Bay’s final bow a bloated mess

camera – reportedly for the final time in the series – and his fifth Transformers outing feels like a middle finger up to his critics calling for a more restrained approach; he has a formula and is sticking to it, whether we like it or not.

He tries his best to ensure popcorn thrills and keep fans of the franchise happy, but bombards the audience with an overload of characters, special effects and, of course, explosions.

What Bay has consistently managed, though, is to attract big name stars to his Transformers world and this time Anthony Hopkins joins in the carnage.

His eccentric English lord and a returning Stanley Tucci embrace the mayhem with the fun flourish it deserves, which is just as well as the rest of the human cast struggles to stand out from the CGI-heavy pack.

Mark Wahlberg is back following the events of Age of Extinction but does not convince in a straight man action hero role, while newcomers Laura Haddock and Isabela Moner will not be remembered long after the end credits – with the latter’s character bearing a striking resemblance to Star Wars’ Rey.

In what has become a franchise staple, the mid-section is flabbier than Jabba the Hutt after a buffet, and the script’s attempts at comedy miss the mark.

It all builds to a cluttered-but-actionpacked climax at Stonehenge and another promising end credits sting.

Whether the sixth entry can succeed where The Last Knight failed and build on that promise may depend on who replaces Bay in the director’s chair.