Since the first animated Transformers movie debuted in 1986, the franchise has produced a relatively small lineup of films — eight in total, with a ninth on the horizon. For clarity, that’s seven films since the Paramount release in 2007, plus the original film from the 80s. At this point, it’s safe to assume the Autobots and Decepticons will keep rolling onto the big screen for years to come. Whether you’re brand new to the universe or planning a rewatch, here are the best Transformers movies.
Best Transformers movies as of 2025
There are a few ways to rank the Transformers films. You can judge them purely by how entertaining they are, or by their storytelling and overall quality. As most fans know, however, those two metrics don’t always meet. Still, part of the fun of this franchise is simply enjoying the ride.
For this list, we tried to strike a balance between spectacle and substance. A few entries were easy to cut; Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Age of Extinction (2014), and The Last Knight (2017) didn’t quite make the grade. As far as our other criteria, we thought about what makes the films within the franchise more satisfying to watch, as well as why—action sequences, character development, rewatchability, etc. In an attempt to avoid getting too vocal about the weak points of the movies or Michael Bay in general, we’ll stop talking about the worst and get straight into the best Transformers movies.
Bumblebee (2018)
Arguably the best Transformers movie, this 1987-set prequel gave us a soft reboot for the franchise after a series of misfires between 2009 and 2017. It’s also one we don’t feel bad about rewatching more than once. Considering the strength of this, we aren’t sure why director Travis Knight hasn’t been involved in the other films. A bit more sleuthing would have to answer that question, but we digress.
Directed by Travis Knight and written by Christina Hodson, Bumblebee follows an Autobot warrior known as B-127. After the fall of Cybertron, B-127 escapes to Earth and hides out in a junkyard. Damaged and on the run, our lead shape-shifting Autobot takes refuge in a California junkyard in the form of a crusty old yellow Volkswagen Beetle. That’s where our hero meets Charlie (a fabulous Hailee Steinfeld, as usual), a teenager still grieving the loss of her father. When her uncle gives her the car for her 18th birthday, Charlie begins fixing it up until, crunch-crunch-crunch, transformation. This unbelievable moment leads to an unlikely friendship, but a new threat emerges as the Decepticons infiltrate Earth.
Though there’s still plenty of action to put those Dolby speakers to work, Bumblebee trades in longer action sequences for character development. It’s a breath of fresh air in a series that’s felt stale for a while. It also somehow makes us feel hopeful in the end, putting some of our faith back into the kindness of humanity, which might be something we could all use a little dose of right now. We’re also not mad about the retro 80s nostalgia. Bumblebee raked in $468 million at the box office and holds an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Transformers (2007)
Okay, we’ll list one Michael Bay Transformers movie. After all the previous trash talk, his first entry in the franchise lands in second place on our ranking. From a millennial perspective, though, it’s tough to beat pure mid-2000s nostalgia. You can call that bias if you want. Now is this film exceptional? No. Did it win awards? Aside from MTV and Teen Choice Awards, zilch. But you can throw it on anytime and let the wave of 2007 wash over you. Not to mention, the CGI was pretty impressive.
Transformers kicked off Paramount’s live-action series with Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, an average high schooler, and Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes, Sam’s crush who ends up joining him on the adventure of a lifetime. The movie opens with some foundational backstory — necessary, since the reboot pulled in a lot of new fans who had never even heard of Transformers before, including the high schoolers watching this film in homeroom after standardized testing. (Anyone else?) We learn that a civil war on Cybertron has devastated the planet, with the Autobots and Decepticons both searching for the AllSpark. This powerful object is the source of Cybertronian life and can be both the creator and destroyer of worlds. It also happens to be lost somewhere on Earth, waiting to be reclaimed by the Decepticons or Autobots who want it for very different purposes.
Sam gets pulled into the conflict after buying a used Camaro that turns out to be Bumblebee (voiced by Mark Ryan), an Autobot scout sent to protect him. Before long, more Autobots arrive on Earth, including Optimus Prime, voiced by Peter Cullen, who famously voiced the character in the original 1980s animated series and the first animated Transformers movie. Together with Sam and Mikaela, they set out to stop Megatron and the Decepticons from getting their hands on the AllSpark and wiping out humanity.
Transformers One (2024)
Did anyone expect an animated film to reclaim the depressing letdown of Rise of the Beasts? We have to hand it to Josh Cooley (though we should have had a little more faith considering he directed Toy Story 4. The screenplay by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari provided us with one heckuva backstory between Optimus Prime, once known as Orion Pax (voiced by Chris Hemsworth), and Megatron, formerly known as D-16 (voiced by Bryan Tyree Henry). This is a classic friends-to-enemies tale, a trope we all know could take a film down quickly. However, in this team’s capable hands, Transformers One takes us on a journey of how this friendship began to fracture.
We have to give this one a third-place ranking thanks to great storytelling, animation, and a smart backstory. The first half has a bit of that Marvel movie feel in terms of the banter, which definitely adds to the entertainment value. We also get to see our other favorite, Bumblebee. This time, we get to know him a bit more as a junkyard sorter who’s a little overzealous. And while we already know he’s one of the good guys from earlier entries, this film gives us just enough of a different perspective to wonder if maybe, under slightly different circumstances, he could’ve ended up on Megatron’s side. If you want to read more about Transformers One, you can check out this review.
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Sometimes, the original really is one of the best, and in this case, we’ve to hand it to this animated classic directed by Nelson Shin and written by Ron Friedman. We’d be remiss not to put it on our top picks for the best Transformers movie out there. Created as a bridge between Seasons 2 and 3 of the 1980s TV series, The Transformers: The Movie takes us to the year 2005, where the evil Decepticons have taken control of Cybertron. The Autobots are prepping a counteroffensive to take back the planet, but a brutal surprise attack leads to devastating losses. (Spoiler: RIP Optimus Prime. Ugh.) What follows is a high-stakes mission as the surviving Autobots face not only the Decepticons but also Unicron (voiced by screen legend Orson Welles), the devourer of words.
Unlike most kids’ movies, this one actually took some real risks. Long gone are the days when filmmakers would kill off a beloved character to shake up the story. We miss the truly evil villains, too. Hello, The Hunchback of Notre Dame? Kids can handle it. The Transformers: The Movie had no doubts about that. The film famously kills off its heroic leader early on and doesn’t shy away from darker themes like war, loss, and even execution. By today’s standards, it’s surprisingly violent for a movie aimed at kids.
Beyond storytelling basics, The Transformers soundtrack is a standout, and the animation is impressive, especially considering it came from a studio primarily focused on TV. If you want to feel like a kid again, this is the one to watch.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
The most recent Transformers movie, Rise of the Beasts, is a solid franchise reboot set in 1994. We will say It expands the Transformers universe by introducing the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons — robotic factions inspired by animals alongside the classic Autobots and Decepticons. For example, we get Optimus Primal, a primate-inspired bot. We have to shake our heads at the stroke of creative genius there, and then let out one long sigh. Still, of the film options, we’ll still put this at number five.
The story follows ex-military electronics expert Noah Diaz, played by a solid Anthony Ramos, who grounds the film in a much-needed way. Diaz gets caught in the middle of a battle when ancient Transformers factions awaken in Brooklyn. Directed by Steven Caple Jr., Rise of the Beasts is one of those movies that gets away with pretty much everything. It’s not excellent or even terrific — but it’s manageable. The action sequences deliver, the characters are likable enough, and we can’t help but enjoy animals more than cars as the shift vessels.
The film received mixed reviews and was considered a box-office disappointment, earning $441.7 million worldwide against a budget of nearly $200 million. The letdown at making over $220 million on a movie should give you an inkling of how much money they expected to make, which again hints at why they keep making these films.
How we chose the best Transformers movie
We narrowed the list of the best Transformers movies simply by cutting out bad ones and limiting ourselves to one Michael Bay entry. We did consider Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) for the sheer fun factor, but the movie just wasn’t the same without the Sam and Mikaela dynamic. Megan Fox didn’t return after publicly comparing working with Michael Bay to working under Hitler, which reportedly led to her being removed from the third film.
Whatever the behind-the-scenes drama, that chemistry was a big part of what made the earlier movie work. That said, Bay may still get another shot. He’s reportedly returning to the franchise for a future installment, so there’s always a chance for a little redemption.
