19. Transformers (2007-2014)
Paramount PicturesBesides a recent detour into low-budget filmmaking with the $25m Pain & Gain, Michael Bay has spent the better part of a decade working exclusively in the world of Transformers. The embodiment of the 'critic-proof' franchise, the first three installments grossed well over $2.5bn worldwide, with this year's Age of Extinction becoming the biggest hit of 2014 after earning $750m in just three weeks. While the director's signature brand of explosive pyrotechnics result in plenty of jaw-dropping action scenes across the franchise, everything else about the Transformers movies are sorely lacking. The first movie is easily the best, providing a solid introduction to the characters and mythology while also delivering some spectacular set-pieces. From there, the three sequels have all roughly followed the same template; incomprehensibly plotted, overly-long, poorly written assaults on the senses, with Revenge of the Fallen in particular being one of the worst blockbusters in recent memory. Bay claimed that Age of Extinction would be a fresh start for the franchise, but besides swapping out the main characters it only delivered 157 more minutes of the same mind-numbing style over substance. With the fifth movie set for release in 2016, perhaps now is the time for a different director to put a fresh spin on the franchise.