The Very Best Of Michael Bay
Michael Bay is one of America's greatest directors, known for leading some classic action movies from the 1990s that we all loved, like The Rock (1996), but also more recent hits, like the Transformers (2007) franchise. Whether you're a fan of Bay or not, there's no denying his command of the screen and expertise, despite only winning one Oscar throughout his career for Pearl Harbor (2001). Let's explore some of Bay's best films, from his worst to his very best.
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
Unfortunately for Michael Bay, the sequel to Transformers (2007) didn't feel like a classic Michael Bay film. Nor did it feel like classic Transformers. Revenge Of The Fallen saw the main characters—Sam (Shia LeBeouf) and Makayla (Megan Fox)—going around the world, fending off the evil forces of Megatron, a now-resurrected Decepticon, with the help of the Autobots. Revenge Of The Fallen is widely viewed as one of the worst of the entire series.
Paramount, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Transformers: Age Of Extinction
Transformers: Age Of Extinction (2014) saw Sam Witwicky and Shia LaBeouf axed from the cast, with a new actor and lead star introduced: blue-collar mechanic Cade Yaegar, played by Mark Wahlberg. Cade discovers a hibernating Optimus Prime, but must wake him up and prepare to do battle against a Transformer's bounty hunter. The movie is okay, I guess, but there's so much random action and little storytelling, along with Wahlberg feeling a poor fit for the role, that it's just not a convincing Transformers story.
Paramount, Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
Transformers: The Last Knight
We promise this list isn't going to be all of Bay's Transformers movies. But The Last Knight was Bay's final movie with the franchise in 2017—maybe he saw the writing on the wall: the franchise was struggling. Despite this, Bay's final attempt was valiant: lots of action, a somewhat-followable storyline, and the return of Yaegar and Wahlberg. Unfortunately, the movie got a bit King Arthur-ish, which wasn't in the script of traditional Transformers movies.
Paramount, Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
6 Underground
One of Bay's worst-ever action movies. Were it not for the awful Transformers triumvirate, this would be our worst-ranked movie of Bay's. 6 Underground (2019) tells the story of a billionaire, played by Ryan Reynolds, who fakes his own death to form a vigilante hit squad taking down terrorists around the world. Reynolds plays his usual goofy character, which is an odd contrast against a backdrop of brutality that Bay portrays in different parts of the movie. Not his best effort at a military/action thriller, particularly not when starring Ryan Reynolds.
Skydance Media, 6 Underground (2019)
The Island
Bay directed something different in The Island (2005), as he attempted to make it a more thought-provoking action movie. The trouble was there was too much action and when the movie tried to get deep and philosophical, it just fell flat. It was a strange premise: an island nation where citizens live in harmony, except for those who are selected for special upgrades. It just didn't feel very Michael Bay-esque. Not even Ewan MacGregor and Scarlett Johansson could save The Island.
Warner Bros., The Island (2005)
Bad Boys II
Despite arriving almost 10 years after Bad Boys, the sequel to Bay's very first film in his directorial career did not disappoint. Following the iconic Miami detective duo as they take on a drug lord, the sheer insanity of Bad Boys II's hyper-action scenes make it perfect mindless brain fodder. There's not much depth to the movie or characters, but it's typical of the Bad Boys series that's become a comedy/action classic.
Transformers: The Dark Side Of The Moon
Did humanity first encounter the robots during the first moon landing? That's the premise of Transformers: Dark Side Of The Moon (2011), as Optimus Prime and the Autobots faced off against enemies old and new. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replaced Megan Fox as Sam's love interest. Packed with a more interesting story than the previous Transformers (and those still to come), Dark Side Of The Moon was Bay's highest-grossing Transformers flick.
Paramount, Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi
Around the 11-year anniversary of 9/11, an American military compound in Benghazi, Libya came under assault by terrorists. The movie dramatizes the real-life events of that day as members of the Annex Security Team work to secure the compound from various waves of attacks. It's one of Bay's best action movies, with its stunning attention to detail and realism—even if it does lean into American exceptionalism a little too hard.
Paramount, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor (2001) is the film that would win Bay his first (and only) Oscar. But it's an unusual way to tell the story of the darkest day of the American side of World War II: from the perspective of two pilots vying for the love of a single girl. One pilot is played by Ben Affleck, the other is Josh Hartnett, vying for the affections of Kate Beckinsale. The whole love triangle thing was a bit of a departure from Bay's normal action style, but Pearl Harbor has some of the best action sequences in cinema history.
Touchstone, Pearl Harbor (2001)
Transformers
The original Transformers (2007) was definitely one of Bay's best-ever movies. Breaking new ground in many ways with a compelling storyline, excellent action, and mind-bending special effects, the movie is still many people's favorite nearly two decades later. That's longevity for you. Hats all the way off to Michael Bay for this masterpiece.
Paramount, Transformers (2007)
Bad Boys
The OG Bad Boys (1995) was Michael Bay's directorial debut back in the mid-90s. Introducing us to the characters of Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Will Smith), a couple of Miami detectives who are best friends, tracking down a stolen shipment of narcotics. Goofy, funny, and packed with action, Bad Boys might be one of the greatest directorial debuts in cinema history.
Ambulance
Bay's most recent flick is the action-packed Ambulance (2022) movie, starring Jake Gylenhaal. When a heist goes wrong, thieves hijack an ambulance and its paramedic in a desperate attempt to get away. It's almost an hour and a half of a car chase sequence, but with multiple obstacles in the way throughout the movie, it works surprisingly well as a premise. Solid action, good performances—up there with Bay's best.
Pain & Gain
Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, and Anthony Mackie star in this black comedy about a trio of hyper-muscular men who kidnap a businessman for ransom. Filled with the comedic antics of both Wahlberg and Johnson, Pain and Gain is a comedy-action of the highest order and one of Bay's greatest hits.
Armageddon
Seeking a director for the end of the world? Michael Bay might just be your guy. Armageddon (1998), with Bruce Willis, tells the story of an oil driller tasked by NASA to go into space and stop an asteroid from impacting Earth. The premise is, of course, ridiculous—but that's part of the fun of it. It's filled with great action, dialogue, and characters that the audiences connect with. Unlike the asteroid, Armageddon was a smash hit for Bay.
The Rock
And by far the greatest Michael Bay movie ever—The Rock (1996). Starring Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris, the movie tells the story of a group of Force Recon Marines who take over the abandoned Alcatraz prison and threaten to use nerve gas on residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. A compelling tale of honor-bound men who make terrible decisions, The Rock features plenty of action while crafting sensitive character arcs and even some humor. The best movie Michael Bay ever directed, an instant action classic.
Megan Fox's Axing From Transformers
In one of the most controversial casting decisions in recent Hollywood memory, Megan Fox was suddenly axed from the role of Makayla in Transformers. Her character wasn't written out of the script, she simply disappeared between films. Why? Fox was fired from the series after comparing Michael Bay to a certain German dictator from the 20th century. While there's no doubt that Bay is a director who knows what he wants, there were also complaints from Fox about Bay's directorial style, including the over-sexualization of Makayla. Watching the movies again, this complaint isn't without significant merit. Regardless, Fox's public comments about Bay got her the boot from Transformers and some say the movies were never the same afterwards.
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Paramount, Transformers (2007)
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