What Order Should You Watch the “Transformers” Films? and Where Does “Rise of the Beasts” Fit In?

Transformers are back in cinemas! “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (theatrical release: June 8) is already the seventh live-action spectacle about the alien robots, which can transform into cars. No wonder – after all, the previous films flushed over 4.8 billion US dollars at the box office.

But some cinema-goers are now likely to lose track of the “Transformers” film series. New human characters, story set in the 90’s – is Rise of the Beasts a sequel, a prequel or something completely standalone?

We’ll tell you in which order you should watch the “Transformers” films correctly and where the new strip “Rise of the Beasts” is classified chronologically.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in cinemas

In 2007, Michael Bay brought the first “Transformers” film to the cinema – and turned the iconic Hasbro toys into a gigantic Hollywood blockbuster. But is “Transformers 1” still the chronological first part of the series? The answer is yes – and at the same time no.

Because the first “Transformers” trilogy (2007-2011) with Shia LaBeouf and the following two films (2014-2017) with Mark Wahlberg actually tell a coherent story and build on each other chronologically. But when Bumblebee hit theaters in 2018, things suddenly got complicated.

All-new Transformers universe

Because “Bumblebee”, which puts the eponymous black and yellow robot in the 80s, was initially planned as a completely normal prequel. But during the shooting, “Transformers 5: The Last Knight” flopped heavily at the box office – so that the makers decided during the process to distance themselves from the previous films and to make “Bumblebee” a reboot, i.e. a new start. This can be seen, among other things, in the design of some Transformers, which look significantly different than in later films.

“Rise of the Beasts” is officially a sequel to “Bumblebee” – and thus part of the newly started “Transformers” reboot universe. The story has nothing to do with the films by Michael Bay or their characters like Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf).

You must watch the films in this order

In plain language: To understand the plot of “Rise of the Beasts” it is enough to watch “Bumblebee” from 2018 beforehand. Parts 1 to 5, on the other hand, can be viewed independently as a separate work, they are not related to the new films.

More news:

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” will start in German cinemas on June 8, 2023, is suitable for ages 12 and up and lasts 128 minutes.