When it comes to Michael Bay’s inexplicably never-ending “Transformers” franchise, there is no beating around the bush—it’s really bad. If you don’t think two-and-a-half hours’ worth of annoying robot cars, explosions and an eternally impending apocalypse is a waste of time, you will after seeing any of these films. However, the fifth film in the franchise, “The Last Knight,” is different—just when it didn’t seem humanly possible to make these films any worse, the latest installment did exactly that.

Despite its expected success at the box office, “The Last Knight” will probably prompt a unanimous desire among audiences for those two-and-a-half hours of their lives back. The (thankfully brief) scene shown just after the credits start rolling was enough to make audiences cringe, roll their eyes and sigh with aggravation. Not only did it waste yet another minute of the audience’s time, but it also realized everyone’s worst fear—there will almost definitely be another film, and it will probably be just as bad, if not worse.

The first of the film’s many issues is that, apparently, the Autobots and Decepticons are somehow connected to King Arthur, because transforming robotic cars definitely existed in medieval times. The attempt to combine the franchise’s science fiction roots with mythology is weak and poorly executed. To make matters worse, it gives audiences a drunken portrayal of Merlin from Stanley Tucci that nobody wants to see.

Tucci’s appearance is not the only wasted opportunity in the casting department here. In fact, most of the cast is overqualified for this film. Mark Wahlberg leads the cast, returning as failed inventor-turned-hero Cade Yeager. Though his wit and humor are refreshing in such an unnecessarily heavy franchise, it still isn’t enough to save the film. Anthony Hopkins is, unfortunately, thrown into the mess of “The Last Knight” as well, though his character is one of the series’ stronger offerings. (His robot sidekick Cogman, however, isn’t as warmly welcomed and  comes across as a blatant—and annoying—C-3PO ripoff.)

Although the series’ new female lead, played by Laura Haddock, shows promise, she is yet another character that becomes difficult to enjoy because of everything else that has plagued the film. Many of the other characters—both old and new—have absolutely no purpose whatsoever.

Early on, the film introduces Isabela Moner’s character, a young girl orphaned as a result of the events in “Dark of the Moon.” Though her presence in the first half of the film makes her seem important, the second half diminishes her significance almost completely, adding absolutely nothing to what little plot there is.

Oh, and do not worry—in typical “Transformers” fashion, Bay made sure to include another finale that never ends in this film, lasting about 45 minutes too long and avoiding closure for any of the characters’ stories. It also wasted one of the only exciting moments in the whole movie—a brawl between protagonists Optimus Prime and Bumblebee that probably lasted less than two minutes. Though it resolves the main conflict—whatever that may have been—it essentially ends with viewers feeling both confused at what just happened and relieved that it’s over.

Although the special effects are decent and the action sequences are entertaining enough, “The Last Knight” as a whole is too awful for anything to redeem it.

Rating: 1.5/5 stars