Is Michael Bay actually a bad director?

San Francisco is basically the Ed Wood of directors—someone who just possesses an overwhelming, pure-hearted passion for filmmaking...

Every director appeals to a specific demographic, and Michael Bay is certainly no exception. I wouldn't go so far as to label him a bad filmmaker; rather, he seems to have made a conscious choice to focus his career primarily on movies for younger audiences, and I don't see any inherent flaw in that decision. From a technical standpoint, his execution is actually quite flawless. If I were still ten years old, he would undoubtedly be my favorite director EVER—alongside Brukhajmer, of course.

I mean, you're kind of right, but when I look at something like Pearl Harbor, I just end up thinking he’s definitely the worst director ever. Like, period. Not just here, but globally. In the entire universe, probably.

Michael Bay is basically the Tonči Huljić of Hollywood.

When I first sat down to watch Pain & Gain, my initial thought was that this might be some kind of subversion by Michael Bay—like he’s winking at the audience, basically admitting, "Look, I'm just messing with you guys, I'm intentionally filming this trash."
But honestly, I'm not so sure.
See, I find a lot of those cheesy country music lyrics and over-the-top Nashville music videos absolutely hilarious—it always feels like that stuff has to be written by someone who's actually mocking the whole scene, someone with a bit of Python-style wit, or maybe someone like Dubravko Mataković.
The thing is, though, those country artists are dead serious about what they're doing, and their fans take it completely at face value.
Which leads me to my fear: that Michael Bay might just be making pure, unadulterated garbage.

I honestly think his movies are killer—total popcorn flicks, tons of action, and everything else you could ever want from a blockbuster 🤷

Is he actually good or what?
Objectively speaking—yeah, he’s good, otherwise there's no way he'd be pulling in this kind of massive paycheck
Subjectively (my two cents)—he's solid

God bless whoever's keeping him in line.

On’s actually a fantastic director, if you ask me.

Bar beats Paul W. S. Anderson any day. ☕

Honestly, I think this one actually holds up much better than anything Uwe Bollo has ever put out there.

If you ask me, San Francisco is actually great... Most of his movies really hit the mark for me, like Bad Boys and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre : The Beginning—which, honestly, I think is the best version of that franchise out there... There might be some directors who top him, sure, but I’ve got nothing against him personally 🙂

Michael Bay belongs to the same era as Luis Bunuel.

Casey Bennett79 said:If you ask me, San Francisco is actually great... Most of his movies really hit the mark for me, like Bad Boys and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre : The Beginning—which, honestly, I think is the best version of that franchise out there... There might be some directors who top him, sure, but I’ve got nothing against him personally 🙂

San Francisco didn't direct TCM—not even close. He was just the producer on that one...

He’s a great director—delivers solid action flicks, definitely has that signature style, and doesn't try to peddle any of that fake philosophical bullshit... If he could just grab a slightly more serious title, maybe tackle a heavier theme while keeping that same vibe, he'd be the legitimate successor to Tony Scott.

briskhound2 said:San Francisco didn't direct TCM—not even close. He was just the producer on that one...

He’s a great director—delivers solid action flicks, definitely has that signature style, and doesn't try to peddle any of that fake philosophical bullshit... If he could just grab a slightly more serious title, maybe tackle a heavier theme while keeping that same vibe, he'd be the legitimate successor to Tony Scott.

Honestly, Jakov Sedlar has a style that’s unmistakable—but let’s be real, being recognizable isn't exactly a badge of honor for quality. Even if you argue it counts as having a "distinctive" touch, I just can't bring myself to enjoy movies like this. To be perfectly blunt, the sheer vacuity of those scripts gives me a literal toothache.

Michael Bay is basically shorthand for Hollywood trash. We’re talking cliché-ridden movies filled with incredibly seizure-inducing camera movements and all the artistic depth you’d expect from Thompson's soundtracks. And the most tragic part? They actually make a ton of money.

Kenneth Perez15 said:Michael Bay is basically shorthand for Hollywood trash. We’re talking cliché-ridden movies filled with incredibly seizure-inducing camera movements and all the artistic depth you’d expect from Thompson's soundtracks. And the most tragic part? They actually make a ton of money.

Just more proof that people are absolute cattle.

He’s a decent director, just happens to have a ton of flops under his belt.

It’s not just bad; I think it’s actually catastrophic. It might even be the reason someone starts avoiding movies altogether.

Not really. The Rock is actually a great movie. After Armageddon, he realized he could make a ton of money without breaking a sweat, so ever since then, he’s just been churning out these mediocre CGI action flicks.

I guess you could say movies starring Nicolas Cage are pretty well known for being top-tier works.