While on a mission of space exploration, a group of
heroic robots called Maximals are ordered to intercept the evil Megatron,
leader of the evil Predacons. During the battle, the two ships crash
on an unknown planet.
The planet is rich in energon, a super energy source
that Megatron needs to enslave the universe. Unfortunately, the
planet is so rich in Energon, that long term exposure will cause their circuits
to freeze up. In order to survive, the Maximals and the
Predacons adopt beast forms, based off of the creatures native to the
planet.
Now, Optimus Primal must figure out a way to defeat
Megatron, escape the planet, and keep his subordinates from killing each
other.
The Beast Wars have now begun.
DVD VISION TEST
VIDEO:
Video quality of this series never looked so good. With the limitations of television,
many of the details and colors are washed out or lost. Not on the DVD. There
are no errors or artifacts anywhere. The quality is sharp, and the colors are
beautiful. The motion is the most fluid I have ever seen.
AUDIO: The 5.1 mix is decent, but nothing to really get excited about. The dialogue
comes from the center, with music from the sides and the sound effects from
the back. The 2.0 is way too quiet. There is almost no surround
sound, and all of the audio comes from the center speakers.
EDITS: These are the original broadcast versions. No edits have been
made.
EXTRAS: No extras at all on volume one. 360 degree
animation tests on volume two.
WIDESCREEN REVIEW
STORY:
The writing is both excellent and horrible at the same time. The plots contained in several episodes had the potential to be some great
sci-fi. Unfortunately, having to keep it safe for the kids, and the laughable
dialogue, makes it hard to take it seriously.
ACTING: Decent. Many of the actors from Reboot
are used here, and they do a fine job. I enjoyed Richard Newman
noble sounding voice for Rinox and Megatron's silky smooth vocals done by
David Kaye make him a formidable sounding villain...yes!
FAN SERVICE: Several references to the original
Transformers series are made, and in one episode, you even get to see
"Thundercracker" (the blue fighter jet from the original
series)!
CONCLUSION
When Transformers came out in the 1980's, fans of shows like Speed
Racer and Star Blazers were hungry for anything that was of a similar
nature. I know this because I was one of them. When the local
UHF station (thanks to cable, most UHF stations are all but gone) started
airing Transformers, I tuned in to what would become a part of my Summer
television routine.
After the movie, we were treated to one last season,
before Transformers faded off into the sun set. After the abysmal
"Generation 2" re-hash of the original series, it seemed that
the autobots had run out of gas.
Then Beast Wars appeared.
Hot
off their success with "Reboot", the writers and producers tried
their hand at reviving this "dinobot" of a title. Taking
the new "Transformer" product line, and using 100% CG animation,
they began what we call at DVJ "Generation 3".
VOL
1: The first six episodes introduces us to the members of the
Maximals and the Predacons. We learn that the Maximals and the
Predacons have spent centuries in peace, but that peace is now over.
We also learn that the "Preds" are just as greedy and as corrupt
as their Decepticon ancestors.
The stories are interesting if not a little too similar to the original
series. The episodes with the turn-coat Dinobot constantly trying to
take over the Maximals are quite entertaining. However,
the character of Rat-trap bugs the living tar out of me. He
would make a better "Pred" than an Maximal.
VOL
2: When the Maximals crashed on Earth, they dumped the stasis
pods of their fellow scientists in orbit. Now, the Earth's
gravity is starting to pull them down, and the race is on to rescue
the survivors before the Preds get them and turn them evil.
The Probe is a particularly taught episode, with the Maximals
trying to build a communication device in Predacon territory.
You hope that the Maximals will succeed, but you already have the
feeling that they wont.
While I am a big fan of "Transformers" I was not bowled over
with "Beast Wars". Perhaps they varied from the basic
"cars vs. planes" format by introducing animal designs. Maybe
it was the dialogue that bordered on the silly writing in the original
series. It could be that that while the detail and the textures of the CG
is better than "Reboot", they just don't move as smooth.
However, my opinion is in the minority, as this show spawned "Beast Wars II, Beast Wars Neo, Car-Robots, and now Armada.
Despite
my personal reservations, Beast Wars is a good series for everyone to
watch, and a welcome addition to the "Transformers"
family. To quote Megatron, "The war is not over, yes!"
While on a mission of space exploration, a group of
heroic robots called Maximals are ordered to intercept the evil Megatron,
leader of the evil Predacons. During the battle, the two ships crash
on an unknown planet.
VIDEO:
Video quality of this series never looked so good. With the limitations of television,
many of the details and colors are washed out or lost. Not on the DVD. There
are no errors or artifacts anywhere. The quality is sharp, and the colors are
beautiful. The motion is the most fluid I have ever seen.
When Transformers came out in the 1980's, fans of shows like Speed
Racer and Star Blazers were hungry for anything that was of a similar
nature. I know this because I was one of them. When the local
UHF station (thanks to cable, most UHF stations are all but gone) started
airing Transformers, I tuned in to what would become a part of my Summer
television routine.
VOL
1: The first six episodes introduces us to the members of the
Maximals and the Predacons. We learn that the Maximals and the
Predacons have spent centuries in peace, but that peace is now over.
We also learn that the "Preds" are just as greedy and as corrupt
as their Decepticon ancestors.
VOL
2: When the Maximals crashed on Earth, they dumped the stasis
pods of their fellow scientists in orbit. Now, the Earth's
gravity is starting to pull them down, and the race is on to rescue
the survivors before the Preds get them and turn them evil.
While I am a big fan of "Transformers" I was not bowled over
with "Beast Wars". Perhaps they varied from the basic
"cars vs. planes" format by introducing animal designs. Maybe
it was the dialogue that bordered on the silly writing in the original
series. It could be that that while the detail and the textures of the CG
is better than "Reboot", they just don't move as smooth.
However, my opinion is in the minority, as this show spawned "Beast Wars II, Beast Wars Neo, Car-Robots, and now Armada.