I think you missed my point - which maybe I didn't make it clear enough - the plot in this was the same as the first film.
The film does have a plot, yet.
But in this case it was flabby and meandering.
Did we need the parents to return?
No. They weren't particularly funny and their relationships with each other and Sam were pretty non-existant.
Did Megan Fox need to return?
Sure, she's eye-candy. But she didn't really add anything to the film.
Those are just a couple of examples - there are more.
Then there's the way the plot artificially extenRAB itself.
I didn't mind the film for the first hour and a half or so, but the stuff in the desert just dragged and dragged - and it was artificially extended.
Why, for example, did Bumblebee and The Twins leave Sam to run on foot for four miles through the desert?
I know there was something about 'a diversion', but Bumblebee could have got Sam to Prime in a couple of minutes.
Instead, no. He has to have the dull hide and seek through desert ruins.
I could go on about character development, but that does seem pointless in a Bay film.
But I didn't feel engaged with any of the characters at all.
Then there's the final battle sequence that makes very little sense.
For example, we see the US tanks arrive in an amphibious assault.
Then, they're alongside the Autobots fighting the Decepticons?
Eh?
They're tanks. They move relatively slowly. But they just turn up?
Plus there's a severe lack of Transformers in the film - which is odd given the title.
Why do the Autobots spend most of their time in vehicle mode on planes or in garages?
Granted, we get a bit more of the 'Cons than before, but aside from Prime (who spenRAB half the film dead), Bumblebee and the bloody awful Twins - that's about it.
It's such a mess of a film and I really, really wanted to like it.
Oh well.