TRANSFORMERS Director Michael Bay Recalls Thinking "[It's A] Dumb Robot Movie" During Test Screenings

TRANSFORMERS Director Michael Bay Recalls Thinking "[It's A] Dumb Robot Movie" During Test Screenings

Talking about his new movie Ambulance, director Michael Bay has reflected on early test screenings for 2007's Transformers, revealing the reaction he had to seeing those initial scores from moviegoers...

By JoshWilding - Apr 07, 2022 11:04 AM EST
Filed Under: Transformers
Source: Screen Rant (via SFFGazette.com)

Michael Bay remains one of Hollywood's most divisive filmmakers, with his work on the Transformers movies proving to be particularly controversial (especially among longtime fans of the franchise). Despite negative reviews, the movies were a huge success at the box office, and the director would ultimately stick around long enough to make four of them before Paramount chose to head in a different direction.

Doing the rounds to promote Ambulance, Bay reflected on the test screenings for his first Transformers movie, admitting that it was then he realised his target audience might not be the one he expected.

"I'm telling you, here's a little trick. When directors go pre-screen their movies, we're testing them, you see what [audiences] feel and whatnot, and I've got the sound thing there, you want to throw up," Bay recently told Screen Rant (via SFFGazette.com). 

"Every director wants to throw up the first time a big audience is looking at that thing. And you'll see people walking down slowly in the test, and you want to grab them, 'No, no, no. Hang on. There's a big scene. If you miss this scene, you're going to miss the whole thing.'"

"So it's intense, like Transformers. So two houses, 400 people in each house, starting 15 minutes difference or something like that. I'm now watching it with a whole bunch of families and kids, and I'm like, 'Okay, dumb robot movie. Oh my God. It's just a kids' movie. Oh, man. Oh, what did I do?' It gets a huge score, and it was unfinished," he continued. "Then I go to the next theater, and I've got the sound thing and there's an empty seat and there's a guy, whatever. This is more of the adult kind of room, and I look to the guy and I [ask], 'Do you like this movie?' And he goes, 'Meh.'" 

"And I'm like, 'Oh, this is terrible. I just made a terrible movie.' Whatever," the director concluded. "Huge matching score, like a 94. That's a spectacular movie score."

It's fascinating to get these insights from Bay, especially as he's clearly aware that what he delivered was exactly what critics and fans have been saying about this franchise since 2007. However, with audience scores that high, it's no wonder the director stayed the course, and he clearly made the right decision considering his Transformers movies would go on to gross billions of dollars. 

Like it or not, they had their fans, which was evident from those all-important box office receipts. 

Only time will tell whether Paramount can deliver movies that are a little more fan-pleasing in nature. Bay has since moved on from the world of Autobots and Decepticons, anyway, and many critics have called Ambulance his best movie to date (praise like that was never heaped on Transformers).

Were you a fan of what Bay did with this franchise? 

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ProudPatriot76
ProudPatriot76 - 4/7/2022, 11:36 AM
The first one is a guilty pleasure for sure. Everything after that was a waste of my time. Then Bumblebee came along and I really enjoy that movie! Fingers crossed that Beast Wars has the same freshness that Bumblebee did
Fogs
Fogs - 4/7/2022, 12:09 PM
@ProudPatriot76 - Totally, 1st one was novel and cool for the time.

Funny things I noticed when watching it:

- CGI was really perfect to me, for the 1st time, I knew it was fake but couldn't really tell how much of it. I was impressed (later I learned Transformers was the boost Feige needed to consider an Iron Man movie could look believable).

- I felt old in the theater for the 1st time cause the action scenes were really confusing with the shaky cam and metal flying everywhere, lol!
ProudPatriot76
ProudPatriot76 - 4/7/2022, 1:12 PM
@Waddles - I didn’t realize there was a strike going on. Dark of the Moon was decent for sure. I like the moon concept. Who was killed in the opening sequence of Bumblebee?
FlixMentallo21
FlixMentallo21 - 4/7/2022, 2:07 PM
@Waddles - Lesson still needed to be learned: give the writers what they want.
ProudPatriot76
ProudPatriot76 - 4/7/2022, 2:39 PM
@Waddles - I was oblivious to all of this!
dagenspear
dagenspear - 4/7/2022, 5:38 PM
@Waddles - I think similarly, for the most part. I liked season 2 of Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
dagenspear
dagenspear - 4/7/2022, 5:44 PM
@Waddles - I think Bumblebee is a better movie than The Last Knight for sure to me, but I also think it's less interesting story and character wise than the other movies.
dragon316
dragon316 - 4/7/2022, 8:11 PM
@ProudPatriot76 - depends on person I like series revenge fallen twins and devastated where best parts for me
rychlec
rychlec - 4/7/2022, 11:39 AM
I only clicked on this to see that picture of Megan Fox again.
grif
grif - 4/7/2022, 11:47 AM
@rychlec - she was gorgeous then. messed her face up and its going to get worse.
KWilly
KWilly - 4/7/2022, 11:54 AM
@rychlec - LOL Josh knew exactly what he was doing
mdwilliamson24
mdwilliamson24 - 4/7/2022, 1:02 PM
@KWilly - Not a Transformers or Bay fan, but have to admit that shot is iconic.
Fares
Fares - 4/7/2022, 11:43 AM
I like the first 3 Bay Transformers. They're a lot of fun.

And the score is just impeccable.
Deklipz
Deklipz - 4/7/2022, 11:51 AM
@Fares - The only real gripes I have with the first three is pacing. Bay never lets scenes with the bots have time to breathe. And while I don’t think Devastators wrecking balls looked like testicles, I DO think Bay went too overboard with the mature humor in them. The last two movies felt more like episodes from the original cartoon, but not necessarily in a good way. I did like pieces of the last two though, just not in the arrangement we got those pieces.
Fares
Fares - 4/7/2022, 12:02 PM
@Deklipz - The humor definitely never added to my enjoyment, but it didn't detract either because I wasn't there for it to begin with. But I do think that Shia LaBeouf was a good element of the films.
And I can agree with the pacing of the 3rd one not being all that great, I didn't feel it as much with the first two if I'm being honest though.

The Mark Wahlberg films just didn't work for me. I didn't like that Transformium stuff. And I know some people will laugh at me saying this, but there's a spirit in the 3 first films that wasn't present in the 4th and 5th.
Maybe it's the change of characters (human and Cybertronian) that didn't work for me. Seeing Cybertron fall from the sky in the 5th had no impact on me and it made me realize that I wasn't caring about them.

Thankfully, Bumblebee came along and put things back on track. I'm not sure why we don't have a sequel to it just yet. Though I'm not so sure if I'm confident enough to say that it's my favorite Transformers movie.
CryinFist
CryinFist - 4/7/2022, 11:45 AM
Waste a of a franchise in my opinion. Hated these dumb movies.
dragon316
dragon316 - 4/7/2022, 8:12 PM
@CryinFist - maybe but he did what no comics , toys , video games , impossible to do make transformers popular all over and turned non transformer fans into transformers it’s new fans who don’t buy comics watch cartoons they like live action stuff
UnderBelly
UnderBelly - 4/7/2022, 11:47 AM
2,3,4 and 5 are definitely dumb robot movies that payed him a shit load. Well done to him.

Deckacards
Deckacards - 4/7/2022, 11:48 AM
I liked the first one enough - it checked enough of the right boxes to warrant sequels - but after that, it got weird. The writer's strike in Hollywood didn't help back then, but the biggest issue these movies struggled with is the same one most movies of this type struggle with (G.I. Joe, Transformers, etc.).

He just didn't trust the original source material enough to let it guide the story, characters, and visual representations.
dragon316
dragon316 - 4/7/2022, 8:17 PM
@Deckacards - yeah it’s true but what source material when it comes to transformers good vs bad bots bad try rule universe or cybertron good stop all time not much source material when it comes down to it transformers series is like Godzilla people want to see Godzilla action and transformers they want to see giant robots transform fight nothing else.,

Especially g1 cartoons where all over place made no sense sometimes 10 ton robot riding wooden horse in episode of power glide heart and wooden does not break under his weight , humans go cybertron they don’t float they wear space suits but there is air on that planet but no trees and water there , autobot hound need air mask to go under water save drowning spike alone robot lives on planet with no air in space
Deckacards
Deckacards - 4/8/2022, 10:40 AM
@dragon316 - Sure, but I think what I'm talking about is the visual aesthetic - simpler construction and look, simpler transformations, etc. - and the characters, relationships, and story construction, all of which were, yes, juvenile in general but were still "serious" or "intentional" to a child. But in the movies, the characters and relationships of the Transformers were empty - stand-ins for action-only scripts - and the stories of the movies appeared only intended to provide a framework for action sequences. There was no serious attempt at substance for most of them beyond the first 1 or 2.

I just don't think they trusted a kid's cartoon to guide the movie's heart and soul after TF1. And the Bumblebee movie showed they finally understood some of all that and attempted to address it.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 4/7/2022, 11:50 AM
What a dumb movie.. I'll make 4 more lmao idiot
dragon316
dragon316 - 4/7/2022, 8:24 PM
@bobevanz - not everyone likes transformers it’s reason new fans like live action movies transformers look realistic not cartoony looking new fans will not watch cartoon series but comics it’s not there thing if not for transformers movies be made transformers will never be popular with new fans begin with to keep transformers fandom going on., old transformers fans will always be talking statues , toys , cartoons and comics and videos games now they have movies add to list.,

If not for bay do you want transformers die out like thunder cats have no toys cartoons comics be made that’s it no more if not for movies and new fans keep them going transformers and Gijoe could have died out no new toys no new cartoons maybe just comics that’s it
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 4/7/2022, 11:55 AM
The first movie was pretty good. It easily has the best balance of action and comedy before the sequels started going overboard with the jokes.
Murderisbadong
Murderisbadong - 4/7/2022, 11:56 AM
😮‍💨🥴 Meagan Fox in this photo makes my knees weak.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 4/7/2022, 12:01 PM
@Murderisbadong - iconic pic that changed a generation of boys lol
MovieMonster
MovieMonster - 4/7/2022, 11:59 AM
I recently rewatched the first Transformers movie and it’s still a lot of fun. I think it’s a solid movie. Revenge of the Fallen was awful while Dark of the Moon was just okay. Age of Extinction was bad and I didn’t even bother with The Last Knight. Bumblebee was decent and was a nice change of pace for the franchise.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 4/7/2022, 12:00 PM
Mikaela should ahve been the lead. She had a relationship, affinity, and know-how for cars and was ACTUALLY CAPABLE.
SanFranLand
SanFranLand - 4/7/2022, 12:01 PM
@BlackBeltJones - Damn. True. Never thought about that
GhostDog
GhostDog - 4/7/2022, 12:06 PM
@SanFranLand - instead we got Sam "Spazzing Out" Witwicky
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