There's a fundamental problem with the Transformers films; Michael Bay. Most of what makes the toy commercials some of the most deplorable examples of cinema stem from the director; military fetishism, ogling of female stars, incomprehensible action, goofy comedy, bladder-testing length are all part and parcel of what you get from Bay. Even though the 'director' has announced he's going to give someone else the reigns for the fifth installment, it's unlikely there'll be any marked improvement. Transformers isn't at its core a great idea (robots that turn into cars is not only the concept but the plot), but there's potential to at least create something mildly diverting and inoffensive. It's these qualities (and an obscene amount of nostalgia) that keep the original cartoons so fondly remembered by children of the eighties. One of the show's strongest qualities is that its main characters are the robots themselves; there's no Earthlings present to give audiences an unnecessary in. The films series' reliance on Earth as a setting has really held back what could have been a silly little franchise. Despite Optimus Prime shooting off into space at the end of Age Of Extinction, Wahlberg and co. are locked into two more films so Earth is clearly still going to be a big part of the action.
