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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.
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Not sure description is right
Said in description for this product, saying complete season 6 disc's this is what I got don't really know this season so not sure if I was miss sold but season 1 for £10 still not bad
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 December 2007
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 April 2024
Said in description for this product, saying complete season 6 disc's this is what I got don't really know this season so not sure if I was miss sold but season 1 for £10 still not bad
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