Watch Optimus Prime ride a robotic T-Rex in Transformers: Age of Extinction
The fourth installment in Michael Bay's blockbuster franchise looks more ridiculous than ever
Michael Bay knows what you want. Yes, the Super Bowl commercial for Transformers: Age of Extinction gives us a few shots of Mark Wahlberg, who is taking over the franchise from Shia LaBeouf. But the 30-second glimpse of the upcoming blockbuster dispenses with our new protagonist as quickly as possible in favor of the real draw for Trans4mers: robot dinosaurs.
Yes, we have entered the Dinobot era of the Transformers franchise — and it is every bit as ridiculous as it sounds. "Oh, you like Bumblebee?" asks the commercial. "Then what do you think about a two-headed robo-pterodactyl that's trying to eat him? Sure, Optimus Prime is pretty cool. But what about Optimus Prime, holding a sword, riding the back of a robotic Tyrannosaurus Rex?"
Truly, these are ideas that could only have been conceived by a second grader on a juice box binge. But Michael Bay has boldly taken robo-dinosaurs, which are generally seen as doodles in the margins of elementary-school math textbooks, and thrown them into a $165 million summer blockbuster. Will audiences respond to his gleefully insane more-is-more approach? We'll find out when Transformers: Age of Extinction hits theaters in June.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
-
Why more and more adults are reaching for soft toys
Under The Radar Does the popularity of the Squishmallow show Gen Z are 'scared to grow up'?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published