Clip'. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
91. ^Freeman, Molly (June 15, 2014). ''Transformers: Age of Extinction': Meet Lockdown & the Dinobots'. Screen Rant. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
92. ^TRANSFORMERS: THE PREMAKE (complete version). YouTube. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
93. ^Maiberg, Emanuel (February 16, 2014). 'Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark confirmed, merges with Michael Bay's Age of Extinction'. GameSpot. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
94. ^ ^abFleming, Mike Jr. (March 13, 2015). 'No. 1 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction' Is 2014's Most Valuable Blockbuster'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
95. ^'Worldwide Openings'. Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
96. ^'Box Office by Studio'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
97. ^'Transformers Total Grosses'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
98. ^'2014 DOMESTIC GROSSES'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
99. ^Mendelson, Scott (June 27, 2014). 'Box Office: 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction' Earns $8.8M On Thursday'. Forbes. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
100. ^ ^abFritz, Ben (June 30, 2014). '$100 Million Debate: 'Transformers' Debut Was Big, but How Big?'. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
101. ^ ^abBusch, Anita (June 30, 2014). 'Box Office: 'Transformers' Controversy Erupts As Paramount Stakes Claim To $100M Three-Day Gross, No One's Buying It'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
102. ^Jung, E. Alex (November 23, 2014). 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 Sets Box-Office Record, But Hits a Franchise Low'. Vulture. Archived from the original on December 1, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
103. ^'Opening weekends'. boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
104. ^'Top opening weekends by month'. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
105. ^Mendelson, Scott (June 28, 2014). 'Box Office: 'Transformers 4' Scores $41.6M Friday For Likely $100M+ Debut'. Forbes. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
106. ^McClintock, Pamela (July 5, 2014). 'Box Office: 'Transformers' Tops Long Holiday With $53.8M; 'Tammy' No. 2 With $32.9M'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
107. ^McClintock, Pamela (July 13, 2014). 'Box Office: 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Scores Stellar $73M Debut'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
108. ^ ^ab'2014 Domestic Grosses'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
109. ^'Domestic Grosses'. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
110. ^'2014 WORLDWIDE GROSSES'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
111. ^'All Time Worldwide Box Office Grosses'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
112. ^ ^abcdefTartaglione, Nancy (June 30, 2014). 'Update: Intl Box Office: Boosted By China, 'Transformers' Crushes $202.1M Says Paramount For Biggest 2014 Offshore Bow; 'Breakup Guru' Woos; 'Dragon' Still Flying'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
113. ^Tartaglione, Nancy (June 14, 2015). ''Jurassic World' Has Historic $511.8M Global Opening; $307.2M Overseas – Intl Box Office Update'. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
114. ^Tartaglione, Nancy (July 27, 2014). 'UPDATE: Intl Box Office: 'Apes' Dawns In Latin America; 'Godzilla' Stomps Into Japan; 'Hercules' Shows $28.7M Muscles; 'Transformers' Passes $300M In China; More'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
115. ^Tartaglione, Nancy (July 9, 2014). 'Official: 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction' Breaks 'Avatar's China Record As Highest-Grossing Film Ever'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
116. ^Tartaglione, Nancy (May 9, 2016). ''Captain America: Civil War' Rages Offshore With $217M 2nd Frame, $494M Cume; 'Zootopia' Crosses $950M WW – Intl B.O. Final'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
117. ^''Transformers: Age Of Extinction' Stronger In China Than North America'. Box Office Magazine. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
118. ^Mendelson, Scott (June 29, 2014). 'Box Office: 'Transformers 4' Nabs $302M Weekend'. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
119. ^McClintock, Pamela (July 7, 2014). 'Box Office: 'Transformers 4' Stays Atop Global To 40 Chart'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
120. ^Subers, Ray (July 6, 2014). 'Weekend Report: 'Transformers' Repeats On Weak Independence Day Weekend'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
121. ^Shackleton, Liz (July 8, 2014). 'Transformers breaks China box office records'. Screen Daily. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
122. ^Rankin, Jennifer; Kaiman, Jonathan (July 11, 2014). 'Hollywood zooms in on China's film market'. The Guardian.
123. ^Coonan, Clifford (December 11, 2014). ''Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1' China Release Pushed Back Again to February 2015'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
124. ^ ^abMendelson, Scott (December 23, 2014). 'Box Office: 'Gone With The Bullets' Scores IMAX-Enhanced $54M In China'. Forbes. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
125. ^Coonan, Clifford (December 29, 2014). 'China Box Office 2014: 'Transformers 4,' Homegrown Films on Top'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
126. ^Coonan, Clifford (April 12, 2015). 'China Box Office: 'Furious 7' Takes Record $8.05M in Sunday Midnight Screenings'. The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
127. ^Frater, Patrick (April 13, 2015). ''Furious 7′ China Debut Equals North American Opening'. Variety. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
128. ^Coonan, Clifford (April 13, 2015). 'China Box Office: 'Furious 7' Dominates, Sets Sights on 'Transformers' Record'. The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
129. ^Coonan, Clifford (July 22, 2014). 'China Box Office: Local Sensation 'Tiny Times 3.0' Knocks 'Transformers 4' Off Top Spot'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
130. ^Child, Ben (July 8, 2014). 'Transformers: Age of Extinction becomes highest-grossing film of all time in China'. The Guardian. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
131. ^Tartaglione, Nancy (April 26, 2015). ''Furious 7′ Crosses $1B Overseas; Passes 'T4′ In China As Top-Grossing Film Ever'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
132. ^Lang, Brent (August 3, 2014). ''Transformers: Age of Extinction' Hits $1 Billion Globally'. Variety. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
133. ^Cain, Rob (November 15, 2015). 'What 'Star Wars' Means To China'. Forbes. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
134. ^'Box office by country'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
135. ^'Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
136. ^'Transformers: Age of Extinction Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
137. ^Bahr, Lindsey (June 29, 2014). 'Box office report: 'Transformers: Age of Extinction' destroys competition with $100 million'. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
138. ^Roeper, Richard (2014-06-26). 'Transformers 4: Age of Extinction'. Richard Roeper & the Movies. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
139. ^Travers, Peter (2014-06-26). 'Transformers: Age of Extinction'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
140. ^Smith, Kyle (2014-06-25). 'Transformers Return and It's a Decepti-yawn'. New York Post. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
141. ^Scott, A. O. (2014-06-26). 'Let the Mass Destruction Begin: Transformers: Age of Extinction is Fourth in the Series'. The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
142. ^Tsui, Clarence (2014-06-22). 'Transformers: Age of Extinction: Film Review'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
143. ^Cornet, Roth (2014-06-23). 'Transformers: Age of Extinction Review: Exactly What Meets the Eye'. IGN. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
144. ^Neumaier, Joe (2014-06-25). 'Movie review: Transformers: Age of Extinction'. New York Daily News. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
145. ^'Transformers Age Of Extinction DVD Release Date September 30, 2014'. DVDs Release Dates. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
146. ^'13th Annual VES Awards'. visual effects society. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
147. ^''Transformers' Spinoff 'Bumblebee' Flies To December 2018'. Deadline Hollywood. August 1, 2017.

External links[edit]

• Transformers: Age of Extinction on IMDb
• Transformers: Age of Extinction at AllMovie
• Transformers: Age of Extinction at the TCM Movie Database

Transformers is a 2007 American science fictionaction film based on the toy line of the same name. The film, which combines computer animation with live-action filming, was directed by Michael Bay, with Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer. It was produced by Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto, and is the first installment in the live-action Transformers film series. The film stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager who gets caught up in a war between the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two factions of alien robots who can disguise themselves by transforming into everyday machinery, primarily vehicles. The Autobots intend to use the AllSpark, the object that created their robotic race, to rebuild their home planet Cybertron and end the war, while the Decepticons have the intention of using it to build an army by giving life to the machines of Earth. Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Megan Fox, Rachael Taylor, John Turturro, and Jon Voight also star, while voice actors Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving voice Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively.

Murphy and DeSanto developed the project in 2003, and DeSanto wrote a treatment. Steven Spielberg came on board the following year, hiring Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman to write the screenplay. The U.S. Armed Forces and General Motors (GM) loaned vehicles and aircraft during filming, which saved money for the production and added realism to the battle scenes. Hasbro's promotional campaign for the film included deals with various companies; advertising included a viral marketing campaign, coordinated releases of prequel comic books, toys, and books, as well as product placement deals with companies such as GM, Burger King, and eBay.

Transformers received mixed to positive reviews from critics and fans. It is the 87th highest-grossing film of all-time and was the fifth highest-grossing film of 2007, grossing $709 million worldwide, with an estimated 46 million tickets sold in the US. The film won four awards from the Visual Effects Society and was nominated for three Academy Awards, for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects. LaBeouf's performance was praised by Empire, and Cullen's reprisal of Optimus Prime from the 1980s television series was well received by fans. It was soon followed by four sequels and a prequel: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Dark of the Moon (2011), Age of Extinction (2014), The Last Knight (2017), and Bumblebee (2018).^[4]

• 2Cast
• 3Production
• 4Release
• 5Reception

Plot

Several thousand years ago, the planet Cybertron was consumed by a civil war between the two Transformer factions, the Autobots led by Optimus Prime and the Decepticons led by Megatron. Optimus jettisoned the AllSpark, a mystical artifact that brings life to the planet, into space, but Megatron pursued it. Megatron crashed onto Earth, landing in the Arctic Circle and froze, and was discovered in 1895 by explorer Archibald Witwicky. Witwicky inadvertently activated Megatron's navigational system, which etched the AllSpark's coordinates into his glasses. The glasses end up in the possession of his great-great-grandson Sam Witwicky.

In the present, Blackout attacks and destroys a United States military base in Qatar in a failed attempt to hack the military network to find information on Megatron and the AllSpark. A surviving team of Army Rangers led by Captain William Lennox escape across the desert, pursued by Blackout's drone Scorponok. They fight Scorponok off, aided by aerial reinforcements, and travel home with Scorponok's stinger, discovering sabot rounds damaged its armor. At the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense John Keller leads the investigation into the attack. Sound analyst Maggie Madsen catches another Decepticon, Frenzy, hacking into the military network while onboard Air Force One. While the hack is thwarted, Frenzy downloads files on Archibald's glasses, tracking down Sam with Barricade, disguised as a police car.

Meanwhile, Sam buys his first car, a rusting Chevrolet Camaro, but discovers it has a life of its own. Sam and his high school crush Mikaela Banes are rescued from Barricade and Frenzy by the Camaro who turns out to be Autobot scout Bumblebee, who has to communicate through his car radio due to being mute. Previously sending a beacon to his fellow Autobots, Bumblebee takes Sam and Mikaela to meet Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ironhide, and Ratchet. Optimus explains the details of the situation, revealing that if Megatron gained the AllSpark he would transform Earth's machinery into a new army and exterminate mankind. Sam, Mikaela, and the Autobots travel to Sam's house to retrieve the glasses, but they are captured by agents of Sector Seven, a top-secret paramilitary government branch, led by Seymour Simmons. The Autobots stop the agents, but they call for backup, who take Sam, Mikaela, and Bumblebee into custody, while Optimus obtains the glasses, and uses them to locate the Allspark.

The humans respectfully connected to the Transformers are gathered together at Hoover Dam by Sector Seven's director Tom Banachek, who reveals Megatron, still frozen, and the AllSpark. Frenzy, having smuggled away in Mikaela's bag, disables Megatron’s cryonics system and summons Starscream, who in turn summons Brawl and Bonecrusher, the latter being killed by Optimus on a highway. Bumblebee is released to protect the AllSpark, shrinking it to a handheld size so it can be transported to safety. Megatron escapes the dam after thawing out. Frenzy attacks Secretary Keller, Madsen and Agent Simmons in the Dam's radio room, trying to prevent them from summoning the Air Force, but is decapitated by his own ricocheting shuriken.

A lengthy battle occurs in Mission City,^[5] with Blackout and Brawl dying at the hands of the military and Bumblebee respectively. However, Megatron kills Jazz and prevents Sam's attempted escape with the AllSpark. Optimus arrives to protect Sam, and engages in a battle against Megatron, with the latter getting the upper hand. Optimus tells Sam to push the cube into his chest to ensure their mutual destruction, but instead rams it into Megatron's chest, overloading his spark and killing him..

Optimus salvages a shard of the AllSpark from Megatron's mangled corpse. The United States government shuts down Sector Seven and disposes of the dead Decepticons in the Laurentian Abyss. Sam and Mikaela then start a romantic relationship while the Autobots secretly hide out on Earth, and Optimus sends a transmission into space inviting any surviving Autobots to join them.

A brief mid-credits scene shows Starscream escaping into space to rally other Decepticons and summon them to Earth.

Cast

• Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, the young descendant of an Arctic explorer who stumbles on a big secret which becomes the last hope for Earth.
• Tyrese Gibson as TSgt Robert Epps, a U.S. Air ForceCombat Controller and technical sergeant of a Special Operations team based at the U.S. SOCCENT base in Qatar.
• Josh Duhamel as Capt. William Lennox, the leader of the Army Rangers team in Qatar.
• Anthony Anderson as Glen Whitmann, a hacker friend of Maggie's.
• Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes, a classmate of Sam who assists him in his mission by using skills she learned as a juvenile car thief. She is also Sam's love interest.
• Rachael Taylor as Maggie Madsen, a hacker recruited by the U.S. Defense Department.
• John Turturro as Agt. Seymour Simmons, a member of Sector 7 Advanced Research Division.
• Jon Voight as John Keller, the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
• Michael O'Neill as Tom Banachek, head of Sector 7.
• Kevin Dunn as Ron Witwicky, Sam's father.
• Julie White as Judy Witwicky, Sam's mother.
• Amaury Nolasco as ACWO Jorge 'Fig' Figueroa, a Special Operations soldier who survives the destruction of the SOCCENT base in Qatar and was also a member of Captain Lennox's team.
• Zack Ward as First SergeantDonnelly, a member of Captain Lennox's team.
• W. Morgan Sheppard as Captain Archibald Witwicky, Sam's great-great-grandfather who accidentally activates Megatron's navigational system.
• Bernie Mac as Bobby Bolivia, a used cars salesman.
• John Robinson as Miles Lancaster, Sam's best friend.
• Travis Van Winkle as Trent DeMarco, Mikaela's ex-boyfriend. The character later appeared in Friday the 13th (2009).^[6]
• Glenn Morshower as Colonel Sharp (credited as 'SOCCENT sergeant')

Voices

• Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots who transforms into a blue and red 1994 Peterbilt 379 semi-trailer truck. Peter Cullen had previously voiced Optimus Prime in the original 1980s cartoon and was chosen to reprise his role, which was warmly welcomed by audiences and considered one of the film's best aspects.
• Mark Ryan as Bumblebee, the Autobot scout and Sam's new guardian who transforms into a yellow and black Chevrolet Camaro (first a 1976 model and later in the movie a 2006 model).
• Darius McCrary as Jazz, Optimus's second-in-command who transforms into a silver 2006 Pontiac Solstice.
• Robert Foxworth as Ratchet, the Autobot medic who transforms into a yellow 2004 search and rescue Hummer H2 ambulance.
• Jess Harnell as
  • Ironhide, the Autobot weapons expert who transforms into a black 2005 GMC Topkick C4500.
  • Barricade, the Decepticon scout and interrogator who transforms into a black Saleen S281police car.
• Hugo Weaving as Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons who transforms into a silver Cybertronian jet. Originally Frank Welker (voice of Megatron in the original series) was considered but according to DVD commentary, Bay thought his voice didn't fit, so Weaving was chosen instead.
• Jim Wood as Bonecrusher, the Decepticon mine sweeper who transforms into a Buffalo H Mine-Protected vehicle.
• Reno Wilson as Frenzy, the Decepticon hacker and Barricade's minion, who transforms into a PGX Boombox, and later a Nokia 8800.
• Charlie Adler as Starscream, Megatron's second-in-command who transforms into a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. Adler had previously voiced several characters in the original series, most noticeably Silverbolt.

Non-speaking characters

• Blackout, Megatron's third-in-command who transforms into a MH-53J Pave Low III.
• Brawl, the Decepticon demolition specialist who transforms into a dark green M1 Abrams.
• Scorponok, a scorpion-like Decepticon and Blackout's minion.

Production

Development

Don Murphy was planning a G.I. Joe film adaptation, but when the United States launched the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Hasbro suggested adapting the Transformers franchise instead.^[8]Tom DeSanto joined Murphy because he was a fan of the series.^[9] They met with comic book writer Simon Furman, and cited the Generation 1 cartoon and comics as their main influence.^[8] They made the Creation Matrix their plot device, though Murphy had it renamed because of the film series The Matrix,^[10] but was later used again in the sequel. DeSanto chose to write the treatment from a human point of view to engage the audience,^[11] while Murphy wanted it to have a realistic tone, reminiscent of a disaster film.^[10] The treatment featured the AutobotsOptimus Prime, Ironhide, Jazz, Prowl, Arcee, Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Bumblebee, and the DecepticonsMegatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Ravage, Laserbeak, Rumble, Skywarp and Shockwave.^[12]

Steven Spielberg, a fan of the comics and toys,^[9] signed on as executive producer in 2004. John Rogers wrote the first draft, which pitted four Autobots against four Decepticons,^[13] and featured the Ark spaceship.^[14]Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, fans of the cartoon,^[15] were hired to rewrite the script in February 2005.^[16] Spielberg suggested that 'a boy and his car' should be the focus.^[17] This appealed to Orci and Kurtzman because it conveyed themes of adulthood and responsibility, 'the things that a car represents in the United States'.^[18] The characters of Sam and Mikaela were the sole point of view given in Orci and Kurtzman's first draft.^[19] The Transformers had no dialogue, as the producers feared talking robots would look ridiculous. The writers felt that even if it would look silly, not having the robots speak would betray the fanbase.^[15] The first draft also had a battle scene in the Grand Canyon.^[20] Spielberg read each of Orci and Kurtzman's drafts and gave notes for improvement.^[17] The writers remained involved throughout production, adding additional dialogue for the robots during the sound mixing (although none of this was kept in the final film, which ran fifteen minutes shorter than the initial edit).^[21] Furman's The Ultimate Guide, published by Dorling Kindersley, remained as a resource to the writers throughout production.^[21]Prime Directive was used as a fake working title. This was also the name of Dreamwave Productions' first Transformers comic book.^[22]

Michael Bay was asked to direct by Spielberg on July 30, 2005,^[23] but he dismissed the film as a 'stupid toy movie'.^[24] Nonetheless, he wanted to work with Spielberg, and gained a new respect for the concept upon visiting Hasbro.^[23] Bay considered the first draft 'too kiddie', so he increased the military's role in the story.^[23][25] The writers sought inspiration from G.I. Joe for the soldier characters, being careful not to mix the brands.^[26] Bay based Lennox's struggle to get to the Pentagon phoneline while struggling with an unhelpful operator from a real account he was given by a soldier when working on another film.^[23]

Orci and Kurtzman experimented with numerous robots from the franchise, ultimately selecting the characters most popular among the filmmakers to form the final cast.^[9] Bay acknowledged that most of the Decepticons were selected before their names or roles were developed, as Hasbro had to start designing the toys.^[27] Some of their names were changed because Bay was upset that they had been leaked.^[28] Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee and Starscream were the only characters present in each version of the script.^[15]Arcee was a female Transformer introduced by Orci and Kurtzman, but she was cut because they found it difficult to explain robotic gender; Bay also disliked her motorcycle form, which he found too small.^[26] An early idea to have the Decepticons simultaneously strike multiple places around the world was also dropped.^[19]

Design

The filmmakers created the size of each robot with the size of their vehicle mode in mind, supporting the Transformer's rationale for their choice of disguise on Earth.^[29] The concept of traveling protoforms was developed by Roberto Orci when he wondered why 'aliens who moonlight as vehicles need other vehicles to travel'.^[30] This reflected a desire to move to a more alien look, away from the 'blocky' Generation 1 Transformers.^[31] Another major influence in the designs was samurai armor, returning full-circle to the Japanese origins of the toy line.^[29] The robots also had to look alien, or else they would have resembled other cinematic robots made in the image of man.^[32]

A product placement deal with General Motors supplied alternate forms for most of the Autobots, which saved $3 million for the production.^[33] GM also provided nearly two hundred cars, destined for destruction in the climactic battle scene.^[29] The U.S. Armed Forces provided significant support, enhancing the film's realism: the film features F-22s, F-117s, and V-22 Ospreys, the first time these aircraft were used for a film; soldiers served as extras, and authentic uniforms were provided for the actors.^[23]A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and Lockheed AC-130s also appear. Captain Christian Hodge joked that he had to explain to his superiors that the filmmakers wanted to portray most of their aircraft as evil Decepticons: however, he remarked 'people love bad guys'.^[29]

Filming

To save money for the production, Bay reduced his usual fee by 30%. He planned an 83-day shooting schedule,^[23] maintaining the required pace by doing more camera set-ups per day than usual. Bay chose to shoot the film in the United States instead of Australia or Canada, allowing him to work with a crew he was familiar with, and who understood his work ethic.^[23][25][33] A pre-shoot took place on April 19, 2006 and principal photography began three days later at Holloman Air Force Base,^[34] which stood in for Qatar. Due to their destruction later in the film by the Decepticon Blackout, the majority of the military structures shown on-screen were not property of Holloman Air Force Base, but were purchased ahead of filming from a private manufacturer of military shelter systems, AKS Military.^[35] To film the Scorponok sequence at White Sands Missile Range, a sweep was performed to remove unexploded ordnance before building of a village set could begin; ironically, the village would be blown up. The scene was broken down for the Air battle managers flying aboard the AWACS aircraft, who improvised dialogue as if it were an actual battle.^[23][36]

The company also shot at Hoover Dam and at the Pentagon, the first time since the September 11 attacks that film crews had been allowed at these locations.^[34] The external Hoover Dam scenes were shot before tourists arrived daily at 10:00 a.m., with shooting moving inside for the remainder of the day.^[36] Production in California was based at Hughes Aircraft at Playa Vista, where the hangar in which Megatron is imprisoned was built.^[36] Six weekends were spent in Los Angeles, California shooting the climactic battle, with some elements being shot on the Universal Studios backlot and at Detroit's Michigan Central Station.^[34][36] The crew was allowed to shoot at Griffith Observatory, which was still closed for renovations begun in 2002.^[34] Filming wrapped on October 4, 2006.^[25]

The film has been found to re-use footage from Bay's previous film Pearl Harbor (2001).^[37]

Effects

Spielberg encouraged Bay to restrict computer-generated imagery to the robots and background elements in the action sequences.^[23] Stunts such as Bonecrusher smashing through a bus were done practically, while cameras were placed into the midst of car crashes and explosions to make it look more exciting.^[36] Work on the animatics began in April 2005.^[13] Bay indicated that three quarters of the film's effects were made by Industrial Light & Magic, while Digital Domain made the rest,^[23] including the Arctic discovery of Megatron; Frenzy's severed head; a vending machine mutated by the Allspark, and the Autobots' protoforms.^[38] Many of the animators were big Transformers fans and were given free rein to experiment: a scene where Jazz attacks Brawl is a reference to a scene in The Transformers: The Movie where Kup jumps on Blitzwing.^[29]

ILM created computer-generated transformations during six months in 2005, looking at every inch of the car models.^[40] Initially the transformations were made to follow the laws of physics, but it did not look exciting enough and was changed to be more fluid.^[41] Bay rejected a liquid metal surface for the characters' faces, instead going for a 'Rubik's Cube' style of modeling.^[23] He wanted numerous mechanical pieces visible so the robots would look more interesting, realistic, dynamic and quick, rather than like lumbering beasts.^[23][39] One such decision was to have the wheels stay on the ground for as long as possible, allowing the robots to cruise around as they changed.^[42] Bay instructed the animators to observe footage of two martial artists and numerous martial arts films to make the fights look graceful.^[23]

Due to the intricate designs of the Transformers, even the simplest motion of turning a wrist needs 17 visible parts;^[34] each of Ironhide's guns are made of ten thousand parts.^[39] Bumblebee uses a piece below his face-plate as an eyebrow, pieces in his cheeks swivel to resemble a smile, and all the characters' eyes are designed to dilate and brighten.^[42] According to Bay, 'The visual effects were so complex it took a staggering 38 hours for ILM to render just one frame of movement';^[34] that meant ILM had to increase their processing facilities.^[43] Each rendered piece had to look like real metal, shiny or dull. This was difficult to model because the aged and scarred robots had to transform from clean cars. Close-up shots of the robots were sped up to look 'cool', but in wide shots the animation was slowed down to convincingly illustrate a sense of weight. Photographs were taken of each set. These were used as a reference for the lighting environment, which was reproduced within a computer, so the robots would look like they were convincingly moving there. Bay, who has directed numerous car commercials, understood ray tracing was the key to making the robots look real; the CG models would look realistic based on how much of the environment was reflecting on their bodies.^[29] Numerous simulations were programmed into the robots, so the animators could focus on animating the particular areas needed for a convincing performance.^[43]

Music

Composer Steve Jablonsky, who collaborated with Bay on The Island, scored music for the trailers before work began on the film itself. Recording took place in April 2007, at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City, California. The score, including the teaser music, uses six major themes across ninety minutes of music.^[44] The Autobots have three themes, one named 'Optimus' to represent the wisdom and compassion of the Autobot leader, and another played during their arrival on Earth. The Decepticons have a chanted theme which relies on electronics, unlike most of the score. The AllSpark also has its own theme.^[45]Hans Zimmer, Jablonsky's mentor, also helped to compose the score.^[23]

Release

Transformers had its worldwide premiere at N Seoul Tower on June 10, 2007.^[46][47] The film's June 27 premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival used a live digital satellite feed to project the film on to a screen.^[48] A premiere took place at Rhode Island on June 28, which was a freely available event giving attendees the opportunity to buy tickets for $75 to benefit four charities: the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, the Autism Project of Rhode Island, Adoption Rhode Island, and Hasbro Children's Hospital.^[49] The film was released in IMAX on September 21, 2007,^[50] with additional footage that had not been included in the general theatrical release.^[51]

Marketing

Hasbro's toy line for the film was created over two months in late 2005 and early 2006, in heavy collaboration with the filmmakers.^[31]ProtoformOptimus Prime and Starscream were released in the United States on May 1, 2007, and the first wave of figures was released on June 2.^[31] The line featured characters not in the film, including Arcee.^[29] A second wave, titled 'AllSpark Power', was set for release late 2007, which consisted of repaints and robotic versions of ordinary vehicles in the film.^[52] The toys feature 'Automorph Technology', where moving parts of the toy allow other parts to shift automatically.^[53] Merchandise for the film earned Hasbro $480 million in 2007.^[54]

Deals were made with 200 companies to promote the film in 70 countries.^[55] Michael Bay directed tie-in commercials for General Motors, Panasonic, Burger King and PepsiCo,^[56] while props – including the Camaro used for Bumblebee and the AllSpark – were put up for charity sale on eBay.^[57] A viral marketingalternate reality game was employed through the Sector 7 website, which presented the film and all previous Transformers toys and media as part of a cover-up operation called 'Hungry Dragon,' perpetrated by a 'real life' Sector 7 to hide the existence of genuine Transformers. The site featured several videos presenting 'evidence' of Transformers on Earth, including a cameo from the original Bumblebee.^[58]

Home media

Transformers was released on DVD and a discontinued HD DVD format on October 16, 2007 in North America. The Wal-Mart edition of the DVD included a shortened animated version of the prequel comic book, titled Transformers Beginnings and featuring the voices of Ryan, Cullen, and Dunn, as well as Welker as Megatron.^[59] The Target copy was packaged with a transforming Optimus Prime DVD case and a prequel comic book about the Decepticons.^[59] The DVD sold 8.3 million copies in its first week, making it the fastest-selling DVD of 2007, in North America, and it sold 190,000 copies on HD DVD, which was the biggest debut on the format.^[60] The DVDs sold 13.74 million copies, making the film the most popular DVD title of 2007.^[61]

It was released on Blu-ray on September 2, 2008.^[62] In the first week, the two-disc edition of the Blu-ray was number one in sales compared to other films on the format. The Blu-ray version accounted for two-thirds of the film's DVD sales that first week, selling the third most in overall DVD sales.^[63] On June 16, 2009, Paramount included a sticker on all new Transformers DVDs that contained a code to view exclusive content online from the first film and get a sneak peek at Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The content includes three exclusive clips from Revenge of the Fallen, behind-the-scenes footage from both films, and never-before-seen deleted scenes from the first film.^[64] As of July 2012, in North America, the DVD of the film has sold 16.23 million copies, earning $292,144,274.^[65]

Transformers was released on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on December 5 2017.^[66]

Reception

Box office

Transformers had the highest per-screen and per-theater gross in 2007 in North America.^[67] It was released on July 3, 2007 with 8 p.m. preview screenings on July 2. The United States previews earned $8.8 million^[68] and in its first day of general release, it grossed $27.8 million, a record for Tuesday box-office gross until it was broken by The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012.^[69] It did, however, break Spider-Man 2's record for the biggest July 4 gross, making $29 million.^[70]Transformers opened in over 4,050 theaters in North America^[3] and grossed $70.5 million in its first weekend, debuting at #1 and amounting to a $155.4 million opening week, giving it the record for the biggest opening week for a non-sequel.^[71] The opening's gross in the United States was 50% more than what Paramount Pictures had expected. One executive attributed it to word of mouth that explained to parents that 'it [was] OK to take the kids'. A CinemaScore poll indicated the film was most popular with children and parents, including older women, and attracted many African American and Latino viewers.^[72]Transformers ended its theatrical run in the United States and Canada with a gross of $319.2 million, making it the third highest-grossing film of 2007 in these regions behind Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third.^[73] The film sold an estimated 46,402,100 tickets in North America.^[74]

The film was released in 10 international markets on June 28, 2007, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the Philippines. Transformers made $29.5 million in its first weekend, topping the box office in 10 countries.^[75] It grossed $5.2 million in Malaysia, becoming the most successful film in the country's history.^[76]Transformers opened in China on July 11 and became the second highest-grossing foreign film in the country (behind Titanic), making $37.3 million.^[77] Its opening there set a record for a foreign language film, making $3 million.^[78] The film was officially released in the United Kingdom on July 27, making £8.7 million, and helped contribute to the biggest attendance record ever for that weekend. It was second at the UK box office, behind The Simpsons Movie.^[79] In South Korea, Transformers recorded the largest audience for a foreign film in 2007 and the highest foreign revenue of the film.^[80]

Worldwide, Transformers was the highest-grossing non-sequel film in 2007 with over $709.7 million, making it Bay's fourth highest-grossing film to date, with three of its sequels surpassing it.^[3] It was also the fifth highest-grossing film of 2007 worldwide, behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third.^[81]

Critical reception

Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 57% based on 224 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, 'While believable characters are hard to come by in Transformers, the effects are staggering and the action is exhilarating.'^[82] On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 61 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating 'generally favorable reviews'.^[83]

IGN's Todd Gilchrist called it Bay's best film, and 'one of the few instances where it's OK to enjoy something for being smart and dumb at the same time, mostly because it's undeniably also a whole lot of fun'.^[84]The Advertiser's Sean Fewster found the visual effects so seamless that 'you may come to believe the studio somehow engineered artificial intelligence'.^[85]The Denver Post's Lisa Kennedy praised the depiction of the robots as having 'a believably rendered scale and intimacy',^[86] and ABC presenter Margaret Pomeranz was surprised 'that a complete newcomer to the Transformers phenomenon like myself became involved in the fate of these mega-machines'.^[87]Ain't It Cool News's Drew McWeeny felt most of the cast grounded the story, and that 'it has a real sense of wonder, one of the things that's missing from so much of the big CGI lightshows released these days'.^[88] Author Peter David found it ludicrous fun, and said that '[Bay] manages to hold on to his audience's suspension of disbelief long enough for us to segue into some truly spectacular battle scenes'.^[89]Roger Ebert gave the film a positive review, giving it 3 stars out of a possible 4, writing: 'It's goofy fun with a lot of stuff that blows up real good, and it has the grace not only to realize how preposterous it is, but to make that into an asset.'^[90]

Despite the praise for the visual effects, there was division over the human storylines. The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt liked 'how a teen plotline gets tied in to the end of the world',^[91] while Empire's Ian Nathan praised Shia LaBeouf as 'a smart, natural comedian, [who] levels the bluntness of this toy story with an ironic bluster'.^[92]Ain't It Cool News founder Harry Knowles felt Bay's style conflicted with Spielberg's, arguing the military story only served as a distraction from Sam.^[93]James Berardinelli hated the film as he did not connect with the characters in-between the action, which he found tedious.^[94]Los Angeles Times'Kenneth Turan found the humans 'oddly lifeless, doing little besides marking time until those big toys fill the screen',^[95] while ComingSoon.net's Joshua Starnes felt the Transformers were 'completely believable, right up to the moment they open their mouths to talk, when they revert to bad cartoon characters'.^[96]Daily Herald's Matt Arado was annoyed that 'the Transformers [are] little more than supporting players', and felt the middle act was sluggish.^[97]CNN's Tom Charity questioned the idea of a film based on a toy, and felt it would 'buzz its youthful demographic [...] but leave the rest of us wondering if Hollywood could possibly aim lower'.^[98]

General

Transformers fans were initially divided over the film due to the radical redesigns of many characters, although the casting of Peter Cullen was warmly received.^[29]Transformers comic book writer Simon Furman and Beast Wars script consultant Benson Yee both considered the film to be spectacular fun, although Furman also argued that there were too many human storylines.^[100] Yee felt that being the first in a series, the film had to establish much of the fictional universe and therefore did not have time to focus on the Decepticons.^[101] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of 'A' on an A+ to F scale.^[102]

The film created a greater awareness of the franchise and drew in many new fans.^[103]Transformers' box office success led to the active development of films based on Voltron and Robotech,^[104] as well as a Knight Rider remake.^[105] When filming the sequel, Bay was told by soldiers the film helped their children understand what their work was like, and that many had christened their Buffalos – the vehicle used for Bonecrusher – after various Transformer characters.^[106]

After the film's 2009 sequel was titled Revenge of the Fallen, screenwriter Orci was asked if this film would be retitled, just as Star Wars was titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope when re-released. He doubted the possibility, but said if it was retitled, he would call it Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye.^[107]

Accolades

Before its release, Transformers was voted 'Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet' at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards,^[108] and at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, it was voted 'best movie'. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, in the fields of Achievement in Sound Editing, Achievement in Sound Mixing (Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin), and Achievement in Visual Effects (Scott Benza, Russell Earl, Scott Farrar and John Knoll), but lost to The Bourne Ultimatum and The Golden Compass, respectively.^[109] It received a 2008 Kids' Choice Award nomination for Favorite Movie, but lost to Alvin and the Chipmunks.^[110] The film received a Jury Merit Award for Best Special Effects in the 2007 Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival.^[111] Visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar was honored at the Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony on October 22, 2007 for his work on the film.^[112]

In 2008, the Visual Effects Society awarded Transformers four awards: for the best visual effects in an 'effects driven' film and the 'best single visual effects sequence' (the Optimus-Bonecrusher battle). The film's other two awards were for its miniatures and compositing.^[113]Broadcast Music Incorporated awarded composer Steve Jablonsky for his score.^[114]Entertainment Weekly named Bumblebee as their fourth favorite computer generated character,^[115] while The Times listed Optimus Prime's depiction as the thirtieth best film robot, citing his coolness and dangerousness.^[116] On the negative side, Jon Voight was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor (also for Bratz: The Movie, September Dawn and National Treasure: Book of Secrets) at the 28th Golden Raspberry Awards.^[117]

Sequels and spin-offs

The second film, Revenge of the Fallen was released June 24, 2009. The third film, Dark of the Moon was released June 29, 2011. The fourth film, Age of Extinction was released June 27, 2014, and the fifth film titled The Last Knight was released on June 21, 2017. All have received negative critical reviews but were still box office successes.

A prequel/spin-off titled Bumblebee was released on December 21, 2018 to universal critical acclaim. It is currently the highest-rated film in the Transformers series.

References

1. ^'TRANSFORMERS (12A)'. British Board of Film Classification. June 15, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
2. ^Bob Tourtellotte (July 1, 2007). ''Transformers' film yields big bang on fewer bucks'. Reuters. Retrieved August 19, 2010. But the producers of 'Transformers', Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Ian Bryce, say they have spent only $150 million on 'Transformers', and they reckon they got a bargain.
3. ^ ^abc'Transformers'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
4. ^'Hasbro Confirms The Transformers Cinematic Universe - Transformers 5 In 2017?'. TFW2005. April 20, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
5. ^'Filming Locations for Michael Bay's Transformers (2007) in Los Angeles and California; Nevada; New Mexico; Washington DC; Boston and Detroit'. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
6. ^''Transformers' and 'Friday the 13th' Share a Weird Universe Connection'. Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
7. ^Harry Knowles (September 2, 2003). 'Tom DeSanto gets to yapping about more than meets the eye... aka TRANSFORMERS!'. Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
8. ^ ^abKellvin Chavez (February 21, 2007). 'On Set Interview: Producer Don Murphy On Transformers'. Latino Review. Archived from the original on October 12, 2009.
9. ^ ^abc'Transformers: The Cast, The History, The Movie'. Entertainment News International. June 15, 2007. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
10. ^ ^ab'Don Murphy at TransformersCon Toronto 2006'. TFcon. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2012.CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
11. ^Kellvin Chavez (February 21, 2007). 'On Set Interview: Producer Tom De Santo On Transformers'. Latino Review. Archived from the original on July 13, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
12. ^Scott Marble (June 2007). 'The Mind of Tom DeSanto'. Transformers Collectors Club Magazine. pp. 3, 10.
13. ^ ^ab'Don Murphy Quotes Special'. Seibertron. April 17, 2005. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
14. ^'TF Movie Screenwriter John Rogers Speaks out'. Seibertron. November 30, 2004. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
15. ^ ^abcZack Oat (January 12, 2007). 'Double Vision'. ToyFare. Archived from the original on January 17, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
16. ^'Exclusive: New Transformers Writers'. IGN. February 18, 2005. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2006.
17. ^ ^abRobert Sanchez (June 18, 2007). 'Interview: Roberto Orci on Transformers and Star Trek!'. IESB. Archived from the original on June 21, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
18. ^Dave Itzkoff (June 24, 2007). 'Character-Driven Films (but Keep the Kaboom)'. The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
19. ^ ^abTodd Gilchrist (July 2, 2007). 'Exclusive interview: Roberto Orci'. IGN. Retrieved July 4, 2007.
20. ^Roberto Orci (March 14, 2009). 'Welcome Mr. Roberto Orci, you may ask him questions'. TFW2005. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
21. ^ ^ab'Orci and Kurtzman Questions: Post movie'. Official site's message board. July 5–10, 2007. Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
22. ^'Casting Call for Prime Directive'. Seibertron.com. April 8, 2006. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
23. ^ ^{abcdefghijklmn}Michael Bay (October 16, 2007). Audio commentary (DVD). Paramount Pictures.
24. ^Chris Hewitt (August 2007). 'Rise of the Machines'. Empire. pp. 95–100.
25. ^ ^abc'Michael Bay and the Edit of Transformers'. Fxguide. July 9, 2007. Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
26. ^ ^ab''Transformers' writers: A Revealing Dialogue'. Wizard. July 10, 2007. Archived from the original on July 8, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
27. ^Adam B. Vary. 'Optimus Prime Time'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 7, 2007.
28. ^Roberto Orci (July 11, 2008). 'The 'Welcome Mr. Orci Thread'. You may ask questions!'. TFW2005. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
29. ^ ^abcdefghTheir War, 2007 DVD documentary
30. ^'Ark Not Making An Appearance In the Movie?'. TFormers. September 14, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
31. ^ ^abcZack Oat (February 9, 2007). 'Prime Cuts'. ToyFare.
32. ^Roberto Orci (June 10, 2007). 'I don't get this...'Official site's forums. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
33. ^ ^ab'Michael Bay on Transformers!'. Superhero Hype!. June 20, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
34. ^ ^abcdef'The Making Of The Transformers Movie'. Entertainment News International. June 15, 2007. Archived from the original on September 17, 2007. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
35. ^'Movies That Have Featured Alaska Military Systems'. AKS Military. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
36. ^ ^abcdeOur World, 2007 DVD documentary
37. ^Did Michael Bay Recycle 'Pearl Harbor' Footage into 'Transformers'?, Slash Film, July 3, 2007
38. ^'Digital Domain Creates Robots for Transformers'. VFXWorld. July 9, 2007. Retrieved December 17, 2007.
39. ^ ^abcJosh Horowitz (February 15, 2007). 'Michael Bay Divulges 'Transformers' Details – And Word Of 'Bad Boys III''. MTV. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
40. ^Matt Sullivan (July 3, 2007). 'Transformers: The Best Special Effects Ever?'. Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on July 6, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2007.
41. ^Susan King (July 8, 2007). 'A stunning transformation'. The Philadelphia Inquirer.
42. ^ ^abRenee Dunlop (July 11, 2007). 'Transformers' Art Director Alex Jaeger's Career on the Fast Track'. CGSociety. Archived from the original on July 13, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
43. ^ ^abBill Desowtiz (July 3, 2007). 'Transformers: Ratcheting Up Hard Body Surfaces'. VFXWorld. Retrieved July 4, 2007.
44. ^Dan Goldwasser (May 29, 2007). 'Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye'. Soundtrack.net. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
45. ^Daniel Schweiger (July 10, 2007). 'Steve Jablonsky morphs his music to score Transformers'. iF Magazine. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
46. ^Lee Hyo-won (June 10, 2007). 'World Premier of Bay's Transformers in Seoul'. The Korea Times. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
47. ^Lee Hyo-won (June 12, 2007). 'Transformers Asia Junket Heats Up Seoul'. The Korea Times. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
48. ^Microspace Communications Corporation (June 25, 2007). 'Transformers Premiere to be Shown at L.A. Film Fest'. Superhero Hype!. Retrieved June 25, 2007.
49. ^'Transformers Movie Premiere to Help Change Kids' Lives'. Business Wire. May 1, 2007. Retrieved May 1, 2007.
50. ^'REALLY Giant Robots are coming'. Comingsoon.net. August 17, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
51. ^'IMAX and the DVD'. Michael Bay. September 18, 2007. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
52. ^'New Images of Transformers Movie 'Allspark Power' Figures, Cliffjumper, Brawl Repaint and More!'. Seibertron. July 29, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
53. ^'Automorph Technology: The Secret of the Movie Transformations?'. Seibertron. January 26, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2007.
54. ^Paul Grimaldi (February 14, 2009). 'Hasbro adapts to expected lower revenues'. The Providence Journal. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
55. ^'Hasbro Rolls Out Transformers Products'. Superhero Hype!. February 10, 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2007.
56. ^Gail Schiller (June 27, 2007). 'Firing on all cylinders'. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 15, 2007. Retrieved June 27, 2007.
57. ^'BumbleBee and Other Movie Props Are Now on e-bay!'. Seibertron. July 8, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
58. ^'Transformers Movie Update: Sector Seven Video Gives Nod To Dinobots, Insecticons, Lazerbeak And Generation One Bumblebee'. Jalopnik. May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
59. ^ ^ab'Exclusive Transformers Movie Comic & Animated Prequel Coming To Target & Wal-Mart'. Comic Books News International. September 13, 2007. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
60. ^Mike Snider (October 22, 2007). 'Bay says 'Transformers' DVD could have been better'. USA Today. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
61. ^Mike Snider (January 7, 2008). 'DVD feels first sting of slipping sales'. USA Today. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
62. ^'Transformers 2007 Movie Out On Blu Ray Today'. Seibertron. September 2, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
63. ^'Movie DVD Sales #1 On Blu-ray, #3 Overall Last Week'. TFormers. September 11, 2008. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
64. ^'Transformers Bonus Material Coming June 16'. Superhero Hype!. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
65. ^'Transformers DVD sales'. The Numbers. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
66. ^'Transformers DVD Release Date October 16, 2007'. DVDs Release Dates. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
67. ^'Why We Need Movie Reviewers'. Slate. July 1, 2008. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
68. ^Pamela McClintock (July 3, 2007). ''Transformers' nabs hefty haul'. Variety. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
69. ^Nikki Finke (July 4, 2012). ''Amazing Spider-Man' Shatters Tuesday Opening Box Office Record With $35M'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
70. ^DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures (July 11, 2007). 'Transformers' Week One Records'. Comingsoon.net. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
71. ^Pamela McClintock (July 9, 2007). ''Transformers' change weekend take'. Variety. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
72. ^Nikki Finke (July 8, 2007). ''Transformers' Huge $152M First Week Sets 7-Day Non-Sequel Record Past 'Spidey', 'Passion' & 'Potter''. Deadline Hollywood Daily. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
73. ^2007 DOMESTIC GROSSES
74. ^'Transformers (2007)'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
75. ^Dave McNary (July 1, 2007). ''Shrek' tops overseas box office, 'Transformers' int'l release brings in $34.7 mil'. Variety. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
76. ^Vicci Ho (August 8, 2007). ''Transformers' dominates Malaysia'. Variety. Retrieved September 5, 2007.
77. ^Min Lee (October 2, 2007). ''Transformers' Strong Showing in China'. The West Australian. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
78. ^Dave McNary (July 13, 2007). ''Transformers' smashes China record'. Variety. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
79. ^'Simpsons film tops record weekend'. BBC News. July 31, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
80. ^Daum communication (December 28, 2007). 'Transformer, the biggest number of audiences'. E-today.
81. ^2007 WORLDWIDE GROSSES
82. ^'Transformers (2007)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
83. ^'Transformers Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
84. ^Todd Gilchrist (June 29, 2007). 'Advance Review: Transformers'. IGN. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
85. ^Sean Fewster (June 25, 2007). 'The rule of robots begins'. The Advertiser. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
86. ^Lisa Kennedy (July 1, 2007). ''Transformers' toys with human emotions'. The Denver Post. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
87. ^Margaret Pomeranz. 'Transformers'. ABC Television. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
88. ^Drew McWeeny (July 2, 2007). 'Moriarty Makes First Contact With TRANSFORMERS! The Movie, The Comics, The Books & More!'. Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
89. ^Peter David (July 7, 2007). 'Car Toon'. Self-published. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
90. ^'Transformers'. Chicago Sun-Times.
91. ^Kirk Honeycutt (June 29, 2007). 'Transformers: Sci-fi action that is both smart and funny'. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
92. ^Ian Nathan. 'Transformers'. Empire. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
93. ^Harry Knowles (July 3, 2007). 'Harry reviews TRANSFORMERS which isn't really more than meets the eye!'. Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
94. ^James Berardinelli. 'Transformers'. Reelviews. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
95. ^Kenneth Turan (July 2, 2007). ''Transformers' heavy on plot'. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
96. ^Joshua Stames. 'Transformers'. Comingsoon.net. Retrieved July 5, 2007.
97. ^Matt Arado (July 2, 2007). ''Transformers' lacks substance'. Daily Herald.
98. ^Tom Charity (July 4, 2007). 'Review: Dim 'Transformers' thuds with action'. CNN. Retrieved July 5, 2007.
99. ^Anthony Breznican (July 12, 2007). 'Fan buzz: Flesh out those 'bots'. USA Today. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
100. ^'Transformers Writer Simon Furman Interview'. ENI. July 31, 2007. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
101. ^Benson Yee. 'Transformers Movie (2007) Review'. Ben's World of Transformers. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
102. ^'CinemaScore'. cinemascore.com.
103. ^''Transformers' fans never stopped playing'. MSNBC. June 15, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
104. ^Borys Kit (September 7, 2007). 'Maguire, WB attack the big screen with 'Robotech''. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 10, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
105. ^Josef Adalian (September 26, 2007). 'NBC taps Liman for 'Knight Rider''. Variety. Retrieved September 27, 2007.
106. ^Brian Savage. 'TCC Exclusive: Transformers Revenge of the Fallen at Toy Fair 2009'. Transformers Collectors Club. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
107. ^Roberto Orci (July 11, 2008). 'The All New 'Hey Roberto' Thread'. Don Murphy. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
108. ^'The MTV Movie Awards Winners!'. ComingSoon.net. June 4, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2007.
109. ^'80th Academy Awards nominations'. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2008.
110. ^'Voting Underway for Kids' Choice Awards'. Animation World Network. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2008.
111. ^Patrick Frater (December 2, 2007). ''Sunday' tops Kuala festival'. Variety. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
112. ^Carly Mayberry (September 7, 2007). 'Hollywood fest to fete quartet'. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
113. ^Carolyn Giardina (February 11, 2008). ''Transformers' tops VES nods'. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 23, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
114. ^'2008 BMI Film/TV Awards'. Broadcast Music Incorporated. May 21, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
115. ^'Our 10 Favorite CG Characters'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 30, 2007.
116. ^Michael Moran (July 25, 2007). 'The 50 best movie robots'. The Times. London. Retrieved August 6, 2007.
117. ^http://www.razzies.com/history/28thNoms.asp

External links

• Transformers on IMDb
• Transformers title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Transformers at the TCM Movie Database
• Transformers at Box Office Mojo
• Transformers at Rotten Tomatoes
• Transformers at Metacritic

Concept art