6 Divisive Directors Whose Work Is Always Interesting To Watch

Michael Bay

It is an inescapable truth that films by Michael Bay generate extraordinarily large box office results, while receiving critical reactions that imply filmmaking quality of mediocre levels, at best. It is not clear how he does it, nor how he can maintain any kind of directing career while accumulating the kind of reviews that would have immediately sunk a female director the first time out of the gate. But, he does it, and it seems set to continue.

From 1995’s Bad Boys, 1996’s The Rock, 1998’s Armageddon, and 2001’s Pearl Harbour, Michael Bay established himself as an action film director who could deliver high concept, glossy fare, featuring box-office draw names striding purposefully away from explosions, while a number one pop song swells on the soundtrack.

The air seemed to be slowly leaking from his box office tyres, however, with 2003’s Bad Boys II and 2005’s The Island – which were both relatively disappointing in financial terms, as well as generating terrible reviews. But, he came back swinging and kickstarted a Transformers franchise in 2007 that – nine years and four films later – has smashed through the $1 billion box office barrier. As a result, we will soon have to endure Transformers 5 – which will undoubtedly be a critical flop, while filling the studio coffers with lots and lots of money.