The ‘Last’ round for ‘Transformers’? Not likely

“Transformers.” OK. What else do you need to know?

Whether to bring earplugs if you have sensitive hearing? Well, you know that already. If there is any movie franchise that guarantees in advance what you’ll be getting, this certainly is one of them, if not the ultimate one – and the latest chapter, “Transformers: The Last Knight,” does not disappoint on that particular count.

You probably wouldn’t think a story in this series would have anything to do with the days of King Arthur, but this one goes there. Mark Wahlberg’s scruffy character is back, this time teamed up with an Oxford professor (Laura Haddock) – yeah, that could happen – who apparently is descended from the magician Merlin. And yes, that evidently has something to do with the converting robots we know so well.

To say that is a “reach” may be the movie-related understatement of the year. Yes, you do need a touch of freshness to keep a franchise going, but it also needs to stay in the realm of reality of what the franchise is.

Admittedly, it’s a bit on the nutty side to use the word “reality” in relation to “Transformers,” but the series has created a world it needs to stay true to. Invoking King Arthur, who did not have Decepticons of the Round Table (to the best of our knowledge, anyway), doesn’t exactly do that.

And if that’s not enough to try to transform “Transformers” into something grander, Anthony Hopkins also is on hand. Yes. In a “Transformers” movie. After her recent “Fate of the Furious” turn, Helen Mirren should compare notes with him. There’s also a certain kick in seeing Jerrod Carmichael of “The Carmichael Show” in the midst of this, since it’s far from his usual cup of tea in multiple ways.

For any artistic aspirations it has under returning director Michael Bay – a master of this form, as his action epics have proven time and again – “Transformers: The Last Knight” has the same goal as its forerunners: to make things blow up real good and real loud. That, it certainly does ... but don’t let the knighthood kid you.

In the end, this is just what we’ve seen and heard four times before. Technically proficient, sure, but primarily (with Optimus Prime) a retread nevertheless.