Underrated

True story. Michael Bay is underrated. His films have made a ton of money but he gets no respect as a filmmaker.

He has made three movies that I personally think are at least very good, if not great:

The Rock (this one IS great)
Pain & Gain
13 Hours

These are his best films, in my opinion. The ironic thing is that while the Transformers series chugged along making billions of dollars, P&G and 13 Hours underperformed at the box office. So his best efforts are often not the ones that get rewarded.

I know a lot of people also really enjoy the first Bad Boys movie. Armageddon has its defenders. I think The Island was okay as well.

The point is, when he's at his best he makes genuinely good films. And when he's not on his A-game, often times the movies he makes still end up being entertaining enough to warrant a watch.

One has to wonder where his career would be today, and how public opinion about him would be different, if he had never gotten wrapped up in the Transformers franchise.