New Transformers Standalone Movie Plan Is A Risk Worth Taking After 7 Films

The new Transformers animated movie is already looking to take a major risk with its burgeoning standalone plans, but after so many interconnected movies, the risk might be worth taking. While specific plot details aren’t yet readily available, the upcoming Transformers One will star Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime, and is reportedly not a sequel to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Considering Transformers One is neither a sequel nor a reboot of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, it strongly suggests that the upcoming action movie will establish its own story.

With diminishing returns at the box office and movies in the franchise faring poorly among critics with each new installment, the Transformers One animated movie can redeem the franchise and get the series back on track. Furthermore, the last stand-alone entry in the Transformers franchise performed well critically, which implies the series could benefit from the developing Transformers One plans. However, as much as exciting as a standalone movie can be, it does present its fair share of unique challenges that have the potential to negatively impact the franchise’s reputation.

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The Full Live-Action Transformers Timeline Explained (& Best Watch Order)

Here’s a complete explanation of the timeline within the live-action Transformers movies and the best order to watch the films in chronological order.

Transformers Needs Another Standalone Movie 6 Years After Bumblebee

Bumblebee proved to be an effective way to reignite interest in the Transformers franchise.

Though Bumblebee was only a mild success at the box office, it was critically applauded and later became a big hit on streaming. Although Bumblebee 2 hasn’t happened yet, the success of the 2018 standalone movie demonstrated the benefits the Transformers franchise could enjoy simply by taking a step back and gradually reintroducing the franchise to general audiences. Although it was a risk considering how much the franchise established with previous movies, it worked out incredibly well, and it serves as one of the best Transformers movies.

One of the Transformers franchise’s biggest flaws is that not enough time is available to fully flesh out the relationship between man and machine. Bumblebee was the first movie in the franchise to convincingly develop the relationship between its human protagonist, Charlie, and its titular robotic hero. As a result of the movie’s more careful approach to how it handles its relationships, Bumblebee is one of the more unique examples of a proper coming-of-age story, while also serving as the perfect way to reintroduce the lore of Transformers to general audiences. However, despite the success of Bumblebee, making Transformers One a standalone movie could be a risky move that doesn’t pay off like its predecessor.

Transformers’ New Movie Not Connecting To Main Franchise Risks Creating More Confusion

If confirmed, another standalone movie could deviate too far away from the established lore.

Transformers One‘s status as a standalone movie isn’t confirmed yet, but it risks alienating audiences expecting it to be a direct sequel, even with it being an animated movie. Even though the main entries in the Transformers franchise have declined in quality over the years, the silver lining is that they follow a cohesive storyline that advances the action organically over time. If Transformers One turns out to be a standalone movie, it could be jarring for those under the impression it will continue what they’ve already grown accustomed to. Nevertheless, the upcoming movie’s risk is more than outweighed by the potential for it to improve the Transformers franchise, similar to Bumblebee.