Michael Bay’s Transformers Movies Move to Starz for Limited Time in 2026

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The Autobots are coming to a new streaming service! Starting in 2026, you’ll be able to watch Transformers, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on Starz.

I’m so excited! All four Transformers movies are coming to Starz on January 1st! But sadly, Optimus Prime and the team won’t be staying long – they’re scheduled to leave the platform just a few weeks later, on January 31st. I’ll definitely be watching while I can!

Despite each of these films earning over $700 million in theaters – including Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which led the group with $1.124 billion – reactions from critics and audiences were mixed. Transformers received the best reviews of the four movies, with fans giving it an 85% approval rating on Popcornmeter, while critics scored it at 57%. Reviewers enjoyed the movie’s fast pace and excitement, but some thought the special effects were excessive.

In contrast, Transformers: Age of Extinction is the second-worst-reviewed film in the Transformers series. The 2014 film, also directed by Michael Bay, received overwhelmingly negative reviews from both critics and audiences, earning scores of 43% on the Popcornmeter and 16% on the Tomatometer. Many found it visually overwhelming and excessively aggressive.

Bay’s Aesthetic Choices Were Very Intentional

Even before people started critiquing the way Michael Bay’s films looked, he described his focus on spectacle. Shortly after the first Transformers movie came out in 2007, he told Entertainment Weekly that his films were “all about” the special effects. He compared it to the iconic Marshmallow Man in Ghostbusters, explaining he designed everything to look good on a massive 40-foot screen.

Bay explained that the key is to fill the screen with detail and action, keeping the audience visually engaged with the elaborate technology. He also admitted the production wasn’t without its challenges.

Honestly, the robots didn’t look great at first. For me, it always comes down to the lighting and how it interacts with the visual effects. There’s something in your brain that instantly knows when the light isn’t quite right, and that’s what makes things look fake or cartoonish. It’s all about figuring out how light bounces off different surfaces – each material reacts uniquely, and getting that right is key.

The last two Transformers movies, Bumblebee (2018) and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023), were directed by Travis Knight, known for Kubo and the Two Strings, and Steven Caple Jr., who directed Creed II, respectively.

Starting January 1st, you’ll be able to watch Transformers, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on Starz. All of the Transformers movies are also currently available on Paramount+.

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2026-01-01 01:07