Transformers: The Last Knight is the fifth movie to be released in the Transformers franchise out of seven total movies. Released in 2017, the film is based off of Hasbro’s toy line, Transformers. Mark Wahlberg returns as Cade Yeager, who was featured in the preceding film, Transformers: Age of Extinction, along with many other actors from the first three films, Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and of course, many of the Autobots we know and love, including Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. The Last Knight was humorous and action-packed, with high stakes and multiple layers of problems, combining ancient history with fantastical science fiction, all coming together to make an entertaining and captivating film.

Contextually, the film takes place five years after the Hong Kong incident from The Age of Extinction. Optimus Prime returns to Cybertron, where Quintesssa, an evil Cybertronian goddess, convinces him to steal Merlin’s staff from Earth, where it is protected by the secret society, Order of the Witwiccans, in order to restore Cybertron from ruin, destroying Earth in the process.

Meanwhile, the military continues to hunt Transformers, while few allies like Cade Yeager not only help fend off the Transformers Reaction Force (TRF) but also help repair and hide Transformers in Cade’s junkyard. Early on in the movie, Izabella is introduced, a 14 year old orphan who has befriended some Transformers. When her closest Transformer friend is killed by the TRF, she essentially forces Cade to take her in.

Suddenly, a human sized Transformer named Cogman appears before Cade and tells him that his employer, Sir Edmund Burton, requests his presence at his castle in England immediately. Simultaneously, Burton sends another Transformer, Hot Rod, to retrieve Viviane Wembly, a professor at University of Oxford and non-believer in Merlin and his knights at the round table.

That all changes when Cade and Viviane arrive at Burton’s castle, when he explains the history of the Order of Witwiccans and shows them proof of its existence. Transformers have been living amongst humans for centuries, in secret, helping them fight evil time and time again, going as far back as the 400s AD, when Merlin was alive. He also reveals that Viviane is the last direct descendant of Merlin, and is therefore the only person who can yield the power of Merlin’s staff. So, Cade and Viviane must find the staff of Merlin before brainwashed Optimus Prime does, in order to save the Earth from total destruction at the hands of Quintessa.

Though The Last Knight wasn’t a box office success and did not receive high marks from critics, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the film. Seeing the toys come to life on screen was really cool to see, and very well done. The plot was multi-layered, drawing on science, history, romance, and humor. It made for a very well rounded film, as it didn’t fall into a single category of just action or just science fiction. This means it would be perfect to watch with a group – family or friends. I, for one, am looking forward to watching the rest of the films, and I think you will love them too!