Transformers: Age of Extinction, released in 2014, follows Transformers: Dark of the Moon and precedes Transformers: The Last Knight. Though some of the same Transformers are featured, the film includes an entirely new human cast, starring Mark Wahlberg as Cade Yeager, a broke inventor living in Texas with his teenaged daughter, Tessa. In the film, Cade Yeager fixes Optimus Prime after he finds him in his truck form, extremely damaged, and becomes an ally to the Autobots, who are being hunted down by a CIA black ops division. Age of Extinction is an excellent action-packed film, with some pretty intense scenes softened by some pretty humorous ones as well. With lots of moving parts and many different players, Age of Extinction captivates its audiences from start to finish and leaves them excited for the next.

In this film, we learn that the “Creators,” an alien race that created the Transformers, used special devices called Seeds to make Transformium, which ended up being what caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Now, a company called K.S.I. Industries is using that Transformium to create man-made Transformers. To make more Transformium, K.S.I. needs a Seed, which Lockdown, a Cybertronian assassin, makes them a deal for. If they can deliver him Optimus Prime, he will give them a Seed. So, K.S.I.’s CEO makes a deal with Harold Attinger, former head of the CIA, who assembles a rogue group to hunt down Optimus Prime, taking down other Autobots and humans who stand in their way.

The human standing in their way? Cade Yeager, who unknowingly purchased Optimus Prime in his truck form. He realizes that the rusty old truck he planned to take apart and sell for parts is actually a Transformer, and instead of turning it in to authorities for a much-needed cash reward, he fixes him, and they become allies. Now on the run from the CIA and Lockdown, Cade, his daughter Tessa, and Tessa’s boyfriend, Shane, team up with the Autobots to fight for their lives, and for the lives of the entire human race.

Age of Extinction was truly an incredible film. With a director like Michael Bay, I knew going in that it was going to be explosive and intense, without a dull moment, which is saying something, because the film is over 2.5 hours long. However, even though it is definitely an action movie by genre, there are some real human emotions present throughout the film. The familial love between Cade and his daughter, the sense of loyalty that Optimus Prime and Cade develop for one another, the fear that CIA operatives really will kill innocent people that stand in their way. I could empathetically connect to this film, while simultaneously being blown away by the impressive science fiction storyline, the incredible graphics, and the many layers interlocking to form a really great film.

I would definitely recommend any of the Transformer films; they are not just action films or car films or robot films. They check so many boxes, and will entertain any kind of viewer.