Story
The opening scene of Transformers: The Last Knight is set in England during the Dark Ages. An army led by King Arthur (Liam Carrigan) is battling an invading force. Merlin (Stanley Tucci) arrives with a magic staff. The staff allows him to control a gigantic three-headed dragon transformer called Dragonstorm, which drives off the invading army. We learn that the staff can be used only by Merlin or one of his direct descendants.
The movie skips to the present day, where Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) is on a quest to find his creator. The Transformer Autobots, now declared illegal, have gone into hiding after being hunted by the TRF (Transformer Reaction Force), who destroy any Autobots they come across. A young girl, Izabella (Isabella Moner), tries to save a dying ancient Transformer Knight. She’s attacked by the TRF and only just saved by Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), a hero from previous Transformer movies. The Knight dies but gives Cade an ancient talisman, which gives Cade special powers.
Cade is approached by a humanoid Autobot named Gogman (Jim Carter), who convinces him to go to England where he meets Sir Edmund Burton (Anthony Hopkins). Sir Edmund is a member of the order of Witwiccans, who have been keeping the Transformers’ existence a secret since the days of King Arthur. Arthurian historian Viviane Wembley (Laura Haddock) also goes to meet Sir Edmund. Sir Edmund reveals the secret of the staff of Merlin and its role in protecting the Earth. He explains that Viviane, as Merlin’s surviving descendant, is the only person alive capable of wielding Merlin’s staff.
The rest of the movie is a battle between two ancient enemies with the fate of the world resting on the shoulders of a few humans and Autobots.
Themes
Fantasy; good versus evil; death of parents; weapons of mass destruction
Violence
Transformers: The Last Knight contains: Here are some examples:
Sexual references
Transformers: The Last Knight contains sexual references and innuendo throughout. For example:
- When an adolescent boy tries to flirt with a girl, the girl points to her guardian-like Transformer companion and says, ‘As far as you’re concerned he’s my boyfriend’.
- A Transformer says, ‘Look at the junk in her trunk’. The comment seems to have a sexual meaning, but the movie cuts to an image on a laptop that shows a car boot full of packages.
- Four older women tell a young woman that she should place an ad in the classifieds for a sexual partner. One of the women describes an ad about a man who has his own dungeon. They suggest that ads for women would be OK as well.
- A humanoid Transformer tells a man that he got a message from a woman wanting to snuggle.
- A man is asked how long it has been since he ‘made whoopee’. He’s then asked if he’s saving himself for old age.
- A woman says to a man, ‘Hands off – there’s a time and place for everything’.
- There’s a reference to a goat’s scrotum.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There is some use of substances in Transformers: The Last Knight. For example:
- A man drinks alcohol from a bottle in a couple of scenes and admits to being ‘sozzled’. A second man refers to him as a ‘worthless drunkard’.
- Four women sit around a table with drinks in front of them. One of the women picks up a carafe and drinks half the contents.
- In one scene a man asks another man what he’s smoking in his pipe.
- One Transformer appears to be smoking a cigar throughout the movie.
Nudity and sexual activity
Transformers: The Last Knight has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- Women wear tight and revealing clothing.
- One woman walks and moves in a sexy way.
- In one scene a man pulls up his shirt to reveal his muscles.
- A woman passionately kisses a man on the lips.
Product placement
There’s an entire toy franchise based on Transformer characters. In addition to this, the movie shows several brand-name vehicles including General Motors, Lamborghini, Chevrolet, Dodge, Range Rover, Lexus and Mercedes. Characters wear Adidas and Nike clothing and footwear.
Coarse language
Transformers: The Last Knight has frequent coarse language, put-downs and name-calling.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Transformers: The Last Knight is the latest movie in this science-fiction action adventure series targeting teenage fans.
This movie might appeal to younger children, particularly those who have Transformer toys, but the M rating is appropriate. The movie’s violence, scary scenes and characters, and coarse language make it unsuitable for viewers under 13 years. We recommend parental guidance for children aged 13-15 years, because some children in this group might find some scenes disturbing.
These are the main messages from this movie:
- By working together we can achieve a greater good.
- Split-second decisions might have important historical consequences.
- Anyone can be a hero if they step forward when needed.