'Transformers' Using 9/11 Imagery to Promote Movie Leaves Viewers Stunned

Viewers were left baffled by the new Transformers: Rise of the Beasts trailer, which shows footage reminiscent of the September 11 terror attacks.

The upcoming movie, the seventh in the Transformers movie franchise, is set in the 1990s, when the twin towers were still standing in New York City. As a result, they feature in the new trailer—but smoke seen billowing behind the structures brought back imagery of 9/11 for many viewers.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts stars Anthony Ramos (Hamilton), and the voice talents of Pete Davidson, Ron Pearlman, Michelle Yeoh and Peter Dinklage. It launches in movie theaters in the United States on June 9, 2023.

Ahead of its launch, the Paramount Pictures International Twitter account campaigned for the movie by sharing a video. It featured new footage and behind the scenes interviews with the cast and director. However, some viewers were distracted 12 seconds into the video by the imagery featuring the Twin Towers.

"This certainly made me stop scrolling," pop culture writer Daniel Kibblesmith wrote on Twitter, sharing a screenshot of the moment in the trailer. His tweet went viral and sparked a discussion online.

"Wow. That's a choice..." Twitter user @MattBCTucker wrote after seeing the shot. Another user said it was "too soon," while others suggested Kibblesmith had faked the tweet.

"OK that's messed," wrote another user retweeting the image. "Yep, that pain is still there," added another. While some reacted in a serious tone, dozens of social media users made the same joke that "a Decepticon has crashed into the South Tower," referencing the villains in Transformers.

Responding to the rhetoric he instigated, Kibblesmith continued: "A lot of the comments are saying this is very bad — a LOT of action movies use 9/11 imagery (I'm guessing all the Transformers movies do to some extent, I haven't seen them) and I personally don't think of it as off limits, I was just surprised to see it on the feed."

Another user wondered what the purpose of the World Trade Center's involvement was supposed to represent. "I wasn't sure for a second if it was supposed to be establishing it as a period piece or an alternate reality where the Transformers involvement prevented 9/11," @slowboattohades wrote.

Other users suggested it is important to acknowledge the event in movies, as we have other historical events.

"It's funny, as we advance from 2001 more writers will link the 9/11 to some kind of sci-fi/supernatural explanation. Like with JFK assassination," one user wrote. Another said, "I'm glad we're at the point where movies are allowed to acknowledge the fact that the Twin Towers did, in fact, exist."

The main protagonist in the movie, Noah (played by Ramos) lives in Brooklyn in 1994. In terms of a timeline, the establishing shot of New York makes sense, though the billowing smoke that surrounds the Twin Towers and the rest of New York is unexplained.