The standalone-ness (plus the alt-reality nature of the story) was what turned me off, personally. Feels very inconsequential. Also, the Prime we've seen elsewhere in continuity* wouldn't be as prepared to surrender.
*Well, before the current series, All Hail Megatron, written by a different author in which he leads a squad of non-combat-specialists into a blatant ambush. I really dislike storylines in which characters become dumb for the writer's convenience.