Admittably, the Transformers Franchise got worse with every movie since its really interesting first one. But Age of Extinction has to be seen as a reset of the universe. It got rid of most of the really cringy and annoying assets like Sam and some of the annoying perverted Transformers. It doesn't try to be very deep and interesting, the plot is simple and easy, a bit too long, yes, but at no point I got annoyed by the story. Most of the characters, especially the autobots have destinct roles, they don't have to be introduced, they're part of the team and do their job. Gelvatron has a really nice plottwist and some scenes are decently funny. The whole movie has some Logan vibes to it, of course without very deep conflict and not near as much emotion.

I guess people still go into the movies and watch Transformers with some kind of expectation about a surprisingly good plot or expect that Bay suddenly changes his style from brainless explosion slaughter to something deep. But if you watch this film with no expectations, or at least want some action and good fighting for an evening with friends, you will be pleasently surprised. The film delivers exactly this, Good Action.

Alright, alright, this is not the best movie ever made, but it's way better than some people give it credit for. But genre-wise it's a weird movie. There's action, drama, sci-fi, an occasional bit of comedy and a truckload of product placement, notice all the supercars. Of course it's supercars and not regular everyday cars, which in my opinion would make much more sense. Also keep an eye out for the 2001 Cadillac Cien concept car, it makes a very brief appearance. It still looks brand new, though it were 13 years old at the time.

I don't know if you'll like this movie or not, I guess it depends on what you compare it with.

But if you have two and 2 hours and 45 minutes then you could watch this movie. Just be prepared for a lot of GCI.

Age of Extinction holds a dismal 18% on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.6 on IMDB and whilst there are better blockbusters out there these scores are a bit harsh. Most criticisms focus on the subplot between Shane and Tessa (i.e. the Romeo and Juliet law scene), the catering to the Chinese market, and the product placement. These weren't unwarranted but there were some improvements, like reducing the number of Autobots down to five and giving them some characteristics. I would be lying if a scene where Optimus Prime fights a robot dinosaur appeals to my inner 10-year-old. I personally think the bulk of the plot where Transformers are getting hunted and an company experiments on them would have fitted better as the first sequel.