My main problem with the entire Bay'verse sub-continuity is just that: it's exactly what a non-fan would expect (it is a horrible movie, but your expectations are so low that you give it a pass).

It's like introducing a non-Whedonite to Joss by showing them the Kristy Swanson Buffy movie. . .

Transformers could be so much more. Check out Beast Wars , Animated , Prime , or the early IDW comics (the "-ation" arcs [Infiltration, Escalation, Devastation Revelation]) to see what Transformers is capable of when firing on all cylinders.