---
title: "Transformers: Age of Extinction: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/transformers-age-of-extinction/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/transformers-age-of-extinction"
critics_score: 42
critics_reviews: 24
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014): what the critics said

Critics' score 42 from 24 reviews: 1 positive, 10 mixed, 13 negative.

## Variety — Maggie Lee

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 June 2014. Festival review. 

Lee finds the film an exhilarating spectacle, though its human characters and plot are weak. She praises the robots’ expressive physicality and the vivid Hong Kong locations.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/asia/film-review-transformers-age-of-extinction-1201238365/)

## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 11 July 2014. 

O'Sullivan finds the film's chaotic, franchise-sized spectacle entertaining despite its muddled plot and relentless excess. She particularly praises Bay's frenetic visual effects and the fun of the film's disorienting action.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/transformers-age-of-extinction-review-9599420.html)

## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2014. 

Sharkey calls it a better Transformers film, though still not a great one. She praises the increasingly clear, technically impressive action battles, while noting the weak humor and overstuffed story.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-transformers-review-20140627-column.html)

## Screen Daily — James Marsh

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 22 June 2014. 

The page identifies this as a review, but the review text is hidden behind a paywall. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint are unavailable in the provided content.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/transformers-age-of-extinction/5073412.article)

## Film Comment — Kevin B. Lee

Fi1m's normalised score 63/100 (inferred from the text). 

The available page shell does not reveal the critic’s verdict. Its standfirst focuses on the interlocking parts of the fourth installment.

[Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/review-transformers-4-age-of-extinction/)

## Little White Lies — David Ehrlich

Rating 4/3/3. 9 July 2014. 

Ehrlich finds the film messy and regressive but too wildly unpredictable to dismiss. He singles out its transparent portrayal of blockbuster globalism, especially the China-set final hour, as fascinating.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/transformers-age-of-extinction)

## Radio Times — Alan Jones

Rating 3/5. 

Jones finds this the longest and most wearisome Transformers sequel yet. He singles out its impressive action sequences, including those set in Monument Valley and Hong Kong.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-4iicq4/transformers-age-of-extinction/)

## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf

Rating 3/5. 7 July 2014. 

The review gives the film three out of five, indicating a mixed verdict. The available text highlights Bay’s earlier Pain & Gain for its performances and satirical bite, but the full review is unavailable.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/transformers-age-of-extinction)

## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

Rating C-. 26 June 2014. 

Vishnevetsky finds the film joyless and creatively exhausted, with its action mostly running on autopilot. He praises the visually distinctive KSI headquarters and the biomechanical spaceship sequence as rare moments when the movie comes alive.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/transformers-age-of-extinction-runs-on-fumes-1798180790)

## Total Film — Kevin Harley

Rating 2/5. 15 November 2014. 

Harley judges the film stale and overstuffed, arguing that it squanders the chance to reinvent the franchise. He singles out the weak human characters and small ideas, which are overwhelmed by familiar Bay excesses.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/transformers-age-extinction-review/)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2014. 

Brody finds brief excitement in the film but ultimately sees its meticulous craft overwhelmed by vulgar excess and poor taste. He praises Bay’s fluid integration of effects and live action, while faulting his lack of visual insight.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/michael-bays-meticulous-excess)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2014. 

Bradshaw finds the film wearing, ridiculous, and overlong, with only occasional humour. He singles out Stanley Tucci’s unexpectedly droll performance as a glimmer of comic relief.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/10/transformers-age-of-extinction-review-michael-bay)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Clarence Tsui

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 22 June 2014. 

The critic finds the film dull and bloated, a disappointing attempt to revive the franchise. Stanley Tucci’s comic performance is singled out as a highlight, while the underwritten human characters draw criticism.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/transformers-age-extinction-film-review-713864/)

## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson

Rating 1/4. 27 June 2014. 

Henderson finds the film monotonous and sluggish, criticizing its spectacle for failing to deliver excitement. He singles out Bay’s framing of the human protagonists as evidence of the director’s lack of genuine wonder.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/transformers-age-of-extinction/)

## Empire — Owen Williams

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 23 June 2021. 

Williams finds the film bloated, incoherent, and tiresome despite its enormous scale. He singles out Stanley Tucci as the standout, while criticizing the weak plotting and largely pointless human characters.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/transformers-age-extinction-review/)

## Vulture — David Edelstein

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2014. 

Edelstein calls the film a shambles, criticizing its incoherent script and exhausting length. He praises Bay’s ravishing, layered images and the film’s striking CGI action sequences.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2014/06/movie-review-transformers-age-of-extinction-is-a-shambles.html)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2014. 

The URL identifies this as a review, but the review text is inaccessible. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined from the available page.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-michael-bays-transformers-age-of-extinction-starring-mark-wahlberg-20140626/)

## Digital Spy — Ben Rawson-Jones

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 1 July 2014. 

The critic finds the film occasionally enjoyable as spectacle, but weighed down by weak characterization, messy plotting, and crude gender politics. The large-scale set pieces and technical craft are singled out for praise, especially an effective escape sequence aboard an Autobot ship.

[Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a581402/transformers-age-of-extinction-review-can-wahlberg-save-the-day/)

## Den of Geek — Mike Cecchini

Rating 2/5. 26 June 2014. 

The review finds the film a satisfying spectacle for franchise fans but says it ultimately collapses under its own excess. It praises the robots’ visuals and Dinobots while criticizing the 166-minute runtime and repetitive human story.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/transformers-age-of-extinction-review/)

## Paste — Mark Rozeman

Rating 3.2/10. 28 June 2014. 

Rozeman finds the film an overlong, tedious retread whose “dumb fun” defense has worn thin. He singles out Stanley Tucci for bringing welcome energy and humor to the cast.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/transformers-age-of-extinction)

## Consequence — Dominick Suzanne-Mayer

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 30 June 2014. 

The critic finds the film overlong, incoherent, and unpleasantly self-serious, arguing it has lost the earlier entries’ appeal. They single out its relentless product placement and franchise-as-brand priorities as especially distracting.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2014/06/film-review-transformers-age-of-extinction/)

## Eye for Film — David Graham

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2014. 

Graham finds the film overwhelmingly tedious and convoluted, calling for the franchise to stop. He grants that some action set-pieces and occasional childish humor work, but complains that the effects, editing, and endless battles leave the experience deadening.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/transformers-age-of-extinction-2014-film-review-by-david-graham)

## /Film — David Chen

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2014. 

Chen delivers a strongly negative verdict, arguing that the film is anti-cinema and built to maximize commerce. He especially criticizes its blatant product placement and action figures taking precedence over coherent storytelling and character development.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/532552/transformers-age-extinction-film-as-commerce/)

## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2014. 

The critic condemns the film as a punishing, incoherent spectacle that leaves little but commercial excess. They praise the robots’ improved visual clarity, but single out the disorienting editing as a major flaw.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/transformers-age-of-extinction-review-clang-clang-clang-went-the-robots/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/transformers-age-of-extinction.md