Transformers: Age of Extinction (or simply Transformers 4)
is a 2014 3D science fiction action film based on the Transformers franchise.
It is the fourth installment of the live-action Transformers film series and
stars Mark Wahlberg in the lead role, with Peter Cullen reprising his role as
Optimus Prime. It is both a sequel to 2011's Dark of the Moon and a soft reboot
of the franchise, and takes place five years later, after the Decepticon
invasion of Chicago. Like its predecessors, the film is directed by Michael Bay
and executive produced by Steven Spielberg. Ehren Kruger is the film's screenwriter,
having written every Transformers film since Revenge of the Fallen. The film
features an entirely new cast of human characters and is the first in the
series to feature the Dinobots. Returning Transformers include Optimus Prime,
Bumblebee, Ratchet, Leadfoot, and Brains. The film was released on June 27,
2014, in IMAX and 3D
Upon its release, reception to the film was mostly negative
among film critics. It received an average rating of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes,
making it the lowest rated film of the franchise. The movie also received seven
nominations at the 35th Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture and
Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel. However, many praised the visual effects, the
action sequences, Steve Jablonsky's musical score, and the performances of
Wahlberg, Grammer, and Tucci. Despite the poor reviews, the film was a massive
box office success, grossing over $1.087 billion worldwide, making it the tenth
highest-grossing film of all time, the highest-grossing film of 2014, the
second highest-grossing film in the Transformers series, and the nineteenth
film to gross over $1 billion.
A fifth installment is set for a 2016 release. However, the
fifth film will not see Bay returning as director.