Transformers (film)



""And fate has yielded its reward: a new world to call...home. We live among its people now, hiding in plain sight...but watching over them in secret...waiting...protecting. I have witnessed their capacity for courage, and though we are worlds apart, like us, there's more to them than meets the eye.""

- Optimus Prime's transmission at the end of the first film

Note: This is about the live-action Transformers ''films. For the 1986 animated Generation One movie, see Transformers: The Movie.''

The first in a series of live-action films, based on the long-running Transformers toyline and television series. So far each produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Michael Bay. The third film was released in June 2011 and ended up involving almost all the same people except writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who have gone on to other projects, and a few of the actors like Megan Fox.

Our protagonist is teenager Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). He wants his first car to impress "evil jock concubine" Mikaela (Megan Fox), who turns out to be rather talented with cars. He ends up getting a beat-up yellow Camaro. But it turns out the car chose him; it's one of many sentient alien robots who can "transform" and disguise themselves as human vehicles. His name's Bumblebee, and he's an advance scout for the Autobots, whose mission is to protect Sam from the Decepticons, who want Sam's family heirloom that holds answers to the location of the AllSpark, a powerful artifact responsible for the Transformers' existence and lost for thousands of years. The two factions battle over it: the Autobots want to return life to their dying world, while the Decepticons seek to exterminate their enemies.

This film received mixed professional reviews, leaning slightly towards the positive side. Transfans were broken, either loving seeing live-action Optimus Prime or complaining about what they believe to be a poorly written plot (although among the complainers, those who complained about the movie for Fan Dumb reasons appear to have been more vocal). Its success is undisputed (the biggest non-sequel of 2007); the profits from the toyline alone made Transformers the top-selling boys' toy in America, unseating Power Rangers for the first time since that show's inception. It was nominated for Oscars in Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects.

The success led to two sequels so far: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Reportedly, Michael Bay has recently signed on to direct a fourth installment in the film franchise, slated for 2014. It has been described as somewhat of a Continuity Reboot, but still follows on from the storyline established by the other films.

Here is the character sheet.

Franchise-wide tropes
"Simmons: Ok, I'm going to count to five. Lennox: *cocks gun* Well I'm going to count to three."
 * Action Girl: Mikaela (who just seems to be The Chick at first).
 * Action Survivor: Sam Witwicky, the world's first action hero who spends the entire movie fleeing from his enemies (since he's kind of not trained to deal with things like 30-foot-tall robots trying to squoosh him).
 * In the third film, he finally takes action into his hands. Unlike the previous movies, he isn't drawn into the story due to some outside force but actively seeks it out.
 * Adaptational Badass: Bumblebee. No longer is he simply the kid friendly tag-along character and the smallest Autobot who would get swatted away by any and all Decepticons. This version of him is a very capable combatant, perhaps second only to Optimus Prime in how much ass he kicks.
 * Starscream. This guy is actually a deadly and capable warrior, and when Megatron isn't around, not all that bad of a leader. Ironhide's Oh Crap reaction to him showing up in Mission City, seemed very genuine. As the TF wiki put it: "Ironhide is the first person in some twenty years to consider Starscream a serious threat... with good reason for once." Oh and those tattoos he shows up with in ROTF? He etched those into his own hide, using his fingers, to honor Cybertron's history of warriors. Badass Decay occasionally kicks in, but in DOTM he's back on form, and ripping a load of Ospreys to pieces, to the point that.
 * Sentinel Prime. His G1 counterpart's depiction (in all versions of it) basically amounts to "dies and and passes the Matrix along". This version of Sentinel was once Cybertron's greatest hero, and appears to be Optimus's superior in combat;.
 * Adaptation Distillation: The third film combines elements of "Megatron's Master Plan" and "The Ultimate Doom."
 * Alien Invasion: Small-scale in the first movie, taken up a notch in ROTF, and then played for all it's worth in DOTM.
 * Aliens Are Bastards: The Decepticons throughout the series, but dear God, they take the gloves off in Dark of the Moon.
 * Aliens Speaking English: One of the only instances in the entire 20+ year franchise that attempts to justify or explain how Cybertronians can speak English. In the film, they were able to download information from the web, including knowledge of every known language on the planet. This allowed them to instantly start speaking English as soon as they showed up. It is also highly implied that many of them even choose specific manners of speaking based on their personal preferences.
 * In fact, in the novelization of the first movie, the first language they attempted when talking to Sam and Mikela is Chinese, as more people speak it than English.
 * With Megatron; it's a little more iffy however, given he woke up in present day after being frozen for centuries and started speaking English right away with seemingly no other source...or so it would seem. Word of God states that Megatron was not only still conscious when he was frozen, but that he could also see and hear everything going on around him; meaning he could hear the engineers and scientists examining his body whilst they were talking and so he picked up English from them. This would provide an explanation for why the first thing he did upon awakening was declare his true name to the "insects" that were referring to him as "N. B. E.-01", "Ice-Man" or even (believe it or not) Mega Man.
 * The Alleged Car:
 * Bumblebee initially pretends to be one, to the point of "conveniently" breaking down at a local Make-Out Point.
 * Sam's "replacement Bumblebee" in Dark of the Moon is definitely one of these. It's an ancient Datsun (also yellow with twin black racing stripes) which gets crushed
 * Sam was right about it, though: it's a 510, which is a classic. This particular one is just in bad shape.
 * Aluminum Christmas Trees: The vacuum of space means heat radiates off very slowly. Thus flying out in space would not freeze the Autobots in their ship forms, while ice and cold gas, which froze Megatron, is a different matter. So fans complaining about that are applying Convection, Schmonvection.
 * And they would have remelted during entry of the atmosphere, that part tends to get very hot.
 * Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: The Witwickys in all three films, but Mrs. Witwicky is the more serious offender, especially in ROTF.
 * Bumbling Dad: Mr. Witwicky.
 * America Saves the Day: Played very straight in Revenge of the Fallen where the Marines wade onto the shores of Egypt to battle the Decepticons. The Jordanian military plays a very small role and there are British forces in NEST as well; otherwise all the human forces fighting the Decepticons across the planet are shown to be American-led and equipped.
 * Justified as the Autobots are working with the American military (since that's where they landed, and kind of tore up in the process) and thus sharing knowledge with them that makes them more effective than other forces in the world. Most of the world doesn't even know they exist.
 * Everybody knows about them by the third film, in which they firmly take America's side in any international conflict. Even Autobots gotta pay the bills.
 * Thought, it could be because the American Military is helping them fight Decepticons, who're currently in hiding. No one to fight, plus America currently involved in several conflicts of its own. It would be just rude to expect them to help in their battles but not help the humans in theirs.
 * Anticlimax Boss:
 * Alternately, it could be interpreted as a Curb Stomp Battle. After all, he was doing impressively until arrives on the scene.
 * A current theory is that a Prime
 * Played completely straight between
 * Applied Phlebotinum: Although it is partially grounded in real-world tech, the only way in the first movie for human infantry to harm a decent size Transformer is using high-heat grenades. Nothing else short of tank rounds will do anything except annoy them. This is a major plot point, and the purpose of Lennox and Epps' entire storyline. ROTF shows infantry using regular assault rifles that appear to have been modified to fire a different kind of ammunition than normal. DOTM shows not only this, but the soldiers using specialized tactics to attack Cybertronian weak spots, as well as using snipers to blind the robots. In fact, several Decepticons in DOTM are taken down without Autobot aid with the use of these tactics, and even parachutes.
 * Arm Cannon / Hand Blast: Bumblebee, Ratchet (more like arm machinegun), the Arcees and especially Megatron (in the first film, he could combine his arms together to form his weapon; in the second, his entire right arm literally is his cannon).
 * A concept sketch for Jazz showed his left arm becoming a long-barreled cannon; this was carried over to the toy design, although for the toy the gun was called a sword...
 * Art Evolution:
 * Bumblebee had some cosmetic changes in the first and second films to reflect the most recent Camaro model.
 * Bumblebee and Optimus' character models received a significant change for DOTM, with Optimus gaining more heavily defined "abs" and Bumblebee having broader shoulders.
 * Ascended Extra: Not an extra per se, but Glenn Morshower, the actor who played the Marine in charge of the base destroyed by Blackout in the first film, returned in Fallen as General Morshower. Also, Brawl, the tank Decepticon from the first film, was given a Leader Class figure in the '07 toy line, despite his lack of screen time.
 * Hasbro has admitted the goof up with the toy line. They said they probably would have done better to make Blackout the third Leader-class toy (replacing the Voyager class he got) and also give Bonecrusher a Voyager class toy (replacing the deluxe he got).
 * Asskicking Pose
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: Megatron, Optimus Prime, the telekinetic, teleporting Fallen,.
 * Back for the Dead:
 * In ROTF,
 * And in DOTM, finally comes back, only to die in the Chicago battle.
 * Back from the Dead:
 * in Revenge of the Fallen...but the latter was pretty much a given.
 * In the Simon Furman-penned fifth issue for Tales of the Fallen, gets this treatment as well.
 * Badass: Any given robot has their moment...except Arcee and Jolt. Optimus and Bumblebee get the lion's shares, though.
 * Arcee gets to display her badassitude in the comics. No joy for Jolt yet, however.
 * Starscream. You know things are about to suck when a character that's portrayed as a semi-harmless coward in previous incarnations evokes an Oh Shit expression from Ironhide. And then Megatron arrives later and kills Jazz...
 * Lennox.
 * Arcee gets to display her badassitude in the comics. No joy for Jolt yet, however.
 * Starscream. You know things are about to suck when a character that's portrayed as a semi-harmless coward in previous incarnations evokes an Oh Shit expression from Ironhide. And then Megatron arrives later and kills Jazz...
 * Lennox.

"Optimus: It's you and me now Megatron! Megatron: Noooooo, it's just me, Prime!"
 * Badass Army: Lots of guys with shaved heads trying really hard to look tough and serious around giant multicolored CGI robots. "GO GO GO! KEEP FIRING! HOLD YOUR POSITION! Semper Fi!"
 * And when that strategy doesn't work, they simply apply More Gun. AFVs, tanks, and air strikes, including carpet bombing strikes and AC-130 Spectre gunships. The Decepticons may be 30 foot tall unmatched killing machines, but there are millions of human soldiers on Earth to pile on with.
 * Badass Boast:
 * This exchange between the two leaders in the first film;

"Megatron: Is the future of our race not worth a single human life? Optimus: You'll never stop at one! "Pulls out both swords" I'll take you all on!"
 * And from ROTF;


 * And from DOTM;


 * Not to mention,.

"Optimus Prime: We will kill them all."
 * Badass Grandpa:
 * Ironhide in all three movies.
 * Jetfire in ROTF.
 * Sentinel Prime in DOTM. . It takes.
 * Badass Normal: The humans all get their moments of this in all the movies, but it really shows up in DOTM, as it's made fairly clear that NEST soldiers have been training extensively on the most effective methods of fighting 20 foot tall robots. Previous movies had the humans use basically anti-vehicle strategies against the Decepticons, which were lacking in genuine results without the Autobots around (the 'Cons behave much differently than tanks). By the climatic battle human soldiers put into play strategies that would allow a couple of men on foot to take down full sized 'Cons with surprising efficiency..
 * In fact, by DOTM, they're not even using heavy weaponry against the Decepticons. Regular old assault rifles with armor-piercing ammo work just fine, if you know where to shoot. Sniper rifles work also well, if you Go for the Eye.
 * Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Not too badly applied to the women in the movies, but quite Egregious with the cars. The paid Product Placement from GM ensures that all of the Autobots are conspicuously sparkling clean every time they transform into car mode, even if they're battered and dirty in robot form just before they change.
 * The Berserker:
 * Bonecrusher.
 * Megatron, but was more effective in the first film.
 * Optimus in melee combat, especially when he fights Megatron, Starscream, and Grindor all at once in ROTF.
 * Beware the Nice Ones:
 * Optimus and Bumblebee, for all their heroism, are vicious in battle, especially Optimus.
 * Optimus is finally pushed to the boiling point in DOTM.

"Jazz: You want a piece of me Megatron?! You want a piece?! Megatron: No, I want two! (tears Jazz in half)"
 * On the human side, Dutch in DOTM. He seems harmless and nice at first but he reveals to be much more.
 * BFG:
 * Ironhide's cannons.
 * Prime gets a gatling gun and a new BFG once In DOTM his trailer becomes a weapons platform which features several of these.
 * Megatron's combined-arm cannon in the first movie, and his tank form Arm Cannon.
 * Chromia's (one of the Arcee sisters) cannon arm is larger than her torso.
 * Big Bad: Megatron in the first film, the Fallen in ROTF, and Megatron again in DOTM
 * Big Damn Heroes: Several times in ROTF. Best one's gotta be Bumblebee, who has about five between the two movies.
 * Seemingly invoked in the opening battle of ROTF. Optimus' alternate mode and general size probably makes it difficult for him to deploy as fast as the human vehicles or Ironhide, so they kept him waiting in a giant cargo plane circling Shanghai. When Demolisher goes crazy they drop in Optimus to intercept him.
 * In DOTM,
 * Also from DOTM,.
 * Big Damn Villains:.
 * Black Dude Dies First: The only Autobot to die in the first movie was Jazz, who most would consider black. Word of God is apparently that they killed him because he was the only movie character who hadn't died at least once before. They also intended it to be a Player Punch of sorts, as they felt he was the most likeable character after Bumblebee and Optimus.
 * Averted with Epps, who was one of the few remaining soldiers from his group to survive.
 * Probably unintentionally played with in DOTM where
 * Bond One-Liner:

": I rise, you fall."
 * Revenge of The Fallen :

"Simmons:"I am directly beneath...the enemy's scrotum...""
 * Also in ROTF, Sideswipe's first line after killing Sideways: "Damn, I'm good."
 * In DOTM, "Class dismissed."
 * A Boy And His Shapeshifting Robot Car: One of the focal story points of the first movie, this was toned down some in ROTF since Sam couldn't take Bumblebee to college with him, and then averted in DOTM since Bumblebee wasn't able to stay with Sam anymore due to his covert ops duties.
 * Broken Masquerade: A lot of fans wondered if Transformers became common knowledge after the final battle in the first film, but it was brushed aside with a government cover-up, namely that a bunch of prototype robots on a test run went berserk. Considering that in ROTF, and, a cover-up is going to be a lot more difficult to concoct. The third film
 * Bullying a Dragon: Seriously, the last two films have shown that more than a fair share of humans seem to have no issues with telling a bunch of 5 story robots each armed like a small military where they can stick it, regardless of them being on our side.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Simmons is certainly off his rocker, but his original job was basically being behind a Government Conspiracy. So in unraveling new conspiracies (both alien in nature) in the sequels he is the first guy Sam calls on for help.
 * Cain and Abel: Megatron and Optimus. Original scripts had the two literally be siblings. This was downplayed in the final films, but some traces can still be seen in the comics, where it is shown that both were brothers-in-arms, under the leadership of Sentinel Prime.
 * Chekhov's Gunman:
 * Scorponok, the Decepticon that jumped out of Blackout, attacked the Army guys, and was largely forgotten about for the rest of the first movie, and most of the second finally returns for the final battle in the second movie.
 * Soundwave isn't seen again in ROTF after he coordinates the Decepticon desert attack.
 * Chekhov's Hobby: They make a big deal in the first movie about Mikaela's criminal record in stealing cars with her dad. Her ability to hotwire a car comes in handy in both films.
 * Color Wash: Good luck finding anything in the movies which isn't either blue, orange, or an Autobot.
 * Combat Pragmatist: Basically all of the Transformers' close combat styles can be summarized as "rip chunks off until it stops moving."
 * Command Roster: Divided between the Autobots and the Humans:
 * The Captain: Optimus Prime / Major Lennox.
 * Number Two: Jazz, Ironhide.
 * The Marine: Ironhide, Sideswipe.
 * The Medic: Ratchet (because of obvious reasons, also Mr. Fixit).
 * Communications Officer: Master Sergeant Epps.
 * New Meat: The Twins, Jolt, The Arcee Sisters, Sideswipe.
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat: Galloway.
 * Composite Character:
 * Bumblebee takes his name and "friend to the humans" role from the G1 Bumblebee, but in every other regard he incorporates the visual look of G1 Prowl/Bluestreak (the door "wings") and the reliable soldier nature of G1 Sideswipe. This ends up making him an Adaptational Badass, and one of the most popular characters in the film.
 * Jetfire takes influence from his original G1 counterpart (living on Earth for the past few millenia), and the Jetfire of Transformers Armada (his ability to combine with Optimus). His ramblings about what war was like in the past also sound similar to G1's Kup.
 * Sentinel Prime shares the role of being Optimus' predecessor as leader of the Autobots with his G1 counterpart, but his role as being a mentor/father figure to Optimus (and Megatron), as well as his body and facial design, recall that of Alpha Trion. His main weapons, consisting of a sword and shield, are also vaguely similar to another Sentinel Prime.
 * Cool Car: It's a given, most of the Autobots turn into these.
 * Bumblebee and the twins changed their vehicle modes to "cooler" vehicles.
 * Sideswipe's Chevy Corvette Stingray Concept. It won't actually be made into a production model, so the toy is all that car buffs will actually get.
 * In an unprecedented move, Bay managed to acquire a Ferrari to be Mirage - and this Autobot is called Dino in the movie as an homage to Alfredo "Dino" Ferrari.
 * Cool Plane:
 * Starscream, an F-22 Raptor. And in the second and third movies, an F-22 Raptor... with Cybertronian tattoos!
 * It's a shame you only see Jetfire fly for a couple of seconds, because his altmode is an SR-71 Blackbird.
 * How is Megatron not on here yet? His vehicle mode is a Cybertronian-style multi-winged jet that doubles as a rocket-propelled tank. It changes in the third movie, though.
 * The unbelievably cool unmanned plane, the predator, appears briefly in both movies.
 * Cruel and Unusual Death: Several:
 * One of Lennox's teammates gets skewered by Scorponok.
 * Megatron . In ROTF,
 * Also,
 * Cue the Sun: Well, they are Michael Bay movies...
 * Curb Stomp Battle:
 * Blackout Vs Entire American Army Base.
 * It's not just him, and it's not just then. Pretty much every non-Megs, non-Starscream 'con in the second movie seems to be Made of Plasticine, being literally ripped apart after mere seconds of fighting (or fleeing in terror).
 * When the Twins start bickering over who was tougher and they started wrestling, Bumblebee in his usual silence picked them both up by the scruff of their necks like they were obnoxious kids and tossed them outside.
 * And then in DOTM
 * However,
 * Even
 * Cyber Cyclops: Swindle, Dreadwing and Payload in the tie-ins to the first film; Ravage in ROTF; Shockwave in DOTM.
 * Darker and Edgier: ROTF is this to the first movie, and DOTM is really this to ROTF.
 * Dark Reprise: There are only two musical cues from the original film to really appear in the second. The first is Optimus's theme it's not the upbeat piece it was in the first, being shifted into a minor key. Second, the Autobots' theme from the first film appears exactly once: during . In addition, as mentioned above, the main riff of Linkin Park's "New Divide" is used in several ways. Also in DOTM the theme "Arrival to Earth" returned . Except instead of a heroic, driving cello choir it was a melancholy, slowed down solo. The following are all non-musical examples.
 * Also, the epic moment from the first film in which the Autobots arrive from space is replicated in ROTF with the Decepticons...which proceed to slam through aircraft carriers.
 * Sam with while riding in Bumblebee has sinister echoes of his ride with Mikaela in the first movie: similar situation, twice the awkwardness.
 * When the Autobots in Dark of the Moon, a heartbreaking new version of "Arrival to Earth" plays.
 * Earlier in DOTM, we see Later,
 * Deadpan Snarker: Bumblebee, even though he can only communicate via the radio and pantomime.
 * Demoted to Extra:
 * Ironhide, Ratchet, Lennox and Epps had significantly smaller roles in ROTF. The latter two, however, get more screen time in DOTM.
 * Megatron goes from the Big Bad in the first film to merely The Dragon in the second.
 * The novelization of the film actually works this into the plot.
 * Defiant to the End:
 * Jazz in the first film.
 * Optimus Prime (as expected), particularly during ROTF.
 * Diegetic Theme Cameo:
 * The Twins' first altmode plays an ice-cream truck version of the Transformers theme song. No, really.
 * In DOTM the black copier in Sam's office plays a snippet of the "Transformers" theme when one of the office guys tries to use it.
 * Dirty Coward: Sideways, according to his toy bio, and toy-only character Dirge, who has an almost unprecedented courage score of 2 out of 10.
 * Maybe Dirge is so cowardly because he's a legacy character known for dying in a kill-happy universe?
 * Dylan from the third film.
 * Doting Parent: The bumbling but loving Witwickys.
 * The Dragon:
 * Starscream's role in all three movies, aside from the usual and the fact that he's more of a Dragon's Dragon in ROTF.
 * ROTF reveals that.
 * In the third film, whether or not Megatron is this to is a plot point.
 * Soundwave is also in his usual place by Megatron's side in the second and third films, along with Devastator in ROTF. Shockwave also seems to take this role to Megatron as well.
 * Drives Like Crazy: Mikaela in the first two films (justified, she's a car nut and uses it effectively, such as crushing a killer robot), and Wheelie and Brains, who aren't very good at flying jets.
 * Dual-Wielding: Prime has both dual swords and dual guns in ROTF, and puts them to use again in DOTM.
 * Dub Name Change: Averted, Optimus Prime's name is unchanged in all international versions (even in Japan, where he's normally called Convoy/Fire Convoy).
 * Eucatastrophe:
 * In DOTM,
 * Everything Is Better With Spinning:
 * The first two movies each have a 360 degree spin scene of Optimus transforming.
 * DOTM has Optimus spinning while taking down multiple Decepticons.
 * Exclusively Evil: Subverted in Revenge of the Fallen by Jetfire and Wheelie. Jetfire got tired of the Decepticons' goals and methods, and Wheelie was essentially working for the 'cons out of fear; when he learned of Jetfire's side switch, he immediately did the same.
 * Any new Transformer-ized machines will be this, possibly because anything more complicated than a PC is based off of Megatron, or because it only happens when the Allspark is threatened, making it a defense mechanism. In one of the prequel comics, a car in the 30s is transformed by an Allspark wave, and it also tends to attack humans on sight. In fact, this robot is the one who eventually kills Bonnie and Clyde before going down from a hail of Tommygun bullets (it is only made out of unarmored car parts, after all).
 * Expy:
 * Leo is basically Sam's buddy from the beginning of the first movie combined with Glenn Whitman and Maggie Madson, and given a libido.
 * Lennox is Danny McCoy from Las Vegas, except actually serving. Same hair, actor, personality. He even has a blonde wife and
 * Eye Scream:
 * During the forest battle in ROTF, Optimus lodges a hook in Grindor's optic and then uses another one to stab him in the cheek. Prime then proceeds to rip Grindor's head in two.
 * This is how Mikaela interrogates and tames Wheelie. Because a blowtorch to the eye is okay as long as it's a robot.
 * Repeatedly in the third film, with Lennox advising snipers to go after the eyes to blind the Decepticons. Several are destroyed because of this and similar tactics from non-snipers, including such big names as
 * And AGAIN in DOTM when
 * Fallen Hero:
 * Believe it or not, Megatron and by extension, the Decepticons could fit this. Their roles before the war started? They were the protectors of their planet.
 * in the third movie.
 * Family-Unfriendly Death: Bonecrusher and Jazz's deaths in the first film, and The Fallen, Rampage, Ravage, and Grindor in the second. Pretty much every death in the third.
 * To elaborate,
 * Fan Service:
 * Mikaela provides this is spades in the first two movies, but is also more of an action hero than Sam.
 * Alice in ROTF, at least before she shows her true colors.
 * Carly in DOTM, from her opening scene on.
 * Fantastic Racism: Megatron and The Fallen despise flesh creatures, while the Autobot/Decepticon division seems to have grown so strong that neither regards the other as an equal being. In DOTM, the racism angle is considerably cranked up;.
 * Five-Man Band: The Autobots usually correlate to one.
 * First movie
 * The Hero: Optimus Prime.
 * The Lancer: Jazz.
 * The Big Guy: Ironhide.
 * The Smart Guy: Ratchet.
 * Kid Appeal Character: Bumblebee.
 * Second movie
 * The Hero: Optimus Prime.
 * The Lancer: Ironhide (he seems to have become Optimus' second in command following Jazz's death).
 * The Big Guy: Sideswipe and Bumblebee (despite being relatively smaller they are more in the midst of the action than the others).
 * The Smart Guy: Ratchet and Jolt.
 * The Chick: The Arcee sisters.
 * Tag Along Kids: The Twins.
 * And the Third movie
 * The Hero: Optimus Prime.
 * The Lancer: Ironhide.
 * The Big Guy: Sideswipe, Bumblebee, and Dino.
 * The Smart Guy: Ratchet and Que.
 * Those Two Guys: Wheelie and Brains.
 * Sixth Ranger / : Sentinel Prime.
 * Eleventh Hour Rangers: The Wreckers.
 * Foreshadowing: In ROTF, Sam mentions "the Sentinel Prime expedition" and the space bridge during his AllSpark-induced rant in the astronomy class.
 * Freud Was Right:
 * The Transformer created from Glen's cellphone in the first film, which has a freakin' miniature minigun downstairs, and zero compunction about using it.
 * The scene with the Kitchenbots in ROTF. The one that transforms from a blender has an... oddly positioned cannon. He definitely would not ever need to be compensating for something, that's for sure.
 * Devastator has wrecking balls. You can't miss 'em.
 * Sam accidentally asking Mikaela if he can ride her home instead of give her a ride home qualifies also.
 * Those Two Guys: Wheelie and Brains.
 * Sixth Ranger / : Sentinel Prime.
 * Eleventh Hour Rangers: The Wreckers.
 * Foreshadowing: In ROTF, Sam mentions "the Sentinel Prime expedition" and the space bridge during his AllSpark-induced rant in the astronomy class.
 * Freud Was Right:
 * The Transformer created from Glen's cellphone in the first film, which has a freakin' miniature minigun downstairs, and zero compunction about using it.
 * The scene with the Kitchenbots in ROTF. The one that transforms from a blender has an... oddly positioned cannon. He definitely would not ever need to be compensating for something, that's for sure.
 * Devastator has wrecking balls. You can't miss 'em.
 * Sam accidentally asking Mikaela if he can ride her home instead of give her a ride home qualifies also.


 * Genre Savvy:
 * Pretty much everyone by the time Fallen rolls around. Take, for example,
 * There's only one Fallen in the multiverse. He's been through the events of this movie so many times in so many parallel universes he's probably been able to figure out the best strategy via trial and error. And error, and error, and error...one almost feels sorry for the guy.
 * In DOTM,
 * This may also explain why Optimus Prime is so ruthless and executes defeated opponents even when they plead for their lives. He's seen Transformers: The Movie.
 * Given that one of the implications of the Sector Seven ARG was that the original Animated Series and Movie were an in-universe attempt at a sector seven coverup, combined with the consequences of the Leonard Nimoy actor allusion, this actually makes a startling amount of sense.
 * Sam, as of DOTM - The moment he realises the Decepticons are active again, his immediate reaction is to go and tell Optimus & the Autobots; he sees through NEST's attempt at hiding in plain sight; when he's dismissed purely because he's a civillian, he contacts Simmons & starts investigating why Russia stopped trying to get to the moon; and he's the one to figure out that.
 * Likely the reason
 * The Autobots in general are this in DOTM when they
 * Government Conspiracy: Sector Seven.
 * NEST is an ongoing conspiracy in Fallen, covering up Decepticon attacks as "gas leaks" and such. Deconstructed to some extent, as there are at least two major blogs dedicated to posting contrary evidence, such as cell phone videos. "Don't Suck the 'Sack!"
 * Groin Attack:
 * Blackout receives a barrage from a grenade launcher. Also a Crowning Moment of Awesome for Lennox.
 * Happens to Leo twice in ROTF. Once when he tasers himself in the nuts, the second when Mikaela lands on him after they get teleported to Egypt.
 * Guile Hero: Sam frequently talks his way out of (or into) trouble.
 * Gunship Rescue: Both with the Transforming Mecha and regular human vehicles. It's a Transformer movie with heavy military support, it is a given.
 * Half the Bot They Used To Be: Jazz and Sideways.
 * Hammerspace: Averted, mostly. There are still issues and goofs regarding interpersonal scale (which is nothing new in Transformers), but the robots were designed and their alternate modes were chosen together to be consistent. Weapons also don't just appear out of nowhere, but are generated from their bodies with the approximate mass.
 * Some of the goofs are visual cheats for the sake of story. For instance, Optimus is able to hold Sam and Mikaela in his hand... yet he's also able to hold Sam's grandfathers' eyeglasses between his fingers visibly.
 * Helicopter Blender: Blackout and Grindor both use their tail rotors as a weapon.
 * Heroic BSOD: Sam has two major ones, after and after.
 * Heroic Sacrifice:
 * in the first movie when.
 * Several in ROTF:
 * Several in ROTF:

""You see this? This is a "Do whatever I want and get away with it" badge!" and "NOT ON MY WATCH!" "One man, alone, betrayed by the country he loves, now its last hope in its hour of need..." "
 * Happens a lot in DOTM:
 * Heroic Sociopath:
 * Prime himself can come off as one at times. He's probably the most violent Autobot leader in any continuity, and uses some truly brutal tactics in battle.
 * Ironhide can come off this way as well. Given he asked if he could blow up Sam's parents (because they were unknowingly halting their progress), aimed both cannons at the family's Chihuahua (because it peed on his foot) and according to expanded material, once blew up an entire (presumably unpopulated) planet whilst fighting Decepticons, the latter of which might just make him Ironhide, Destroyer of Worlds, but still.
 * Sideswipe as well, in keeping with his personality from the G1 toyline and comics. First thing he does after killing a Decepticon is comment on how Badass he is, despite the fact he killed a fleeing opponent. Further expanded material portrays him as an even bigger one, not caring if human casualties get in the way if it means stopping Decepticons. He'd calmed down a bit by the start of the second film apparently.
 * Hero Insurance:
 * The Autobots are dutiful allies in dealing with Decepticon problems, but there is still plenty of collateral damage and American officials are wondering if the Autobots are the reason Decepticons are even there.
 * Ron Witwicky makes mention that they get a government check if Bumblebee damages anything.
 * Hollywood Tactics: More or less averted. The actors were trained by real Marines, and the human soldiers do use artillery, air support, cover, cover fire, and know what they're doing. The robots, however, fight differently, on account of being giant transforming robots from a mechanical planet. Naturally, they have an extremely heavy emphasis on mobility.
 * Homage: Apparently the animators were given relatively free reign with the action sequences and as such snuck in some light Transformer references. Jazz jumping onto Brawl and redirecting his tank cannon was directly inspired by the 80's movie where Kup did something similar. Prime pulling out a blade from his arm is in reference to doing something similar in the G1 pilot episodes. Also, Wheelie bears a striking resemblance to the title character of WALL-E.
 * Human-Focused Adaptation: More time is spent on the humans and their reactions to the robots then there is on the actual robots. This is largely due to the expense of CGI.
 * Humans Are Ugly: Megatron regards humans in this way. The Fallen apparently shares the notion as do many other Decepticons. One notable aversion is Wheelie, who describes Mikaela as "hot but not too bright" after listening to a phone call about the location of an All Spark shard.
 * Humans Are Warriors: Fortunately for the Autobots...not so much for the Decepticons.
 * One of the main things the films show is how the humans are able to fight against the Decepticons. Okay, a human alone wouldn't last very much against a Decepticon, but a well organized group (like the survivors of the base in the first film) can fight and survive once they have an idea what they are facing... and then we have the heavy artillery.
 * Humans Through Alien Eyes: Somewhat related with a couple of above tropes, but there are plenty of different ways in which Cybertronians view our species. At one point in ROTF, Megatron refers to Sam as an "alien specimen" as he is about to be examined by Scalpel (aka The Doctor).
 * Humongous Mecha: It's another given, although they aren't just machines.
 * ROTF ups it with new humongous mecha that are about the same scale to the regular robots as the regular robots are to humans, if not bigger.
 * And DOTM looks as though it will take it even further.
 * Immune to Bullets: Sort of. The Decepticons are immune to regular ammunition, but super-high temperature explosives work fine.
 * Well, they work better; Transformers still survive hits from weapons that would destroy a tank.
 * Incoming Ham:
 * I! AM! MEGATRON!
 * "BEHOLD! The eternal glory of...Jetfire!!!"
 * In the Back: Several bots are brought down this way, including.
 * Ironic Echo:
 * Sam's mum doesn't want him to leave home for college and has to be reasoned with by his dad. At the end of ROTF the roles are reversed and Mrs. Witwicky realises she has to let Sam go save the world over her husband's protective instincts.
 * In DOTM,
 * Also from DOTM, an Ironic Echo to a line from an entirely different film franchise: Same line, same actor, entirely different context.
 * It Got Worse:
 * In ROTF, after
 * And in DOTM, beginning from, it's all downhill for most of the movie.
 * It Has Been an Honor:
 * In the first film, Optimus says this to the Autobots after he reveals that he intends to perform a Heroic Sacrifice to destroy the AllSpark if they cannot defeat the Decepticons.
 * It's Raining Men:
 * ...and robots too. In the first battle of ROTF, Optimus skydives into Shanghai.
 * In DOTM,
 * Ivy League for Everyone: Thanks to the government, Sam goes to a really nice school.
 * ROTF starts with him going to Harvard.
 * Subverted in that he's still looking for a job in DOTM, despite being an Ivy League graduate and having a medal from the President (in one case, this actually backfires, as the recruiter is heavily biased against Democrats).
 * Karmic Death:
 * Megatron is killed by Sam using the Allspark in the first film, The Fallen was killed by Optimus, and
 * Kid Appeal Character: But of course. He actually rejuvenated the use of the name Bumblebee in Transformers media.
 * Killed Off for Real: Jazz in the first movie, at least two of the Arcees in ROTF, and
 * Kill Him Already: Unlike the various series where there are almost no named casualties unless plot relevant, major robots (and some humans) are killed often due to the ruthlessness of both sides. It is exemplified by Optimus vs. Bonecrusher, This attitude towards the robot fights is probably the most popular aspect of these films in comparison to other incarnations; there are casualties in this war.
 * Lampshade Hanging: Several, from ones that take shots to the original G1 mythos, and, as of Dark Of The Moon, one on the Unpleasable Fanbase 's reaction to the entire trilogy: "It was like a cheesy line from a bad science fiction movie..."
 * Large Ham:
 * Jetfire...one has to wonder if the casting teams had considered Brian Blessed for the role.
 * John Turturro as Agent Simmons.
 * Lampshade Hanging: Several, from ones that take shots to the original G1 mythos, and, as of Dark Of The Moon, one on the Unpleasable Fanbase 's reaction to the entire trilogy: "It was like a cheesy line from a bad science fiction movie..."
 * Large Ham:
 * Jetfire...one has to wonder if the casting teams had considered Brian Blessed for the role.
 * John Turturro as Agent Simmons.

"Epps: I hope those F-16s have good aim. Lennox: Why? Epps: I asked them to shoot at orange smoke. Lennox: ...That orange smoke? Epps: It wasn't my best toss, OK?"
 * Hugo Weaving as Megatron.
 * Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime kinda counts, if only for giving tons of gravitas to each line he says.
 * John Malkovich as Bruce in DOTM.
 * Last of His Kind: Optimus is assumed to be the last in the lineage of the Dynasty of Primes by ROTF, and that seemed to have assuredly been the case after Optimus killed The Fallen. DOTM reveals this wasn't entirely true after the discovery of Sentinel Prime still alive is made; but in his case, he was thought to have been killed, but instead had his ship crash on the moon and send him into stasis..
 * Lightning Bruiser: Bumblebee is fairly well-armed, and also has one of the fastest altmodes among the Autobots. Sideswipe could qualify for this if he had a little more armament. And Optimus, best fighter of the bunch, isn't exactly slow, either.
 * Loads and Loads of Characters: Both of the sequels.
 * MacGuffin:
 * In the first film: Grandpa Witwicky's glasses are of little use but to connect the Transformers to Sam. The Allspark itself has only a slightly larger influence on the plot, as they demonstrate why it can be a dangerous weapon.
 * ROTF has two MacGuffins:
 * Magic A Is Magic A: The original cartoon eventually handwaved mass shifting as being a part of the Transformers' powers in order to explain the differences in sizes between robots and their alternate modes. The film was originally going to embrace that but Michael Bay refused to allow mass shifting of the robots, demanding they fit inside their alternate modes and great pains were taken to keep them about the right size. This only adds to the believability of the visual effects and emphasizes that they are Transformers and not Shape Shifters. As common for the trope, there was an exception to the mass shifting with regards to the Allspark, seeing as it was basically a magical item and subject to its own rules.
 * Magnetic Plot Device: The first film has the Allspark as just a MacGuffin, but the sequels show that it still leaves a lasting impression on the characters and the story.
 * Male Gaze: While there has never been a shortage of blatant shots of the female anatomy in this series, the third film's establishing shot after the prologue is a "so blatant it's practically done satirically" shot of Carly's ass, and if you've chosen the 3D option, well...
 * Mechanical Lifeform: Kind of the premise of the whole franchise, really.
 * Merchandise-Driven: Although both movies appear to be less Merchandise-Driven than prior Transformers franchises for the sake of mainstream appeal, they still mostly serve as two-and-a-half hour long toy (and GM) commercials. In particular, ROTF features impossible (and impractical) gimmicks such as Megatron being rebuilt into a new body (despite being mostly intact), and . Really, there's just no denying it. Except of course, for the fans who say it "sold out". Mr. Willis? You're on.
 * Toyless Toyline Character: One Autobot, Mirage/Dino has not much merchandise (or info on Hasbro's website) because his alternate mode is a Ferrari - and Mattel owns the rights for toy cars based on that brand.
 * The Messiah: Optimus, who is almost always this in Transformers media anyway. He has the utmost concern for human collateral damage and that hinders him in a fight, but if there is no need to worry, he goes all out.
 * Mexican Standoff:
 * In TF: Between the Army rangers and Sector Seven agents.
 * In ROTF: between NEST soldiers & Autobots and the regular Army troops.
 * In DOTM: Ironhide and Sideswipe's 2-on-2 battle with two Decepticons results in a classic four person circle with each combatant holding two guns, one trained on each of the two combatants from the other faction. Sideswipe even invokes this trope by name in describing the situation.
 * Mid-Season Upgrade: Bumblebee trades in his 1977 Camaro alternate mode in favor of a shiny new 2008 model (with minor modifications as he becomes the most recent model for the following movie). Likewise the Twins, who go from being a combining Bad Humor Truck into a pair of Chevrolet compacts. One of the twins even lampshades this trope (see page quote).
 * Misblamed:
 * While the fans would never be satisfied, not using a VW for Bumblebee or a Porsche for Jazz (their iconic G1 alternate modes) was described as "raping my childhood." Michael Bay instead made a deal to use primarily GM vehicles. The issue is the problem with licensing; both Volkswagon and Porsche have refused here and in past toylines to be associated with Transformers because of image concerns. Toys can be made to skew around copyright infringement, but in the film it would be impractical. GM just made the highest bid.
 * Skids and Mudflap have been seen as racist caricatures of black people. The intent was for them to be parodies of "wiggers", non-black people who act in what they consider a "black" or "gangsta" manner. The difference between the caricature and the idiot is usually the actual ethnicity of the person acting stupidly. Since the two are robots, a lot of people assumed they were intended to be the former.
 * Even though the fact that they're robots actually qualifies them as the latter - like actual wiggers, they imitate the rappers they see on TV because they think they're cool or badass. Other material (Word of God and tie-in comic books) indicate that Skids and Mudflap are both Child Soldiers and sustained some sort of processor damage before coming to Earth - the fact that their comic incarnation lack the slang and goofy mannerisms they have in the movie supports the claim that it was improvised by the actors.
 * Some fans wanted to bean the Strawman Political over the head for discussing all of their secrets over the satelite connection when Soundwave was hacked in. Only one problem there, while the political weenie was indeed a dumbass, they were using what was supposed to be a secure connection. Discussing secret stuff is pretty much what those connections are for.
 * More of a misattribution than misblamed, but Megan Fox was not fired for comparing MichaelBay to Hitler. Ask anyone and that is supposedly common knowledge. The truth was she was actually giving Bay a lot of respect and sincerity in that interview, the entire thought was basically "He's friendly yet awkward off the set but on-set he tries to give off a controlling 'Hitler' persona." This can be evident in that Bay's response was basically laughing it off and saying that it's part of her quirky charm (it may have been a poor choice of words but it wasn't meant in a damning way). There was evidence released later that suggest Fox's departure from the series was actually at the suggestion of Steven Spielberg who disliked her general attitute and Bay also admitted she never really focused on her work. The whole thing wasn't a petty "You said WHAT about me?" ordeal.
 * Monumental Damage: ROTF: . DOTM:
 * Doubles as a Mythology Gag. G1 Megatron did the exact same thing in one of the episodes in the original cartoon.
 * Mood Whiplash: Zig-zags between slapsticky sitcom and dead-serious Alien Invasion. (Note the "peeing" scene.) One scene in particular whips the viewer through
 * The Mountains of Illinois: Has anyone working on this movie even been to D.C.?
 * Ms. Fanservice:
 * Mikaela. Rather unnecessary since the 13-35 male demographic was already there to watch awesome giant robots. But you can bet money they were thankful anyway.
 * Right from her introduction, Carly makes sure the viewers do not miss Mikaela too much. It was obvious from the casting that she'll have this role: she's played by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, a Victoria's Secret model with no previous acting experience.
 * Naughty Tentacles:
 * Soundwave uses these to interface with the military satellite in ROTF (his toy's bio makes the "naughty" part canon), and
 * The horrific scene reminiscent of
 * And the little tentacled interrogation bot that crawled inside Sam's head, channeling The Matrix.
 * A Nazi by Any Other Name:
 * Decepticons' occupation of Chicago, complete with random slaughters of defenseless civilians, wanton destruction and seems... rather familiar.
 * This unfortunately got Megan Fox fired from production when, during a speech for winning an award, she compared Michael Bay to Hitler, and axed her character with her. Amusingly, Bay wasn't offended by the comparison. However, producer Steven Spielberg was.
 * Obviously Evil: While in the G1 universe most of the characters looked like humanoid robots, in the live action versions the Autobots' looks vary from cute to hardcore, while pretty much all of the Decepticons look like, well...homicidal monstrosities.
 * Off with His Head:
 * in the first film.
 * in ROTF
 * Several 'bots in DOTM, most notably.
 * Oh Crap: The climax of the first film starts with Ironhide yelling; "It's Starscream!" A few moments later, it becomes abundantly clear why the Decepticons copied military hardware.
 * There's also Lennox in the final battle in the first film, when, right in the middle of a heated battle against Devastator Brawl, Blackout (a.k.a. the helicopter who initially wiped out the entire Qatar airbase totally singlehandedly) appears on a rooftop to assist his friend. His response of "We are so dead" seems rather appropriate.
 * Subverted in Fallen when
 * Epps has a fairly deadpan one near the climax; "We're about to get our asses whupped."
 * Also this:
 * orange smoke drifts into frame*

": Who would you be without me, Prime? Optimus: Time to find out. Optimus: You didn't betray me. You betrayed yourself.]"
 * Frenzy mutters, "Oh shit." as he dies.
 * Once For Yes, Twice For No: Bumblebee can only communicate through his radio.
 * Once Per Movie: A Linkin Park song. "What I've Done" for the first, "New Divide" for the second and "Iridescent" for the third.
 * One Steve Limit:
 * Halfway averted in ROTF with heroic Sideswipe and villanous Sideways. Both of these also happen to turn into silver sports cars. This has led to confusion amongst some, although the confusion in the movie is cut short by.
 * Also, Shockwave/Soundwave. Good luck keeping those two straight if you're not a hard-core fan.
 * Orbital Shot: It's a Michael Bay movie, after all.
 * Padding:
 * The first movie is already lengthy with three major plots - the race for the Allspark, Sam's coming of age, and soldiers fighting alien robots - which all come together in a climactic battle bursting at the seams with awesome. Then there's the aforementioned "signal decoding" subplot, which starts off totally inconsequential, then fizzles out altogether with shreds of exposition that the viewers already learned forty minutes earlier.
 * In ROTF, there are a massive number of shots of military personnel barking orders and planes taking off. Then there's the torturously long series of slow-motion escapes from explosions as Sam tries to make it to Optimus. There's also the college scenes. In roughly the first hour, the only relevant bits involving Sam are his Allspark-triggered freakouts, and the only purpose for his new roommate Leo is to bring Agent Simmons back in the story. Somehow this gets bloated into at least a half hour of Sam and family preparing for college life, Sam and Mikaela having relationship issues (which is the whole reason for Alice being in the story), and Leo vainly struggling to impress Sam, and none of this matters at all.
 * Palette Swap: While the Autobots are all unique creations, to get the sense of a real war going on many Decepticons are the same character models, and some don't even have a Earth based form, just a generic Cybertronian body. Of course reused body molds are nothing new in Transformers, both In-Universe and in the toy line. This was especially prevalent with Grindor, who was essentially Blackout with a different paint job.
 * Panty Shot:
 * Yes, they managed to pull in a couple in ROTF...from, Mikaela and Simmons. Dear god, try not to think about the latter...
 * Not to be forgotten; Carly in the opening of DOTM.
 * Power Walk:
 * Rather, Power Drive Down Desert Highway.
 * And again in Fallen, with them cresting a bridge.
 * Pragmatic Adaptation: The alternate vehicles (especially for the Autobots) were chosen to help convey the proper size of the appropriate characters. Without the magic of mass-shifting, Optimus' original robot mode would not be much larger then the other Autobots. Though G1 fans howled, Bay's edict of "no size-changing" probably helped with the necessary Suspension of Disbelief. Similarly they (and every adaptation after G1) knew that Megatron turning into a handgun just wouldn't fly dramatically. Co-writer Roberto Orci's said it would be "like Darth Vader turning into his own lightsaber and having someone else swing him around."
 * This is also why movie Starscream is so wide, to make up for his alt mode being so large.
 * Optimus also became a Peterbilt because it's the largest trailer-less truck (though in the third he carries a trailer, which also transforms!).
 * The comet protoforms were created due to a Fridge Logic moment the producers had concerning the Transformers...why would robots who can turn into vehicles need a space ship?
 * Of course, the sequel and the expanded fiction actually do feature space-ships, The Ark and two versions of The Nemesis (which is seen in the sequel); they Hand Wave this by explaining that the comet forms are used for short-distance travel and planet entry. For traveling across entire galaxies, they use ships. Megatron is apparently one of the only Cybertronians capable of traversing entire star systems on their own steam.
 * Most other Transformers productions feature the robots as the only characters of importance, because A) that's what the people want to see and B) robots are just as easy to animate as humans in an Animated Adaptation. In a Live Action Adaptation humans have to carry an important role, because A) non-fans need to be eased into accepting transforming robots as characters, B) rendering realistic robots for two hours' worth of film would be prohibitively expensive, and C) why not just make the entire film CGI instead of Live Action ...wait.
 * Precision F-Strike: The first movie has a barely audible yelled "Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!!!" during the final battle (you essentially have to turn the subtitles on to hear it]], the second one has Mikaela yelling "Fucking do something!!!!" near the end when they rush over to Sam's presumably lifeless body, and the third one has Sam happily whisper-yelling "What the fuck!" when he receives his medal near the beginning.
 * Curse Cut Short: Near the end of DOTM, when two of the Autobots enter the ship, and say "Quite a clusterf-" *cut to next scene*.
 * In the third movie, Sam's boss refers to Bumblebee as "fuckin' awesome".
 * Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Optimus has three, one in ROTF ("GIVE ME YOUR FACE!") and two on DOTM:

": (Laughs at him) You think you're some kind of hero? Sam: I'm just the messenger."
 * Sam gets one in DOTM.

"Optimus Prime: MEGATRON! Megatron: PRIIIIIME!"
 * Product Placement:
 * General Motors, General Motors, General Motors. Also eBay, Mountain Dew, Panasonic and Xbox 360.
 * Most college students would use Logitech webcams, not Cisco.
 * Cisco got another very prominent name shot when panning across the military's War Room in DOTM.
 * Green Day, anyone? The fact that "21 Guns" was the BGM for four separate scenes in ROTF is just shameless...
 * Army! Navy! Air Force! Marines! These movies are serious product placement for the US Military. Even the Coast Guard has a Jayhawk helicopter appearing towards the end of the final battle in ROTF.
 * Megatron and Starscream landing atop the Met Life building in ROTF, which is a bit ironic considering the association of a life insurance company with a plot to destroy all life on Earth.
 * The conspicuous shots of the Constructicons' hood ornaments could be seen as a nod to Mack trucks.
 * The third film no longer has a monopoly of GM cars, due to the company's bankruptcy issues. While the already established characters are still GM brands, this allows a great deal more variety. In addition, the other product placement is relatively subtle, compared to the first two films. It mostly consists of not obscuring brand names.
 * And let's not forget the reason these movies were made: to promote the Transformers franchise and have Hasbro say "Buy our toys, make us richer" (see also the Merchandise Driven Entry above).
 * Real Song Theme Tune: Played straight with the first and DOTM (with "What I've Done" and "Iridescent" respectively) and subverted with "New Divide", which was specifically recorded for ROTF.
 * Remember the New Guy?: Happens often in regards to both sides, with characters introduced as if they had been there the whole time. Although they probably have thanks to offscreen events.
 * Ridiculously-Human Robots: Played with. Optimus Prime explained that they learned Earth's languages and cultures through the internet. Certain Autobots took on speech characteristics that they felt appropriate to their character and is the reason Jazz is considered black, besides the homage to G1 Jazz and G1 voice actor Scatman Crothers.
 * In ROTF, they went even further to try and emphasize how these robots are living creatures and not hand-built machines. The robots replicate things like crying and how they react to getting old or injured.
 * makes this trope literal.
 * Robo-Family: Optimus Prime and Megatron are apparently brothers in this continuity.
 * Possibly retconned by Word of God, that says it was more a brotherhood kind of usage.
 * Jetfire mentions both a mother and a father.
 * He's also senile and out of his gourd, so we can't be too sure on this.
 * The Twins.
 * The Arcee bikes are apparently sisters.
 * Or they're one consciousness in three bodies...the associated materials don't really agree on this.
 * The Dynasty Of Primes were all referred to as brothers. Optimus (and by possible extension; Megatron) is a great descendant of one of them.
 * As is Sentinel Prime, but Optimus treats him more as a mentor than a relative.
 * Rollerblade Good: Bonecrusher in the first movie; Sideswipe, the Arcee triplets, Wheelie, Demolishor in ROTF.
 * ROTF's robot designs have a lot of fun with unusual methods of robot propulsion. Apart from the aforementioned, there's also a Pogo-Stick (Rampage) variation. The toy version of Rampage goes yet a step further, turning him into a "crab centaur" of sorts. Some of the unused Constructicon concepts are even weirder.
 * Sacrificial Lion: Due to the difficulty in showing the robots on screen only the REAL major characters get significant screen time, but it's clear that are meant to be this..
 * Say My Name:
 * Optimus Prime arrives in the city and confronts Megatron (who had just killed Jazz). Keep in mind here that they haven't seen each other in over 10,000 years. Their first words to each other?

"Ironhide: IT'S STARSCREAM!"
 * Interestingly to note, Optimus seemed rather angry to see Megatron alive and well (well, the fact he was holding the corpse of one of his friends didn't help), whereas Megatron seemed almost happy to see the former.
 * And lest we forget:


 * The first thing Megatron says once freed from his ice prison was his name, since the humans had been getting it wrong for decades.
 * Interestingly, in the comics, they have been getting it almost right, with many calling him "Mega Man" instead of NBE-1, after hearing him say it to Jetfire decades before but mishearing it. This includes Simmons' (great-)grandfather, one of the founders of Sector Seven.
 * Screams Like a Little Girl: Sam, Leo.
 * Screen Shake: Just about every action scene of importance.
 * Sealed Evil in a Can:
 * Megatron on ice.
 * Shockwave in DOTM has been sealed under Chernobyl for years. When he gets out in Dark of the Moon, he's ticked off.
 * Secondary Character Title: Judging from the amount of screentime and backstory the Transformers themselves received, it's safe to say they are the secondary characters in these adaptations. The reason why this is complained about so much is probably due to their being the main characters in other Transformers universes, while in this film they pretty much serve the same role as the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, but with the ability to speak.
 * Seen It All: Agent Simmons.
 * Sequel Escalation: The filmmakers openly admitted that the first film had the robots kept in the background solely because of cost and as an experiment if the SFX would work. As a result it was mostly a small skirmish between 5 Autobots and 8 Decepticons. With the FX worked out, ROTF had at least 30 named robots (some only in supplemental materials) and another 10-15 generic unnamed robots. Dark of the Moon goes to the logical breaking point, an all out Alien Invasion and Robot War.
 * Sequel Hook: Optimus' closing narration and the shot of Starscream flying into space. The sequel has.
 * Serkis Folk: This would be the only way to do decent live action Tranformers. Apparently, Bumblebee's movements were inspired by Michael J. Fox's performance in Back to The Future and Optimus Prime's movements were inspired by Liam Neeson in everything he does.
 * Shapeshifter Weapon: In an homage to the G1 cartoon where Optimus Prime and Megatron were shown to have energy weapons they could generate in place of their right hands (an axe and a flail, respectively), the first two films have all the Transformers' weapons be generated from their own bodies. Others had weapons adapted from the human weapons built onto their copied vehicle form, such as Blackout's Vulcan miniguns and tail rotor blades.
 * Shipper on Deck: Bumblebee to Sam and Mikaela in the first two movies, trying to set them up and keep Sam from cheating. Then he outdoes himself with in the third.
 * Shout-Out: Michael Bay likes to put self-references to his previous movies in the newer ones. In the first Transformers, at the site where one of the Autobots crashed, we see a nerdy guy screaming "This is a hundred times cooler than Armageddon!". In Dark of the Moon, a couple of shots from the highway chase in The Island are recycled, although one gets a robot added in. Comparison here.
 * Dutch's fight in the Russian bar may be a Shout-Out to a fight from Serenity, complete with someone using code words to "deactivate" him.
 * Also, the words used to deactivate River in Serenity were in Russian.
 * There's a shot of skulls in a war zone during the.
 * Show Accuracy, Toy Accuracy: One of the eternal demands of the fans. Despite the Love It or Hate It of the films, the toys are of an unbelievable high quality. This is especially surprising given the thousands of parts that make the movies' CG models, yet they were still able to create this Optimus Prime toy.
 * Takara's gone a step further with Buster Optimus Prime.
 * Leader Class Starscream also leads to rejoicing.
 * Shown Their Work: The movies are practically dripping with references, mythology, and characterization from the entire rest of the franchise ranging from the original cartoon to the Furman-written comics to the IDW stuff to some of the pre-movie games, sometimes coming close Continuity Porn. Things such as names being exceptionally important to Transformers, Bumblebee being badass, being able to give life to lifeless machines, Decepticlones, Transformers being able to be frozen by extreme cold... most of the things in the movie (especially the griped-about bits) are actually pretty obviously attempts to reference stuff from earlier iterations of the franchise.
 * In particular, the Fallen is from a relatively recent and obscure comic book and they chose him as a character because he was both "primeval" and not immediately known to anyone who's even heard of Transformers.
 * Silent Bob: Bumblebee's voice synthesizer is broken. He uses audio clips to convey his thoughts.
 * The sequel kinda lampshades this by showing it can be hard for 'Bee to explain things to Sam like this, such as
 * It's also insinuated that Bumblebee is intentionally doing it to be cute, as Sam mentions that he's "playing it up."
 * Space Is Cold: Averted. The Transformers are vulnerable to extreme cold, but are fine in space. The trope's prevalence led to some calling this a Plot Hole.
 * The Starscream: Well of course. Although Starscream doesn't really do his usual thing...in either film...
 * In fact,
 * He does, however, act like his usual self in the prequel novel for the first movie. He attempts to take control of the 'Cons in Megatron's absence, but they're not having it (only the fact that he's stronger than they are keeps them from getting rid of him).
 * Supporting Leader: Optimus Prime.
 * Suspiciously Apropos Music: Bumblebee using his radio to help Sam invokes the trope.
 * Symbolic Blood: If the Transformers were organic, it would be very, very messy - like the deaths of some Decepticons weren't in Nightmare Fuel territory already. I mean not only when Optimus Prime, look also at Bumblebee
 * Not only those, but when
 * The fall of The Fallen.
 * And
 * In a more literal vein, when some Transformers receive enough damage you can see them "bleeding" this thick blue liquid, which is theorized to be energon. You can see it more often in the first film, such as the battle damage received by Blackout.
 * DOTM takes this Up to Eleven with the deaths of several Decepticon Mooks.
 * Technology Porn: The transformation sequences can get really elaborate.
 * They Look Like Us Now
 * Those Two Guys:
 * Skids and Mudflap in ROTF.
 * Wheelie and Brains in DOTM.
 * Time Abyss: The Fallen betrayed the Dynasty of Primes nearly twenty thousand years ago, and Optimus and Megatron were born after that. Please note that this makes them considerably younger than most incarnations.
 * Too Dumb to Live:
 * Keeping your headphones on whilst a giant insectoid is crawling underneath the sand is a sure way to get impaled through the chest. Sgt. Donnelly learned this the hard way.
 * At first, The Fallen seems fairly smart and Genre Savvy.
 * Took a Level in Badass:
 * Simmons levels up between the first two films.
 * Sam in the third. Oh wow, Sam in the third. He also helps bee take out  and lives up to his threat of
 * Trailers Always Spoil: The trailers for ROTF blatantly show . Also . Also, Of course, the  is unrecognizable as such until one actually sees the film.
 * The first one is a subversion though, in that it puts the audience on the wrong foot. Since people know that, and therefore they will not look for more obscure possibilities, like.
 * Subverted by the trailers for DOTM.
 * Trilogy Creep: Hasbro has recently announced there will be a fourth film. Michael Bay stated that third film would be his last, but the sheer profitability of the movies has plenty of people pushing for another. Bay later said he might return but he wants to do a smaller movie in between, as the two sequels were filmed on a breakneck schedule with only two years in between installments.
 * Troperiffic: And how!
 * Uncle Tomfoolery: Michael Bay may have induced moderate fan anger by, but it is the portrayal of Skids and Mudflap as violent jive-talking hood rats in Revenge of the Fallen that has attracted outright hatred over the internet. Click here for an example. Most this hatred is questionable of robots that learn to speak through the internet, but oh well.
 * Unstoppable Rage:
 * Optimus Prime takes exception to Megatron's attempt to kill Sam during the forest battle sequence. A No-Holds-Barred Beatdown from hero to villain(s) ensues.
 * Prime spends almost the entire third movie on a low-simmering version of this. He gets really pissed off early on, and his mood never really improves for the rest of the film.
 * Vehicular Assault:
 * When Sam is chased by Barricade, but these movies are defined by this trope.
 * A human assisted one: Mikaela running over
 * Villain Ball: Given that the Decepticons could hack the Pentagon's mainframe, they could have easily used the same skills to get themselves a post office box and a paypal account, and bought the glasses off of Sam, since he was openly trying to sell them. Instead they tried to shake him down for the glasses, which brought Sam into contact with the Autobots.
 * What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic: The thirteen Primes, one of whom did a Face Heel Turn, and who are heavily associated with a character who has heavy Messiah connections. Hmm...
 * The very first transformer on transformer fight in the film series alludes to the history of their alternate modes, with bumblebee being a Chevrolet Camaro and Barricade a Ford Mustang. In the 60s The Chevrolet Camaro was introduced by GM in 1964 to compete with the Ford Mustang from two years earlier. Unlike the movie, the Camaro lost.
 * What Happened to the Mouse?:
 * In the first film, Barricade shows up in the group of Decepticons chasing the Autobots before Bonecrusher's rampage, but disappears for the rest of the film. The comic and novelization of the first movie have him, but apparently this was changed at the last minute. Roberto Orci said that his disappearance was intended as a possible thread for Revenge, but things just got lost somewhere along the way, possibly due to the 2007 Writers Strike. He does show up in DOTM, but nothing is made of his absence.
 * Scorponok vanishes after getting shot up in the desert, then shows up during the climactic battle in ROTF.
 * Wheelie vanishes before the combat begins at the climax of ROTF, but he shows up as being in Sam's custody in DOTM where he has a full presence up to and including
 * Scalpel (the Decepticon doctor) disappears immediately after Optimus and Bumblebee become Big Damn Heroes. The novelization states that right after. In DOTM, we see two non-speaking robots that look just like him, though - one or the other may be the doc-bot, or not.
 * Fig, the soldier talking about how juicy alligator meat is from the first film, the one wounded in the fight with Scorponok and carried out on a stretcher. Presumably, he doesn't show up for the rest of the movie because he's recovering from his injuries, but the only reason he's absent in ROTF is the actor having a scheduling conflict and being unable to film it. Then again, his role was just minor enough that we might not think of him were it not for Bay mentioning this to begin with.
 * So basically if we want the story with the plotlines filled, we should forget the movie and just read the comic/novel.
 * The twins attempt to fight Devastator but fall off. They then disappear for the last half-hour of the movie. However, we do see Simmons and Leo again, so...
 * John Malkovich's character disappears completely after the first half of DOTM, although since his importance to the story was pretty much gone at that point he's not really missed.
 * What Measure Is a Mook?: Soldiers, federal agents and Decepticon troops drop like flies in the intense battle scenes.
 * What Measure Is a Non-Human?: The protagonists seem to be a bit too eager to torture, mutilate, and murder Decepticons when given any opportunity. Mikaela takes a blowtorch to Wheelie's eye, Sideswipe boasts how awesome he is at vivisecting a fleeing Decepticon, Ironhide executes the critically-wounded Demolisher, and Optimus seems terrifyingly eager to mutilate Decepticon faces.
 * There's a scene in DOTM where
 * World of Badass: Cybertron. And Earth, apart from all the comic reliefs, too. And some of them can get dangerous as needed.
 * World of Ham: Where to start?
 * Xenofiction: Averted; see Pragmatic Adaptation above.
 * X Meets Y: Small Soldiers(the teen protag's dad is even played by Kevin Dunn in both films!) meets ET the Extraterrestrial meets.... Godzilla?
 * You Can't Go Home Again: A recurring motif in the series. Cybertron was damaged beyond repair by the war, and the Allspark's destruction ensures that it may never be brought back to its pre-war state again.
 * You Will Be Spared:
 * Megatron tells Sam that in exchange for the Allspark, Megatron will make Sam his pet.
 * In DOTM,.
 * You Will Be Spared:
 * Megatron tells Sam that in exchange for the Allspark, Megatron will make Sam his pet.
 * In DOTM,.

Tropes in the first film
"Mrs. Witwicky: That's his bling!"
 * Bros Before Hoes: Inverted; Sam's friend reminds him of the trope, but he's kicked to the curb so Sam can go after Mikaela.
 * Car Fu:
 * A rather different case than usual—most of the Autobots turn into cars, who apparently know Kung Fu. For the first movie, in fact, Michael Bay instructed the animators to watch Kung Fu movies to get a feel for how they should move. According to the DVD extras, he even had martial artists on wire rigs filmed to visualize the combat movements of the Transformers in hand-to-hand combat.
 * A more traditional case was Bumblebee's slide/drift in vehicle mode to knock down Barricade while rescuing Sam and Mikaela.
 * Car Skiing: Bumblebee does this to scan and transform into the 2009 version of the Camaro.
 * Chekhov's Gun: Optimus outlines a plan that the only way to destroy the AllSpark is by merging it with his own spark in his chest. The idea was that eliminating the AllSpark and Optimus along with it is preferable over Megatron getting it. Sam managing to execute that plan on Megatron was definitely seen as a Million-to-One Chance.
 * Chest Blaster: Blackout's chest cannon, Frenzy's CD blade launcher.
 * Deadly Fireworks Display: ;, although to a much lesser extent.
 * Depleted Phlebotinum Shells: "6000-degree magnesium burn" of "high-heat 105mm sabot rounds"... Sabot rounds don't work that way.
 * Judging from that link, though, it seems possible that they simply confused Sabot rounds with HEAT rounds...or the Pentagon may have requested that flub to protect classified information.
 * EBay: Sam selling his Grandfather's glasses there kicked the whole thing off.
 * ET Gave Us Wi-Fi: The Decepticons' ability to infiltrate Earth technology is Hand Waved by stating that, which would also explain why the Allspark could be used to transform Earth's tech.
 * Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry: Mojo's collar.

"Judy Witwicky: Oh my gosh you're gorgeous! I'm sorry you had to hear our little "family discussion.""
 * Explosion Propulsion: Ironhide uses his cannons to blast himself into a vault to dodge Brawl's missiles.
 * Giant Robot Hands Save Lives: When Optimus catches Sam as he's falling from the skyscraper.
 * Godzilla Threshold: The military plan to hide the Allspark in Mission City.
 * Hidden in Plain Sight: Parodied when Sam asked the Autobots to back off from the house while he searched for the glasses. The Autobots transform into their vehicle modes... and remained right there in the back yard. Sam screamed out that it wasn't going to work. Optimus later invokes the trope in his message before the credits.
 * Hollywood Hacking: The entirety of the slightly-less-than-awesome "signal processing" subplot.
 * Humans Are the Real Monsters: The capture of Bumblebee by Sector 7, which, coupled with them repeatedly blasting him with freezing chemical during and after the capture, has a definite feeling of torture. When Bumblebee almost shoots the engineers after they release him, it's hard to blame him.
 * Some of this is even intercut with the rest of the Autobots questioning Optimus over why they should save us from the Decepticons, given how primitive and violent we are as a race. Optimus Prime reminds them that at one time, Cybertronians were Not So Different from us.
 * Magical Negro: Used car salesman Bobby Bolivia attempts to act like this as a sales pitch.
 * The Matchmaker: Bumblebee.
 * Meaningful Echo: "No sacrifice, no victory."
 * Men Can't Keep House: Sam's room, with his suggested Porn Stash.
 * Meta Origin: The Allspark is written to be described enough to explain their origins but vague enough to not answer everything.
 * Mighty Glacier:
 * Ratchet is one of the physically strongest Autobots. He's also one of the slowest.
 * Ironhide even more so.
 * Mistaken for Masturbating: Sam Witwicky's parents notice that he's hiding something from them. Sam's mother outright asks if he's masturbating, and his parents proceed to try to give him space.
 * Moment Killer: Invoked by Mikaela. Sam's parents were questioning Sam's nervous and twitchy behavior (due to the Autobots hanging out in the backyard) after coming into his room, with her trying to hide. To end the conversation Mikaela presents herself, making it seem that Sam was acting that way because they interrupted an intimate moment. Of course rather than being upset, Mom and Dad Witwicky are thrilled for Sam.

"Megatron: You still fight for the weak! That is why you lose!"
 * My Sensors Indicate You Want to Tap That:
 * Ratchet's introductory comment: "The boy's pheromone levels suggest that he wants to mate with the female."
 * Earlier, when Bumblebee pretends to cut out at a local make-out point, his radio starts playing Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing".
 * No Conservation of Mass: Mostly averted, since care was taken so that the Transformers had the same amount of mass in vehicle and robot form. However, the Cube can apparently go from house-sized to basketball-sized with no release of energy.
 * "Not Making This Up" Disclaimer: Michael Bay mentioned in the DVD Commentary that the sequence where Lennox had to deal with an obnoxious telephone operator to get a call transferred to the Pentagon while under fire was taken from a Real Life incident he heard about while talking with some military personnel.
 * Not This One, That One: Invoked by Sam's dad.
 * Online Alias: "Are you ladiesman217?"
 * Ordinary High School Student: Sam.
 * Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner: "Join them in EXTINCTION!" * blam*
 * Reason You Suck Speech: Megatron to Optimus:

""This is easily, a hundred times cooler than Armageddon, I swear to God!!""
 * Rule of Cool: Giant robots... Giant robots. The advertising campaign basically amounted to, "Look at all the cool shit they can do!"
 * Self-Deprecation: On the part of director Michael Bay:

"Megatron: "Disgusting.""
 * And the very famous commercial where he goes around blowing stuff up demanding that everything be awesome, including a to-scale Bumblebee statue behind him.
 * The human that Megatron flicked was... Michael Bay himself.


 * Standard Hollywood Strafing Procedure: Rather odd, given Michael Bay's pyrotechnic proclivities and love of U.S. hardware. The A-10s just make machine gun noises and little lines of puffs in the ground, whereas a real A-10 attack is like God blasting you with a giant shotgun, then farting in your general direction.
 * Standard Police Motto: Parodied. Barricade's alt-mode is a police car mode with the phrase "To punish and enslave."
 * Staring Kid: Several, one notable one is the girl who has a transformer land in her pool.
 * Under the Truck: Captain Lennox grabs an abandoned motorcycle in the first film, drives it straight at the Decepticon walking away, and puts it in a slide right through his legs, while firing his assault rifle and Grenade Launcher straight into said Decepticon, killing it.
 * You ALL Share My Story: The three separate subplots involving Lennox's team, the NSA hackers, and Sam and Mikaela converge when all three are assembled at the Hoover Dam for the final battle.

Tropes for works connected to the films

 * All There in the Manual: Along with the prequel novels, there are several comic books dedicated to detailing the story between the flashbacks in ROTF and what lead to the Autobot / Decepticon split, not to mention the circumstances of the Allspark leaving Cybertron.
 * Alternate Reality Game: The Sector Seven ARG for the first movie, which reveals that the Transformers franchise is a Masquerade created to cover up the truth: that Sector Seven and transforming alien robots are real...
 * Animated Adaptation:
 * Transformers Animated was produced in anticipation of the movie's popularity, but the story is a whole other Alternate Continuity line. As such, there are several direct nods to these films: Megatron's Cybertronian form looks like a simplified version of his movie incarnation, Bumblebee having a racing stripe and Blackout shows up in season three. The Japanese translation was initially announced to turn this series into a direct adaptation, but so far the only real difference is that Bulkhead's name was changed to Ironhide. The canceled fourth season was supposed to come even closer, with Ironhide and Jazz replacing Bulkhead and Prowl on the Earth team and the remaining Autobots using new color schemes more reminiscent of the movie - yes, including flame decals on Optimus.
 * The Wal-Mart DVD has Transformers: Beginnings, which is a Limited Animation adaptation of the IDW prequel comics. About its only positive draw was that it had Frank Welker as Megatron, and even that turned out to be not so great because he used an age-affected version of his G1 Megatron voice (Welker's performances as Movieverse Megatron, which are even less deep and growly than Megatron's voice in G1, have caused quite a few fans to dread Welker reprising his role again). Peter Cullen as narrator was advertised, but that turned out to be inaccurate - it was narrated by Mark Ryan, who did Cute Mute Bumblebee's one spoken line ever.
 * Transformers Prime is even closer to an adaptation in spirit, even including the writers as Executive Producers. Most of the series takes cues from the films as Optimus, Megatron and Bumblebee have nearly identical designs. Compare movie Bumblebee to Prime Bumblebee.
 * Continuity Snarl: There is very little that is consistent between different comic adaptations, novelizations and the movies. This includes backstory chronology, character biographies and other specific details (a big one being Arcee's combined or not combined nature). According to the Transformers "Multi-Verse" theory that Hasbro insists upon, all of these versions exists in some form.
 * Fiction as Cover-Up: The Alternate Reality Game based on the films indicate the entire franchise franchise is truly one of these, with Transformers Generation 1 being a ruse to hide first contact between our races and the films being a response to increased Decepticon activity. Agent H. Weaving was assigned to the films to maintain utmost control.
 * Five-Bad Band: In the Revenge of the Fallen game the Decepticons form one:
 * Big Bad: Megatron.
 * The Dragon: Starscream.
 * The Brute: Grindor, Demolisher, Devestator, and Long Haul (Demolisher and Devestator only appear in the Autobot campaign).
 * The Evil Genius: Soundwave.
 * The Dark Chick: Sideways.
 * The Man Behind the Man: The Fallen.
 * Five-Man Band: The Autobots in the Revenge of the Fallen game:
 * The Hero: Optimus Prime.
 * The Lancer: Ironhide.
 * The Smart Guy: Ratchet.
 * The Big Guy: Breakaway.
 * Kid Appeal Character: Bumble Bee.
 * The Sixth Ranger and The Mentor: Jetfire.
 * Genius Bruiser: According to supplemental material, Optimus Prime was head of the Cybertronian Science division before the war started.
 * I Love Nuclear Power: In the DOTM game,.