To watch the Transformer movies in order, you need to go back to the beginning with Transformers: The Movie. This animated film was released in 1986 and served as a way to introduce audiences to the characters they would see in the live-action films that were yet to come.
Following Transformers: The Movie is 2007’s Transformers, which was the first of Michael Bay’s live-action films in the franchise. This is where we meet Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), who becomes Optimus Prime’s human ally in the battle against Megatron and the Decepticons.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen picks up two years after Transformers, with Sam now in college. He and Optimus Prime must work together once again to defeat the Decepticons, this time with the help of the Autobots and the NEST team.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is set three years after Revenge of the Fallen, and finds Sam Witwicky working for NASA. When Megatron returns to Earth, Sam and the Autobots must stop him before he can use a space bridge to bring Cybertron to Earth.
Transformers: Age of Extinction is set four years after Dark of the Moon, and finds Sam now living in Chicago. When humans begin hunting Transformers, Optimus Prime goes into hiding. It’s up to Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) to help the Autobots save their home planet.
Another recent Transformer movie is Transformers: The Last Knight, which was released in 2017. In this film, Optimus Prime turns against the humans and it’s up to Cade Yeager and Bumblebee to stop him.
- Bumblebee (1987)
- Transformers (2007)
- Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen (2009)
- Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (2012)
- Transformers: Age Of Extinction (2017)
- Transformers: The Last Knight (2018)
Bumblebee (1987)
In the year 1987, a Transformer known as Bumblebee crash-lands on Earth and hides in a junkyard in California
A teenage boy named Charlie discovers Bumblebee and repairs him, and the two become friends
When the evil Decepticons learn of Bumblebee’s location, they send a group of robots to find him. Bumblebee and Charlie must now work together to stop the Decepticons and save the world!
Transformers (2007)
The Autobots are on the run from the Decepticons, and they end up crash-landing on Earth
There, they meet a teenage boy named Sam Witwicky, who helps them in their battle against the Decepticons. Transformers is the first live-action film in the franchise, and it introduces audiences to Optimus Prime, Megatron, and many other fan-favorite Autobots and Decepticons.
Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen (2009)
Two years have passed since Transformers first landed on Earth, and Sam Witwicky is now attending college. When the Decepticons return to Earth once again, it’s up to Sam, Optimus Prime, and the Autobots to defeat them once and for all.
Transformers Revenge of the Fallen is a fan-favorite in the series, featuring thrilling action sequences and plenty of robot-on-robot combat.
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (2012)
Three years have passed since Sam Witwicky defeated the Decepticons, and he’s now working for NASA. When Megatron returns to Earth, it’s up to Sam, Optimus Prime, and the Autobots to stop him before he can use a space bridge to bring Cybertron to Earth.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is another exciting entry in the series, with plenty of twists and turns that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats.
Transformers: Age Of Extinction (2017)
A deadly virus has infected Cybertron, and Optimus Prime has gone into hiding in order to avoid it. Meanwhile, humans are hunting Transformers on Earth, and Cade Yeager begins working with Bumblebee after he discovers one of the Autobots.
Together, they must find Optimus Prime and save Cybertron before it’s too late.
Transformers: The Last Knight (2018)
Optimus Prime has turned against humanity, and it’s up to Cade Yeager and Bumblebee to stop him. Transformers: The Last Knight is the fifth and most recent entry in the live-action Transformers franchise.
It features some of the biggest and best action sequences in the entire series, and is sure to please fans of the franchise.
How To Watch The Transformer Movies – The Series of Events
The events of the series follow one after another, starting with Bumblebee and continuing through the remainder of the saga, as we follow Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and the Autobots in their fight against Megatron’s Decepticons. Each of the first three films takes place approximately two to three years after its predecessor.
We follow Sam throughout the original Transformers (2007), Revenge of the Fallen (2009), and Dark of the Moon (2011). The films take place approximately a year after they were released, with the first two movies set in 2007 and 2009, respectively, and Dark of the Moon occurring in 2012.
The Transformers franchise returned after a three year gap with Age Of Extinction. Shia LaBeouf was no longer in the movie, and Mark Whalberg played the role of Cade Yeager. This movie also introduced the fan favourite Dinobots. The Last Knight is a movie that is set in the future. It is set five years after the previous movie. There are new good guys and bad guys in this movie.
Right now, the Bumblebee timeline is getting more focus. But there are still plans for more sequels to the original series and rumours of standalone films.
The timeline for the main film is straightforward, but many of the movies use flashbacks to earlier points in Earth’s history. In these flashbacks, there are often changes to how long the Autobots have been on Earth. The Last Knight tied the Transformers story into the legend of King Arthur.
The other option for watching the Transformers films is to watch them in the order they were released. This is relatively straightforward, except for Bumblebee which you should watch first. The films are in order. LaBeouf stars in the first three and Wahlberg is in the last two.
Bumblebee’s timeline can be confusing for some people. But for fans of the earlier films, it is a good contrast and it is fun to see how the ’80s version of the franchise compares to the other versions.