Though the films make millions in the box office, Transformers might be the most disliked successful active movie franchise. The films generally receive negative reviews, with even fans of the Transformers brand slowly growing tired of the series. Part of this comes from Michael Bay's design of the franchise, giving in to some of his worse "Bay-isms." However, not everyone feels that way about Bay. For example, Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins quite likes Bay. Like really likes him. After working with the director on Transformers: The Last Knight, Hopkins believes that Bay is a genius comparable to that of Spielberg and Scorsese. He recently said in an interview,
He was telling me about the work he did on [the Transformers bots] -- how he would refine them and go into the special effects guys and design them and get all the details of light on metal and all that. He told me all that at breakfast before I started on the film. I thought 'This guy's a genius. He really is.' He's the same ilk as Oliver Stone and Spielberg and Scorsese. Brilliance. Savants, really, they are. He's a savant.
When Anthony Hopkins was first cast in Transformers: The Last Knight, some people met the announcement with a "WTF." It didn't seem like a film or series that the Oscar-winning actor would be interested in, yet there he was in the trailers, delivering a monologue about the secret history of Transformers and King Arthur and stuff. It's a bit of a bizarre situation, so his response to Yahoo! Movies about his relationship to the films was quite surprising to read. Frankly, if I were Michael Bay, I would have a frame of that quote in every single room of my house. I'd carry it around in my wallet. I'd have that put on my tombstone.
This is some unexpected praise from Anthony Hopkins, and in case you were wondering, yes, that is a real quote. It's not a Guest who escaped from Westworld. Now, Michael Bay tends to take his licks when it comes to film critics (perhaps rightly so in some cases), but arguably nobody is better at doing what he does best. He makes big, dumb, explosive action movies, and whether they're good or not, he's really good at making them. So, I can understand how Hopkins can call him a genius, because he kind of is, in his own way. Should he be compared to Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, or Martin Scorsese? That may be a bridge too far.
Transformers: The Last Knight is the fifth movie in the franchise directed by Michael Bay, and seeks to tell pull the rug out from under the Transformers mythology in its own special way. The movie will reveal the Transformers secret history with Earth, dating all the way back to the time of King Arthur. Not much else of the plot is known, but it will involve the return of Megatron (did he ever leave?) and Optimus Prime seemingly going rogue.
We can all see Michael Bay the savant in action when Transformers: The Last Knight is set to hit theaters on June 23th. In the meantime, hit the comments section below with your own thoughts, feelings and opinions about the director, and your thoughts on Anthony Hopkins' comments.
