Customer Reviews:
Radical, dark, deep...Transformers.......2007-12-30
Whenever one talks about Transformers, most of the general public will assume you're talking about the globally popular franchise where you have robots turning into cars, planes or whatever. Debuting in the eighties as the Robots in Disguise, with more to them than meets the eye...they quickly became a hit. And whenever people talk about the toys and great animated series, they think back to the great phenomenon in the eighties, nowadays regarded by cultists and everyone else as Generation 1.
Since then, Hasbro have reinvented their franchise again and again to stop it from becoming stale, and to introduce new generations to the Transformers. And there have been some absolutely great incarnations over the years, all distinctive and equally memorable, and each bringing something different to the table.
After Generations 1 and 2 came Beast Wars, which changed everything about Transformers, and for the better. Backed up by a classic CGI series and introducing awesome new concepts that helped the Transformers universe evolve in spectacular fashion, Beast Wars was a major hit, proving (in a lot of ways) to be just as popular as Generation 1.
Transformers fans of the 21st century will obviously be more familiar with things like Robots in Disguise and Armada, just as older fans will know about G1 and Beast Wars. So what exactly is Beast Machines? Where does this particular incarnation fit into the Transformers timeline? For those who've never heard of it, it's the direct sequel to Beast Wars, in a nutshell. To divulge further details, would be to label it one of the most radical and controversial versions of Transformers ever portrayed in the franchise's history.
At the end of Beast Wars, the heroic Maximals defeated the evil Predacons. They then departed prehistoric Earth to go back to Cybertron, with the beaten Megatron as their prisoner. So you'd think that'd mean everything would be all hunky-dory in the first episode, right? Not exactly. The surviving Maximals - Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Blackarachnia and Rattrap - have now awakened on Cybertron next to powerless, unable to transform, and discovered that Megatron now rules the planet, occupied by billions of Vehicon drones. With no recollection of how it happened. Reformatted by a mythical computer known as the Oracle, the Maximals embark to learn the truth of how everything changed and also to liberate their homeworld.
I had never ever heard of this series before I read about it in Transformers: The Ultimate Guide. The images and storyline of it struck me as both shocking and intriguing. Never before had I seen Transformers like this. Being a Generation 1 fan first and foremost (with Beast Wars ranking a close second), it was going to be tough to be open-minded about this when actually watching these episodes. As it is, I found myself being absolutely enthralled by Beast Machines.
The first thing I have to write about is the animation. It's CGI and it's from the days when CGI really meant something in a series. These days, it's become overrated, especially when it doesn't have a good story to back it up. Here, the guys responsible for the awesome visuals are Mainframe Entertainment, creators of the phenomenal shows ReBoot and Beast Wars. Although the CGI industry is pretty much dominated by Pixar, DreamWorks and Square-Enix nowadays, Mainframe were the true pioneers of this field of art. And you'll see for yourself in Beast Machines why they deserve such praise. The 3D animation is very dark and all-round excellent, even by today's standards.
Another great thing about Beast Machines is that it possesses some of the same traits that made Beast Wars such a resounding success. The cast is so much smaller than that of Generation 1, thus allowing to properly focus on character depth and development. There's also more of a structure to the show's continuity, allowing for some terrific story arcs and sub-plots. The show also uses some of the best elements from G1 to fuel its creativity, yet remains its own show at the same time.
The surviving characters from Beast Wars remain excellent, and the new arrivals are also enjoyable in their own right. For instance, the Maximal Nightscream is a likeable kid who matures and develops really well throughout the course of the series. And the Vehicon generals Jetstorm, Thrust and Tankor provide great entertainment and all possess startling secrets that affect the course of the series in shocking and creative ways. We're also treated to the return of old Beast Wars favourites such as Silverbolt, Rhinox and Waspinator.
But why was this such a controversial series, then? Well, if you've seen Beast Wars, there're a lot of character changes that fans really didn't take so well to, viewing them as very drastic and uncharacteristic. There were also startling story revelations that fans felt tarnished the appeal and story of the Transformers. Having watched G1 and Beast Wars plenty of times, I can understand the outrage and backlash, but I personally found that the circumstances of the Maximals' situation and the links to the Transformers' origin in the old G1 series made it all plausible. As such I really enjoyed Beast Machines and applauded it for being different in a enjoyable way. And when I compare this to some other (more recent) versions of Transformers, THIS is definitely of a higher quality.
Sadly, there're no extras on this DVD set, which I really think is tight given that Region 1 releases of Beast Machines are reputed for overflowing with special features. Still, the crisp, beautiful quality of the DVD transfer by Sony makes up for it. And subtitles always have their use, I suppose.
Beast Machines is perhaps the darkest and most mature version of Transformers ever. The setting of Maximal freedom fighters struggling for survival and an end to tyranny gives this so much merit, along with other pros. Although perhaps not the kind of thing for G1 purists, this is worthy of the name Transformers and deserves a look.
Meanwhile, Back On Cybertron..........2007-09-11
Far darker,spiritual and serious than the preceeding Beast Wars series, Beast Machines is a highly contentious part of Transformers lore. The central premise of the tale - that Cybertron was once capable of supporting organic life and could do so again -is a bold step, and an intriguing one and takes the TFs in a suprising direction. Much of the work done in Beast Wars in marrying the many divergent continuities is largely done away with here, which is a bit of a shame as it strips away the depth and richness of content that Beast Wars had. Where Beast Machines suceeds is in the slow unravelling of a very complex spiritual journey that succeeds in an excellent resolution. However,there's something just not quite right about Beast machines and it comes down to the characterisation.A lot of the dialogue feels strangely flat and lifeless. The voice actors give very straight jacketed performances, and there's less of the humor and spontaneous exchanges that were apparent in Beast Wars. This is a great shame, as allowing the voice cast a bit of freedom would have greatly enhanced an otherwise very stern series.The alteration of the characteristics also jars. Rattrap is cowardly and self-serving, whilst Black Arachnia exhibts none of the femme fatale characteristics that made her such an enjoyable character. The UK DVD release is also a slight disappointment, being a simple vanilla release. Far better is the Region 1 version which gives you all 26 episodes and some extremely candid interviews with Marv Wolfman (series creator), Sue Blu (voice director and also Arcee in the original cartoon) and David Kaye, the voice of Megatron who shows some signs of disappointment that he wasn't allowed the same freedom he got with Beast Wars.
"The seeds of the future lie buried in the past.".......2007-07-21
As the live action Transformers movie is about to hit our screens it is interesting to see that they have released what is essentially the final Transformers story on DVD.
Transformers: Beast Machines was created by Mainframe, the masterminds behind the seminal ReBoot and the sci-fi epic Shadow Raiders, and their passion for the story is evident as they expand upon the mythos they had already started.
A word of caution to new viewers though; this story is a continuation of the Transformers epic Beast Wars, a 52 part series which came out in the mid-nineties. There are references to the previous show and some elements of the storyline make more sense and have more dramatic impact if you have seen what happened in the first show.
The story centres around Optimus Primal, who awakens on Cybertron alone, unable to transform and regressed to his primary beast mode. As he is pursued he meets up with his fellow Maximals and between them they have no memories of how they got there or what's happened.
With Cyberton seemingly deserted except for millions of Bike, Tank and Aero Drones, their search for the missing Transformers begins.
Set entirely on Cybertron with no small human children to hamper the storyline, Beast Machines is one of the more action orientated Transformers stories ever made.
The CGI is stunning, more so than Beast Wars and the fluidity of movement for the characters is a cut above Mainframe's previous productions. Just watch the movements of Cheetor and Blackarachnia in beast mode to see what I mean.
This set comprises the first 13 episodes of the series and has two main arcs; the revelation of what happened before they arrived followed by the shock of what they are there to do. With plenty of twists and turns the series builds to a gripping cliffanger leaving you wondering about the fate of several characters.
The second series of 13 episodes should be realeased soon and the conclusion to the final Transformers story can finally be revealed.
"'till all are one!"
A surprisingly gripping Transformers cartoon.......2007-07-17
After hearing both good and bad things about Beast Machines and never being able to see it, I finally got the chance to see the whole first season today and from someone who tends to fall asleep when I try to watch other Transformers cartoons, this is the first time I've been truly gripped and wanting to see what happens next.
Beast Machines is the sequel to Beast Wars and since I don't like spoilers, I'm not going to spoil it for anyone, all I can say is that from the start things will seem very wrong if you've seen the end of Beast Wars, which I haven't since it's still not been released in the UK yet.
The show is almost completely CGI, there is some drawn artwork used in some of the backgrounds at points. There are some poor details, but I guess that's to be expected since the main CGI is used for the Vehicons, Maximals and Megatron.
There aren't any extra features with the pack, just the episodes, subtitle options and audio options. It would have been nice if there had been a few extras, but no matter, as long as the main feature is good, which it is.
Primal and Megatron are voiced really well, Megatron especially. Plus the rest of the cast are also well voiced and written, the voice of Jetstorm is corny, yet nicely done.
This isn't Generation 1, nor any of the newer series like Armada and so on, Beast Machines is the end of the Generation One story that was picked up again in Beast Wars, while having it's own story. So don't expect any walk on moments from old Prime and others, this is a purely Maximal, Vehicon and Megatron affair.
The story gripped me, it's a well written story that does require the viewer to think beyond the general convention of Transformers, this looks into something never done before for Transformers and hasn't been done since.
So if you decide to give Beast Machines a try, then get some popcorn and sit down to a great, gripping story that leaves you wanting more. Just don't expect the old style.
Hope the next episodes get released on DVD soon.
Customer Reviews:
Different.......2006-12-15
First of all this is not a bad Transformer seris, it is just way out there as it really has not taken on board the Transformer history. Why would it have organic life as the race are Robots. Second the Transformers are so out of charactor Cheetor question Optimas Primal when he wouldn't, Rhinox goes bad what a mistake. Rat Trap is treated like a kid and never stands up for himself which is silly. Silverbolt acts like a moran when he returns. And Blackarnia isn't bad enoungh wheres the sneekest spider gone. Megatron just moans about his Beast form. The other vilions are lame. Also the bad guys have no personality which sucks except on rare ocasions. The robot forms all look pretty lame.
But overall not a bad season maybe they should make a second season where they tie up the seris and say they were on the wrong planet and it was a trick perhaps. Oh well still worth watching in a completey new stlye i still recomend this that's why am given this five stars.
Beast Machines, Underappreciated Gold!.......2006-04-07
Beast Machines in the world of Transformers is fairly underappreciated due to its garish toyline and much deeper messages being brought across making it fit in less with the series that die hard fans were more accustomed to.
In short the series is breathtakingly remarkable, using pure CGI and stunning cityscapes. Endgame part 3: Revelations is one of the most powerful climaxes to any transformers series.
I strongly advise anyone to pick up a copy of this dvd box set, containing all 26 episodes of the shortlived series.
DVD:
- Transformers - The Movie Reconstructed [1986]
- Tromeo and Juliet [1996] (Region 1) (NTSC)
- Walt Disney's Fables - Vol. 2
- Walt Disney's Fables - Vol. 3
- Week-End in Havana [1941] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Where the Sidewalk Ends [1950] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Whirlpool [1949] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Wiggles - Space Dancing
- Winnie The Pooh - Pooh's Heffalump Halloween
- W.I.T.C.H. - Vol. 3
DVD List
DVD
Animated
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Comedy
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Categories
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DVD
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Video
Transformers - Beast Machines - Series 2 - Complete
Beast Wars Transformers: The Complete First Season (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Transformers: Beast Wars - The Complete Second Season (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Beast Wars Transformers: The Complete Third Season (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Beast Wars - Vol. 1: Deep Metal/Changing of the Guard
