Transformers and the Politics of Michael Bay's America

Transformers and the Politics of Michael Bay's America

“More than meets the eye!” is the iconic catchphrase made famous by the original 1980s cartoon. Although originally meant in reference to how the main characters can morph from unassuming vehicles into powerful robots, the line has deeper connotations in the Transformers universe.

Born out of Reagan-era economic policies, the Transformers brand revolves on a simple premise: good giant alien robots, the Autobots, fight bad giant alien robots, the Decepticons. The series was created as a careful plan to market toys to children without creating obvious advertisements. It was clever, subtle, unique, and it worked. The brand has stayed strong from its founding to the present day.

In recent memory, the brand has been dominated and primarily characterized by the series of live-action feature films: the five main films as well as the prequel spin-off Bumblebee (2018). The five main films are notorious for their bombastic action, excessive explosions, thin-plots, and poorly constructed characters. They have a difficult reputation in Hollywood and criticisms of the films are well-trodden territory. For the purposes of our discussion today, I will only be concerned with the main series.

The first film, Transformers (2007), followed a relatively simple narrative about teenager Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) who gets caught up in an ancient war between two factions of alien robots. The film was followed up by four sequels, the first two following Sam and the second two following a new cast of characters: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Dark of the Moon (2011), Age of Extinction (2014), and The Last Knight (2017). For the most part, each film has been a box-office success but has opened to less than stellar critical reception.

Filmmaker Michael Bay is the primary architect of the Transformers films. Having directed all of the entries in the main series, Bay has crafted a franchise in his image and likeness. If we pay attention to the details, there is far more going on under the surface than first meets the eye. If we are able to pay attention to the details, the Transformers films reveal themselves as Michael Bay’s commentary on American politics - on the government, the military, and the United States’ place in the world.

America's Government

Who are the bad guys in the Transformers films? Sure, the Decepticons are the main enemies, but who are the human antagonists? Who opposes the primary characters on a human level?

In every single film, the government of the United States never fails to play an antagonistic role. They, in some way, are distrustful of the protagonists. They doubt the integrity of the Autobots or they try to shut down the operations of the main characters. In the first film, John Turturro’s Agent Simmons, one of the only human characters to appear in the majority of the movies, is the film’s primary human antagonistic force. He opposes Sam and the Autobots to protect the secrets that the United States government - or, rather, Sector 7, a shady underground government organization - is hiding.

The next two films see the Autobots working with the United States’ military and found the strike force N.E.S.T., but those damn government bureaucrats are always meddling in N.E.S.T.’s affairs. In Revenge of the Fallen, the heroic N.E.S.T. organization is opposed by national security advisor Theodore Galloway. In Dark of the Moon, National Security Director Charlotte Mearing takes on Galloway’s mission of finding the faults in the Autobots in an attempt to shut down N.E.S.T.

In Age of Extinction and The Last Knight, the government outrights hunt down and kills the Autobots and the human protagonists. The Autobots are now seen as dangers to national security and villains like Harold Attinger, the CIA task force “Cemetery Wind,” and the multinational Transformers Reaction Force are out the Transformers’ blood.

Bay inherits the “government bad” mindset of the Reagan era, the era responsible for the creation of Transformers, where direct action taken by the government is seen as a negative thing threatening Americans. Dark, government back channels have something to hide. The CIA and the FBI are out to take away the privacy and safety of average citizens. Of course, it’s never the president or the military who are the villains, but rather the shadowy organizations working for their own agendas and against the interests of real Americans.

And it’s these average citizens who become Bay’s main characters. The first three films are led by Sam Witwicky, an average, white, suburban American who is caught up in the epic greater story. The fourth and fifth films follow Cade Yeager (played by Mark Wahlberg) and his family - a down-on-their-luck family of redneck Texans - who stumble across Autobot leader Optimus Prime which sends them into the story. Once again, it is the government - whether Sector 7, Cemetery Wind, or the TRF - that opposes these American heroes and their Autobot allies.

America's Military

However, do you know who’s always the good guys in the Transformers films? The Army! Heroes. Victors. Champions. “Real” Americans. That’s the irony of Bay’s politics. Not all of the government is bad. The military comes to represent Bay’s understanding of American bravery and American heroism. In all five movies, the United States Armed Forces are portrayed as strong, resilient, and always ready to do the right thing.

No matter the challenge, the military characters, such as Josh Duhamel’s Captain Lennox and Tyrese Gibson’s Sergeant Epps, always prevail. The first film sees Lennox, Epps, and their squad trapped in the Middle Eastern desert hunted by a dangerous Decepticon. Using their strength and bravery, they defeat it and escape the desert. Once again, in Dark of the Moon, Epps, Lennox, and their men lead the charge into the enemy-occupied Chicago to defeat the plot of the villains. Even the framing of the military and their exploits are framed in mythological status. Bay takes notes from his days as a music video director and frames these sweeping, epic shots of the military, their gear, and their weapons. The sun sets and the music swells as air force pilots dramatically board their fighter jets.

There are moments when the American soldiers falter. In The Last Knight, Lennox works for and leads a strike force of the TRF. In Age of Extinction, military operatives work for the CIA as members of Cemetery Wind. However, you’ll notice that the military in these films are only seen as villainous because they’ve been co-opted by the evil government.

Of course, Bay’s reasoning for including a resilient military presence could come from a more practical incentive. Keeping up this good working relationship with the department of defence allows Bay to use military-grade equipment cheaply. The relationship is mutually beneficial between Paramount pictures and the United States government. In return for the cheap equipment, the military is able to show off its latest and greatest equipment in beautiful, cinematic glory

Revenge of the Fallen is perhaps the most famous of the Transformers film in this regard. At the time of production, it was the largest cooperation between the United States Department of defence and a Hollywood production. Philip Strub, the former director of entertainment media for the Department of Defense, spoke about this strong working relationship while Revenge of the Fallen was in production:

“Yes, we have a good relationship [...] We might say, ‘Hey, you've never shown an X, Y or a Z.’ We'll send them information, talk about its role. Or they’ll come back to us and say, ‘We’d like to have a C-17. Or what about an aircraft carrier and some F-18s?’”

The US government will supply the equipment for free and will only charge to operate said equipment. Often, members of the military will be on set to observe the production of the film and ensure that the performers act like actual soldiers. Revenge of the Fallen even shot a number of its action scenes on US army bases. The White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico doubled as Egypt in the film’s epic finale.

Whatever his reason, Bay’s Transformers films result in the creation of a propaganda-like portrayal of the United States armed forces. Never wrong, always the heroes. The bravery of American soldiers is unrivalled. When a series of mass-market films and a powerful government have such a strong alliance, the result is often a dangerous mix of nationalism and authoritarian displays of power.

America's Foreign Policy

This portrayal of the military informs a dangerous attitude towards the United States and its relationship to the rest of the world. When the great western expansion occurred in the 19th century, the guiding philosophy was the concept of “manifest destiny.” America’s mission was to assert control and dominance over the entirety of the North American continent. America was bringing to itself a vast network of colonies and territories with each slowly becoming member states in the great American union. It started with the Louisiana purchase in 1803, followed by the annexation of Texas, the creation of the Oregon territory, and the slow settlement of everything west - from California to Washington.

This manifest destiny has leaked into contemporary American politics and is illustrated surprisingly well in the Transformers films. The foreign policy of the United States is one of manifest destiny towards the rest of the world. With military bases stationed around the world in a vain attempt to maintain world peace. With the self-imposed narcissistic title of “leader of the free world,” the United States displays a lack of recognition of the sovereignty of foreign nations.

The Transformers films illustrate this time and time again. The best example comes once again from Revenge of the Fallen. The finale of the film is set at the pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Here, the American armed forces launch an invasion of the famed landmark in order to stop the villainous Decepticons from unleashing their doomsday weapon. Where are the Egyptians? Not the faintest idea. In the most unintentionally comedic moment in the whole film, two Jordanian fighter jets appear to aid the Americans in the fight, but they are quickly shot out of the sky without a second thought. The Pyramids are left in ruins, but the Americans are victorious. No consequence and no repercussions - just the casual invasion of foreign nations.

A section of the first film, the sub-plot pertaining to Epps and Knox, has a group of American soldiers casually causing violence and destruction in Qatar. Innocents are killed as a result of America’s military presence in the country. I can hear the objection that the deaths of both soldiers and civilians in this storyline are the result of the deceptions and not the Americans. However, if there was no military base, to begin with, there would be none of this destruction of foreign nations.

The finale of The Last Knight is set at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. Once again, the brave American soldiers recklessly destroy the English countryside with no consequence. Where are the British? Where is the army of any other nation? They are nowhere to be found because America is the defender of the Earth.

Conclusion

The Transformers series - loud, chaotic, bombastic, and fundamentally political.

Bay’s America is a weird, twisted fantasy combining Reagan era socio-economic politics with the Bush-era anti-terrorism foreign policy. The bastard offspring of these two ideas is an America characterized by dangerous and violent nationalism, imperialism, and rugged individualism. The Transformers films are ultimately an anti-diplomatic set of films that delight in and celebrate the excess of violence and aggressive action.

America is great because of the bravery of its heroic soldiers and the courage of average Americans to stand up for their rights against a government fundamentally opposed to them. 

The Transformers films, no matter how ridiculous, flawed, or laughable they appear to be on the exterior, are fundamentally frightening. They live up to the catchphrase “more than meets the eye” - a ridiculous exterior with dark ideas hidden beneath the outer layer. Bay’s America is one to be feared - both by its own citizens and by the rest of the world. With its freedom-loving main characters and their macho military allies, Bay uses the Transformers films to project his ideals onto an unwitting audience. The politics are all there. We just need to recognize them. Perhaps the best propaganda is the propaganda not immediately recognizable.

Image Credits:

Still from Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014). © Paramount Pictures.

Still from Transformers (2007). © Paramount Pictures.

Still from Transformers (2007). © Paramount Pictures.

Still from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009). © Paramount Pictures.

Still from Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014). © Paramount Pictures.