With a Smirk, Robert Pattinson Calls Michael Bay's Transformers 'The Definitive Movie of the 2000s'

On YouTube show The List, presented by movie publisher A24 and Letterboxd, Robert Pattinson and Lance Oppenheim chatted about their favorite movies. During the chat, Pattinson namedropped Michael Bay’s Transformers as “the definitive movie of the 2000s.”

The pair opened up the show talking about movies with bright, saturated colors and glossy tones. According to Pattinson, this style of color grading culminated in Transformers and was never seen again.

Robert Pattinson, of course, is a little scamp. You never know when he’s telling the truth or playing with the audience. Famously, he once lied in an interview about witnessing the death of a clown. As he called out Transformers as the definitive movie of the 2000s, he had the same evil smile on his lips as the clown interview.

Elsewhere in the interview, Pattinson praised Scarface for its balletic action scenes, while Oppenheim said he can tell if he’s going to like someone depending on if they like Tom Cruise movie Vanilla Sky or not.

According to Oppenheim, Pattinson often texts him one word: “Braveheart.” “Think Braveheart.” Pattinson called that movie's famous “you’ll never take our freedom” speech out as one of his favorite movie moments.

The pair were on the show to promote Primetime, a psychological thriller in which Pattinson plays To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen. The film’s opening weekend raked in $19.2 million from 2,863 theaters, ranking third in A24’s library, behind Backrooms ($81.4 million) and Civil War ($25.5 million).

IGN's 9/10 Primetime review praises Robert Pattinson for setting "the screen ablaze as a heightened, petulant Chris Hansen." Chris Hansen, the subject of Primetime, called the movie a "fever dream" and has promised to make his own documentary in response.

Pattinson is currently filming The Batman Part 2, which he teased "goes in a completely different direction" to the first movie. Due to the menacing nature of his Primetime character, fans have been asking Pattinson to play The Joker alongside his Batman appearance.

Elsewhere, Pattinson cast doubt on fans hoping to see his dark and gritty take on the Caped Crusader in James Gunn's wider DC universe. "It's such a specific kind of [style], the tone of it gets inside you," he said.

As for Transformers, the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover movie is now canceled, although Bradley Cooper will star as Duke in a standalone G.I. Joe movie directed by Danny McBride.

Photo by Laurent KOFFEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.