I never remotely mentioned the idea of them lacking a formula.

I know the MCU has a formula, basic concepts of story telling for a heroes journey are followed in the Marvel universe. This is not the same as re-using entire plot aspects and repeating massive chunks of the same storyline.

What i mentioned was that the MCU has always had a plan. The Transformers movies did not have a plan and the only attempts to implement one have been with TF;AOE (The concept of the Creators) and TF;TLK.

This is why the MCU movies, though following the heroes journey, always dealt with their plotlines and story elements and developed character over a longer period of time. Meanwhile the TF movies spent the first four films re-doing almost everything. I know people may disagree slightly, but watch the following video for emphasis on how formulaic and predictable the Transformers movies have been (and could possibly continue to be with TF;TLK)

4 minutes 17 seconds onwards;

 

Well here's the thing and let me preface this by saying I LOVE all the transformers movies. That being said the first time I saw the original trilogy I was annoyed as hell. All three I walked out of the theater just overwhelmed, not by action but by poor editing IMO. Now because I am a huge fan of all things Transformers, I went back, every time and every time I saw these movies again they flowed better for me. I can't explain it but for some reason the second time I watch these I "get" them.

I walked out of ROTF sweating with rage, I threw my 3d glasses after the midnight showing of DOTM feeling I wasted years on this forum being excited and reading every last bit of news..for what? A story when compared to the novel is ALL OVER THE PLACE. my opinion

Hey you're not wrong if thats how you feel, but I can't sit here and listen to people deny that these films are disliked simply for Bay. My personal group of friends and family is a Large group and ALL of them mock me for watching these (lovingly) They aren't biased they love all sorts of movies from star wars to rom coms...but they can't handle these films, and I get that, even as a fan of them I get it. Captain America the winter soldier has a complex story with twists but it stays focused and interesting. ANYONE whether superhero fan or average moviegoer can invest into that film IMO. The transformers films are made strictly for their target audience, so you can expect these reactions. In my opinion the movies are just all over the place in pacing and context. It doesnt mean they are bad, not at all, but they just aren't like the competition for better or worse, so we can agree on that.

I studied film in college and my cousin did as well, we grew up watching hours of movies. I didnt' get into it as a career, he did. He is a film critic for a fairly "mainstream" news paper and website. He told me that I would be shocked at how many of his peers LOVE michael bay and respect his filmaking, but they can't get on board with Transformers. So I've never got the Bay bashing when my cousin who reviews for a living speaks highly of Bay and lowly of these films..

 

You're just using a few ideas and ignoring the actual details. Take away the space conspiracy and make DOTM just an invasion movie is it still a rehash now? Take away the dinosaur extinction and the seed is Age the same story now?

There is an ongoing narrative, you don't need a big villain you're building to in order to have continuity. The story between the two species advances each movie with their arrival, them working with the government who questions if Earth would be safer without them; to them being exiled from the planet, and the Chicago massacre leading to them to be hunted. This finally leads to both species being at war with each other. That's an ongoing story that built to where it is in TLK. The past connections are ongoing elements that relate to the narrative, mainly that they shaped each others history and it builds the idea that they are twin planets; while further building the relationship between the two species which once again TLK is culminating.

Each movie furthers Megatron's narrative showing how he awakened only to die; he then is revived and we watch him gradually lose power until he's on his last legs; his fall is complete when his own pride results in him dying a humiliating death. However he survives and rises from the ashes stronger and smarter than ever before, this rise wouldn't matter if he never fell.

Optimus's story has shown his efforts to get the Allspark to rebuild his home only for it be destroyed. He then embraces Earth as his new home which he is determined to protect. He awakens Sentinel who betrays him and threatens his home ultimately forcing him to sacrifice Cybertron for Earth as well kill his mentor. After all his sacrifices humanity betrays him and kills his friends, forcing him to question if he was right to defend them or if he should just abandon them. He is inspired by Cade to believe in them and chooses to leave his new home to protect it from further harm. He then goes to confront his creators where he is confronted with the consequences of his actions on Cybertron, causing him to lose faith in himself and be corrupted into a weapon that is turned on his home. That is a character arc that few blockbuster heroes have even come close to. The events matter because of the impact they had not because of the villain he fights at the end.

TLK is culminating everything the franchise is about; the linked histories of the two worlds, the conflict between the two species, the origin of the transformers and optimus's ongoing arc. The creators are bringing all these together and culminating the franchise with a final struggle between Cybertron and Earth.

 

Where did you see this?

 

read some where in 2015 lol it was gonna be a two part movie...

 

This is an intriguing case because I agree CA WS is very well written, personally I think it's a good espionage thriller. However it's not complex; WS goes out of it's way to avoid being complex. The Helicarriers present a very intriguing idea that could really delve into morality and ideas of freedom vs security. We don't get this instead whatever moral debate the helicarriers presents is rendered moot when it's revealed Hydra plans to use them to kill twenty million people. That's not being complex that's bending over backwards so Steve doesn't have to question his morals. And that right there is the difference, Optimus and Steve practically go through the same story. They both realize their cause was empty and are betrayed by people they thought were their allies.

Steve just takes it in stride, nothing really phases him. These revelations don't shake him, they don't make him question what he did unknowingly for Hydra. They don't make him question if he's truly done good or not. Steve isn't really shaken and just keeps going; while this is cool and strong it's also very boring. It doesn't help that the movie makes certain Steve is always right to the point that no one tells him no or argues with him. It was safe they could've taken Steve somewhere new and played it safe.

AOE pulled no punches with optimus, he was angry, rageful and fully willing to shoot at humans. He is tempted to murder every human who crosses him. He is seriously considering abandoning humanity to their fate. It went so far optimus was very close to not being a hero at all. The complete opposite of Steve Roger from WS, which took no risks, AOE optimus takes nearly every risk. It's really the handling of those characters that personify why TF is better to me. Marvel is unwilling to take any risks with Steve Rogers and therefore his story is very limited. TF takes every risk imaginable with optimus and as such his character ends up far more complex with a far deeper, more rich and unique character arc.

That's actually a misconception, what actually happened was they took two ideas from the writers room and combined them. There was never any mention of it being a two part movie. As we already know those 14 ideas were just potential ideas for future movies not full scripts. TLK just took two of those ideas and combined them. I can understand how this can be mistaken as it using two movies, many articles likely misinterpreted it as well, but that's not what happened.