Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)

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"Brace yourselves. Winter is coming."

Transformers: Age of Extinction is the fourth film in the live-action film series. It was released on June 27, 2014.

The film is set four years after the climactic battle of Dark of the Moon. The humans have turned against the Autobots, and the CIA has set up a taskforce operated by Harold Attinger with the intent of tracking down the remaining Transformers on Earth. Optimus Prime sends his forces into hiding around the country, unaware that the taskforce has extra-terrestrial help.

Synopsis

65 million years ago, on the planet Earth, a Psittacosaurus is out hunting for food. Finding a fish, the small dinosaur starts to feed, but stops as hundreds of alien ships enter Earth's atmosphere, with mysterious aliens laying down bombs all over the surface. Detonating them, they turn most of the Earth's surface and much of its organic life into a metallic element. Barely escaping, the Psittacosaurus walks through the fields of metallic dinosaur corpses. This is the end of the reign of the dinosaurs.

Four years have passed since the final battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons left Chicago in ruins and claimed the lives of over a thousand civilians. The U.S. government has severed its ties with the Autobots and branded them as fugitives. An elite CIA unit called "Cemetery Wind" is formed by Harold Attinger with the intent of hunting down and exterminating the surviving Autobots with the aid of Lockdown, a Transformer bounty hunter. Meanwhile, using data obtained from destroyed Transformers, and finding the remains of dinosaurs from the terraforming millions of years ago, thanks to geologist Darcy Tyril, business tycoon Joshua Joyce and his technology firm Kinetic Solutions Incorporated (KSI) have discovered "Transformium", the unstable metal that forms the flesh of Transformers. Joshua's prized creation is Galvatron, a Transformer created from the data inside Megatron's severed head.

In rural Texas, struggling robotics inventor Cade Yeager and his friend Lucas Flannery purchase an old semi-truck in hopes of stripping it down and selling the parts to get Cade's daughter Tessa into college. Cade discovers that the truck is an injured Optimus Prime, and it is not long before Lockdown and Cemetary Wind operatives led by James Savoy storm into the Yeagers' farm and threaten them. Optimus comes out of hiding to fend off against the operatives while Cade, Tessa, and Lucas are rescued by Tessa's boyfriend Shane Dyson, an Irish rally racer. They lose the operatives in a lengthy chase in Paris, Texas, but Lucas is killed by Lockdown's grenade during their escape. Using a drone he took during the raid, Cade discovers that the operatives and KSI are working together. Optimus rallies the remaining Autobots – Bumblebee, Hound, Drift, and Crosshairs – and travel with their new human allies to infiltrate KSI's headquarters in Chicago. There, Cade, Shane, and Bumblebee discover the firm's reverse engineering of Transformer technology. Upon discovering that Ratchet has been slain and his head is being melted down, Optimus and the Autobots storm into the headquarters to destroy the laboratory, but Joshua convinces them that their actions are futile.

As the Autobots leave the premises, Joshua launches KSI's prototype Transformers Galvatron and Stinger. Optimus and Galvatron engage in a gruelling battle where Optimus realizes that Galvatron is Megatron in a new body. Suddenly, Optimus is blasted from behind by Lockdown, and in the midst of the chaos, he and Tessa are captured and taken into Lockdown's ship. Aboard the ship, Lockdown explains to Optimus that the Transformers were created by a mysterious alien race known as the "Creators", which hired him to capture the Autobot leader. As a reward for Optimus's capture, Attinger's operatives are given the "Seed", a powerful relic that cyber-forms any wide area of land. Cade, Shane and the Autobots storm into the ship to rescue Optimus and Tessa; while Bumblebee, Crosshairs, and the humans escape and crash into downtown Chicago, the other Autobots detach the rear section of the ship before it leaves into space. Joshua and his business partners Su Yueming and Darcy Tyril retreat to Beijing, where Attinger hands Joshua the Seed in exchange for a stake in KSI control. The Autobots and their human allies follow them to prevent them from detonating the Seed.

At KSI's Beijing factory, Galvatron suddenly activates by himself and infects all 50 of the firm's prototype Transformer soldiers to do his bidding. Realizing the folly of his creations, Joshua betrays Attinger before he, Su, and Darcy take the Seed to Hong Kong. There, the Autobots struggle to protect Joshua and the Seed from Galvatron and his minions, which shoot down the Autobots' ship. Cade kills Savoy during a fight in an apartment building. Outnumbered and outmatched, Optimus Prime releases a group of legendary knights and leads them back to the city to destroy Galvatron's army. Lockdown returns to Earth and uses a magnetic weapon to pull vehicles under his ship and drop them on the Autobots. Optimus destroys the weapon and engages in battle with Lockdown before killing Attinger to save Cade. Lockdown grabs Optimus's sword and impales him, but the combined efforts of Bumblebee, Cade, Tessa, and Shane distract the bounty hunter before Optimus stabs him in the chest and slices his head in half. Galvatron retreats, vowing to battle Optimus another day. With Lockdown destroyed and Cemetery Wind dissolved, Optimus sets the Dinobots free before flying into space with the Seed, sending a message to the Creators.

Main cast

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans	Other
Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) Bumblebee Hound (John Goodman) Drift (Ken Watanabe) Crosshairs (John DiMaggio) Ratchet (Robert Foxworth) Brains (Reno Wilson) Leadfoot (John DiMaggio) Dinobots Grimlock Strafe Slug Scorn	Galvatron (Frank Welker) Stinger Junkheap Traxes McLaren Decepticon Aston Martin Decepticon Oreo truck Decepticon	Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer) Tessa Yeager (Nicola Peltz) Shane Dyson (Jack Reynor) Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci) James Savoy (Titus Welliver) Lucas Flannery (T. J. Miller) Darcy Tyril (Sophia Myles) Su Yueming (Li Bingbing) Chief of Staff Greg (Thomas Lennon)	Lockdown (Mark Ryan) Steeljaws Psittacosaurus

Errors

• While the human characters are climbing across the anchor cables to the high-rise building some of the Steeljaws begins to climb out after them. Cade tells his daughter not to look back and see them, but when we cut back to her, with a clear view of the cables behind her, the Steeljaws are not visible for this moment.

Transformers references

• We're treated to a concept of the Transformers being built by another race, here referred to as the Creators.
• The ringtone on Joshua's assistant's cell phone is a remixed version of the original G1 Transformers theme.
• Galvatron being a new form for Megatron has been a thing for basically forever.

Reception

The movie has been received with varied ratings. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 18%, though 64% of the fans liked it. However, IMDb gave it 6.6. Entirely, as the only professional reviews, the movie received up and down ratings, leaving more reviews to come.

Development details

• February 13, 2012 — Paramount announces Michael Bay has signed a deal to make a fourth Transformers film.
• June 6, 2012 — During Transformers: The Ride – 3D coverage, LA Times reports Michael Bay as saying the film will have a whole new human cast and redesigned robots.
• June 21, 2012 — In another LA Times interview, Bay reveals that the film will not be a reboot as previously stated.
• September 21, 2012 — Bay confirms that voice actor Peter Cullen will be kept on as Optimus Prime once again.
• October 18, 2012 — The logo is revealed at a Paramount presentation.
• November 8, 2012 — After a number of rumors suggest it, Bay casts actor Mark Wahlberg in the film.
• December 15, 2012 — Wahlberg confirms that filming of Transformers 4 will commence in May 2013.
• January 8, 2013 — Bay casts Irish American actor Jack Reynor in Transformers 4.
• March 20, 2013 — The Michigan Film Office announces the film series will return to Detroit, and reveals plot details which are later debunked by Paramount Pictures.
• March 26, 2013 — Nicola Peltz is confirmed as a cast member via Bay's website.
• April 15, 2013 — Actor Stanley Tucci joins the cast.
• May 1, 2013 — Kelsey Grammer joins the cast as the lead villain named "Harold Attinger".
• May 6, 2013 — The Wrap confirms that Sophia Myles will play a scientist.
• May 18, 2013 — The name of Mark Wahlberg's character is revealed to be Flynn Vincent (This was later either changed or misinformation).
• May 20, 2013 — Chinese actress Li Bingbing joins the cast.
• May 28, 2013 — Actor-Comedian T. J. Miller joins the cast as a mechanic who is the best friend of Wahlberg's character. Filming begins at Monument Valley and the alternate modes of two new Autobots are revealed on Michael Bay's website: a C7 Corvette Stingray and a Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse.

When having one's midlife crisis, it's not unusual to get a souped-up alternate mode.

• May 29, 2013 — Optimus Prime's new alternate mode is officially revealed by Michael Bay as a custom-built semi-truck.
• May 30, 2013 — Bumblebee's new alternate mode is revealed on Michael Bay's website as a highly modified 1967 Camaro SS.
• May 31, 2013 — Hound is revealed as a new character for Transformers 4, transforming into a Medium Tactical Vehicle.
• June 7, 2013 — Another new vehicle for the film is revealed as a Lamborghini Aventador.
• June 12, 2013 — The Sonic RS Rally Car is revealed for the film.
• June 25, 2013 — The Pagani Huayra is revealed to appear in the film.
• June 28, 2013 — A Freightliner Argosy cab-over truck is revealed for the film.
• July 2, 2013 — A second alternate mode is revealed for Bumblebee in the form of a 2014 Concept Camaro.
• July 14, 2013 — Chinese actor-musician Han Geng is announced as being part of the cast.
• July 25, 2013 — After being spotted in Texas in June, actor Titus Welliver officially joins the cast.
• July 27, 2013 — The S.S. Columbia and the S.S. Ste. Clair have been spotted to be featured in the film.
• July 30, 2013 — Wahlberg's children have been cast.
• August 12, 2013 — Victoria Summer joins the cast.

If Age of Extinction teaches us anything, it's that more movies should be cast using reality shows.

• August 25, 2013 — The Transformers 4 Chinese Actors Talent Search Reality Show ends, with winners Byron Li, Candice Zhao, Austin Lin and Teresa Daley joining the cast.
• September 3, 2013 — Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirms the presence of Dinobots in the film.
• September 3, 2013 — The film's title, Transformers: Age of Extinction, is officially announced and the first teaser poster is revealed.
• October 17, 2013 — Director Michael Bay is assaulted on the set during filming in Hong Kong by two locals demanding money. Bay receives minor injuries, but plays the incident off on his blog.
• October 22, 2013 — Four additional locals approach a member of the crew and demand money; one of the four is later arrested by police.
• October 28, 2013 — Director Michael Bay plays down the extortion attempts in an interview with the South China Morning Post. He notes that the locals were apologetic over what took place, and that he wanted to film more projects in Hong Kong.

Michael Bay uses his legendary charm to get the very best performance out of his actors.

• November 25, 2013 — Age of Extinction features in Empire magazine, showing Optimus Prime's new look on the cover. Inside are on-set photos of Michael Bay and the film's human cast in action.
• December 10, 2013 — M1905 publishes a series of interview with cast and crew in which a plethora of information, mainly regarding the film's human characters, is revealed.
• December 17, 2013 — Producer Allegra Clegg visits Durfee Elementary-Middle School as the result of a competition, and answers questions and shows three minutes of footage from the film.
• January 7, 2014 — Following an on-stage snafu at a Samsung presentation, Michael Bay announces on his site that a special presentation including Transformers 4 footage would be touring to promote Samsung's new line of curved TV screens.
• January 16, 2014 — The new Lucasfilm facility in Singapore opens, with some ILM work on Age of Extinction to be done there.
• January 17, 2014 — Steve Jablonsky confirms in an interview with JoBlo that he'll be providing the score for Age of Extinction.
• January 20, 2014 — Late script changes result in Bay and his crew returning to Chongqing for a week reshooting a scene.

"Get me closer! I want to hit them with my sword!"

• February 2, 2014 — The Age of Extinction "big game spot" is screened during Super Bowl XLVIII.
• February 18, 2014 — In an interview with Nerdist, Titus Welliver said the film would be darker and "not a kid's movie".
• February 28, 2014 — Following a storm of online discussion regarding his previous statement, Titus Welliver issues a new statement to the effect that Age of Extinction is in fact a kid's movie and he meant to say it would expand the audience. Relax, it's totally fine to take your kids to see it.
• March 3, 2014 — The first of a series of character posters is revealed.
• March 4, 2014 — The first teaser trailer is released.
• March 12, 2014 — An IMAX poster for the movie is released. MTV UK reports it features "Nightship".
• March 13, 2014 — CinemaCon announce that Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor will receive the Rising Stars of 2014 Award for Transformers 4.
• March 24, 2014 — On the first day of CinemaCon, Paramount shows off 15 minutes of footage from the film. Mark Wahlberg promises the movie will be the biggest of the year.
• May 8, 2014 — The robot voice cast is revealed on michaelbay.com.
• May 15, 2014 — The second trailer is released on YouTube and iTunes.

Notes

Foreign names

• Japanese: Transformers: Lost Age (トランスフォーマー ロストエイジ Toransufōmā Rosuto Eiji)
• Russian: Transformers: Age of Extermination (Трансформеры: Эпоха истребления Transformery: Epokha istrebleniya)
• Spanish: Transformers: La era de la extinción
• German: Transformers 4: Ära des Untergangs
• French: Transformers: l'âge de l'extinction
• Greek: Transformers 4: Epohi afanismou
• Italian: Transformers 4 - L'era dell'estinzione
• Brazilian: Transformers: A Era da Extinção
• Finnish: Transformers - Tuhon aikakausi
• Hungarian: Transformers: A kihalás kora
• Polish: Transformers: Wiek zaglady
• Portuguese: Transformers: Era da Extinção
• Croatian: Transformeri: Doba izumiranja
• Argentina: Transformers 4
• Chile: Transformers 4: La era de la extinción
• Lithuanian: Transformeriai 4
• Serbian: Transformersi - Doba izumiranja
• Cantonese: Binying Gamgong: Chimmit Saigei (變形金剛：殲滅世紀 "Transformers: Annihilation Century")
• Mandarin: Biànxíng Jīngāng 4: Juéjì Chóngshēng (Taiwan: 變型金剛4：絕跡重生, China: 变形金刚4：绝迹重生 "Transformers 4: Extinct Rebirth")
• Korean: Transformers: Sarajin Sidae (트랜스포머: 사라진 시대 "Transformers: The Lost Age")