Michael Bay’s First Documentary Was So Dangerous To Shoot He Wasn’t Allowed On Set

Few directors are as devoid of subtlety as Michael Bay. He’s a filmmaker who can turn any type of scene into an action scene and often films quieter moments like he’s shooting a movie’s climax. But while Bay has crafted plenty of spectacular action scenes in the past, his latest film might be his most audacious and impressive work to date. It was also extremely dangerous to shoot, so much so that Bay was legally unable to be anywhere near the set while the cameras were rolling.

When you hear the words “A documentary by Michael Bay,” many thoughts come to mind. However, upon watching “We Are Storror,” you come to realize that, of course, death-defying parkour daredevils who perform outlandish stunts on the regular would be the subject that captured Bay’s attention.

There was just one tiny problem. As a member of the Directors Guild of America, Bay was legally bound to ensure any set he works on is risk-free, and as safe as humanly possible. Of course, a movie about people who jump across rooftops hundreds of feet above ground is anything but risk-free.

“I said, ‘I don’t care to know anything you’re doing. I do not approve of it. What you’re doing is illegal. This is completely wrong,'” Bay explained during a Q&A after the premiere of “We Are Storror” at SXSW. “I’m not doing anything on this. I’m not a producer. I’m not a director, so forget my name, call me later, and I’ll look at the footage and see if I license it.”

Bay and his legal team spent actual years figuring out how to make “We Are Storror” in a way that wouldn’t place the director in legal danger should anything go wrong (and plenty did). The key was that he would not be allowed on set or be involved with filming at all. “I could not be involved in any way, shape or form,” Bay noted at the Q&A. He couldn’t even have knowledge of the footage until it was all shot and everyone was alive and well — to the point where a big accident that occurred early on during filming was complete news to Bay when he found out about it much, much later.

“We Are Storror” tells the story of Storror, a YouTube parkour team comprised of a group of parkour artists from London (two sets of brothers and three mates). The team had previously worked with Bay on the parkour scenes in “6 Underground,” a movie that has one of the worst posters of all time.

As you’d expect based on the concept, Bay’s involvement, and Storror’s history of incredible and wild stunts, “We Are Storror” has some of the most intense and stunning action stunts put to screen in 2025. The many drone shots that track Storror’s highly choreographed stunts are just as breathtakingly shot and edited as those in Bay’s thriller “Ambulance.” Meanwhile, the acrobatics themselves are as visceral as the climactic climb from “Free Solo,” only they take place every 10 minutes instead of simply at the end. If you suffer from vertigo, you will have a bad time with this movie … and even if you don’t, you might still leave the theater with sweaty palms and a new appreciation for never having to perform any of these dangerous stunts in your own life.

Indeed, even without explosions or shootouts, “We Are Storror” feels like a Michael Bay project thanks to the sheer spectacle of watching these British folks defy gravity on rooftops in Malta or run with monkeys on Indian rooftops. Whether you’re already a fan of the group or this is the first time you’re hearing about them, their globe-throttling adventure is inspiring.

In addition to the intense parkour scenes, the thing that makes “We Are Storror” a good documentary is its poignant exploration of male bonding. Though Bay was not involved in the actual shooting, he did have one big note for the members of Storror: “Shoot everything.” That included the preparation process for each stunt, the meticulous planning for the choreography, the dusting of the site so they don’t encounter any surprises, the mess-ups, and their doubts. These are things the group always leaves out of their YouTube videos, so to include them here made all the difference.

You see, the film begins with the eponymous group practicing their latest stunt at a Portuguese dam before a friend of theirs suffers a horrifying accident. This event casts a shadow on the rest of the movie, as the various members of Storror react differently to this near-death experience. After all, they are no longer teenagers, but men in their 30s whose bodies don’t respond the same way to all the wear and tear. We learn the sacrifices they’ve made for the group, leaving behind studies and other career paths, and see the beginnings of their doubts and regrets as they realize that maybe they don’t need to still be risking their lives for a YouTube video.

Much like “Jackass Forever,” there’s a melancholic vibe to “We Are Storror.” The film might be a celebration of their journey so far, but it’s also a bit of a coda to at least one era of their career. There’s a bit of a Peter Pan Syndrome aspect to the documentary and how these guys basically achieved their dream way too early. Now, they have to reckon with the vulnerability of adulthood, the naïveté of youth, the price of turning your hobby into a job, and also the foolhardiness of dangerous stunts, all of which make for poignant themes that the documentary explores with care and empathy.

Storror will continue making videos (they’ve shot several in the time since this movie was being edited) and Michael Bay will continue making big, ridiculous films. Still, “We Are Storror” reveals a different side of both creatives that I wish we could see more of in the future.