The Transformers franchise has a documented history of public ridicule. Long before the live-action movies, the property was made fun of for its laughable animation errors and the bone-headed schemes that stemmed from Megatron's processor.The release of Michael Bay's live-action Transformers movies coincided with the rise of memes and users quickly took advantage of the notoriety of the Bay films to create many iconic images. With the release of Rise of the Beasts coming in 2023, now is the perfect time to look back at the memes which perfectly sum up the previous era of Transformers movies.
Transformer Politics
On the surface, Transformers looks like a franchise centered on black and white morality. The Autobots are good, the Decepticons are evil. Yet it's more nuanced than that.
As can be inferred from the meme above, the main conflict in Transformers is centered around a difference in political beliefs. The Decepticons led an uprising to gain control of Cybertron due to corruption of the ruling class, yet when they showed their authoritarian colors, the Autobots rose up to challenge them due to their belief in freedom.
Mechanical Aptitude
Throughout the live-action Transformers movies, the Autobots and Decepticons are able to accomplish a number of impressive mechanical feats despite their limited resources. Whether it be Ratchet's ability to mend body parts to Megatron teleporting Cybertron into Earth's orbit, these robots prove time and again their ingenuity.
Despite how intelligent the Cybertronians are made to appear, however, they're seemingly unable to repair Bumblebee's voice box. It's a rather ridiculous phenomenon and this meme shows no mercy in eviscerating the series' lack of consistency.
I Don't Feel So Good
Taking a cue from Avengers: Infinity War, the above meme brilliantly marries Peter Parker's somber quote with a scene from the original G1 animated movie for maximum comedic effect. It borders on being distasteful, but in the most appropriate way imaginable.
Much of the meme's dark quality stems from the fact that the Transformers movies are quite violent and full of death. The 1986 animated movie infamously killed off much of the TV show's original roster of characters to promote new toys, and the live-action movies have also killed off fan-favorite characters in gratuitous fashion.
Starscream: The Sentient Punching Bag
Starscream is one of the most recognizable characters from the Transformers franchise. He's conniving, duplicitous, and weaselly, yet also a loudmouth who is rarely successful in his attempts to usurp Megatron as leader of the Decepticons.
As the meme above implies, Starscream's treachery and big mouth lend to him being Megatron's punching bag. It's a role that isn't super pronounced in the live-action movies, but the few interactions he has with Megatron indicates that the latter has little respect for his sub-commander.
Optimus Gets Turned On
Romance has been a part of the Transformers franchise since its inception. The G1 cartoon had episodes dedicated to individual Autobots falling in love with human girls and mermaids, some of Beast Wars' best episodes featured an enemies-to-lovers romance, and the comics have done a great job of divulging on Transformer sexuality.
Despite how common romance is in the Transformers series, the live-action movies take things a step further by making the characters horn-dogs. It's mostly relegated to the human characters, but the meme also shows that the Transformers themselves weren't safe from Bay's juvenile sense of humor.
Grimlock: Tripping With Finesse
One of Transformers most powerful characters, Grimlock is a tank that very few Cybertronians can take out on their own. He's also an idiot, something which is evidenced by the above meme.
While the meme's humor works hinges on the expense of one particular character, it also points to an aspect of the live-action movies. The Transformers, for all their might and power, are bumbling idiots that destroy everything in their path. They're clumsy characters that are just as capable of taking out power lines while hiding from ordinary citizens as they are of performing cool flips.
Decepticon Transfers Of Power
The Decepticons are a treacherous faction of characters who are constantly jockeying for power. In most of the cartoons, Megatron has held a firm grasp on his position as leader, but the comics have had a revolving door of Decepticon commanders ranging from Scorponok to Shockwave to Ratbat.
While the live-action movies haven't had Megatron contend with many adversaries outside the Autobots, the meme does point to the one time his leadership was threatened by someone else. In Dark of the Moon, he teams up with Sentinel Prime to bring Cybertron into Earth's orbit, a decision that gives the former Autobot a chance to take command of Megatron's forces.
Evil Optimus
In most Transformers media, Optimus is the paragon of all that is righteous and just. He's an advocate for personal liberty, equal rights, and is willing to put others above himself. Above all, Optimus Prime is an inspiring figure.
When it comes to the Michael Bay Transformers movies, Optimus starts out with some of his traditional ideals, but quickly devolves into a reckless and vindictive murderer. This is especially evident in the above meme which points to one of Optimus's most ridiculous quotes in the entire movie as he fights the Fallen. He's clearly on the right side of the conflict, but his remark shows that it might be for the wrong reasons.
Bumblebee At His Best and Worst
The Transformers movies are incredibly convoluted. It originally started out as a war between the Autobots and Decepticons on modern-day Earth, but soon nonsensical secrets were revealed, such as ancient Transformers fighting alongside Merlin and Bumblebee working with the U.S. in World War II.
While the above meme hints at the series' lack of coherent continuity, it also points to the disparate quality of the films. In just one year, the franchise put out one of its worst movies in the form of The Last Knight and followed it up with what many consider the best Transformers' movie in the form of Bumblebee.
Transformers Go Boom!
A commentary not just on the Transformers movies, but Michael Bay's entire filmography, the above meme skillfully maps out the tropes that are present in Bay's work. Every live-action Transformers movie (besides Bumblebee) is littered with slow-motion, explosions, and Bay's adoration of the military.
While Michael Bay is an accomplished director with a sense of style that few are able to match, the meme demonstrates that his sensibilities are not in line with those of the Transformers franchise. There's a spectacle to be had with the Transformers, but there's also questions about morality and commentary on warmongering, themes which Bay has never been suited to convey.