THE PLOT THUS FAR
For centuries across the universe, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and the Autobots have battled their greatest foes, Megatron (Frank Welker) and his army of Decepticons. But on Earth they face a new threat: discovery by the human race. By using their unique ability to disguise themselves as common Earth vehicles, the Autobots have managed to avoid detection and the risk of escalating their war to disastrous proportions. But now they require the assistance of three young human allies (Jack, Miko and Raf ) along with Special Agent Bill Fowler (Ernie Hudson, Ghostbusters) not only to help keep their secret but also to defeat the sinister Decepticons once and for all!
From Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the writing team behind the megablockbuster Transformers feature films, and executive producer Jeff Kline comes an all-new series of sophisticated adventures for the Autobots, Decepticons and their human allies that boasts stellar computer animation and an impressive voice cast including Adam Baldwin (Chuck), Clancy Brown (Lost), Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator), Dwayne The Rock Johnson (G.I. JOE: Retaliation), John Noble (Fringe), Tony Todd (Final Destination) and Gina Torres (Firefly).
WHAT WE THOUGHT
After failing to arrive soon enough to save Autobot Cliffjumper from death at the hands of Decepticon forces, Optimus Prime and the other Autobots fight on. Meanwhile, Megatron has obtained a rare element that gives him immense power. Our Japanese transfer student heroine and her American pal come together to make sense of the shenanigans. If you’re currently following the series on The Hub, this will be old hat. But, I can see younger kids enjoying the non Michael Bay adventures of the gang from Cybertron.
The overly dramatic dialogue and music score come straight from Bay, and — like the movies — the quality of writing seems to suffer in deference to them. Optimus Prime is more preachy and prone to dramatic speeches than he’s ever been. As in the movie, Bumblebee can’t talk again – and yet conveniently somehow the computer geek human kid understands him just fine. The animation is great, the stories are fantastic, and the characters are spot on! Taking place sometime after the end of the third film, it follows Optimus, Bumblebee and some older familiar characters as they continue to fight the Decepticons and protect Earth.
The DVD comes with an original making-of special. Plus, you get audio commentaries, a toy featurette and a full preview of the second season. The A/V Quality holds up for a show trying to make the most out of standard definition. However, the Dolby 5.1 track holds its own with any major TV on DVD release. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: 03/06/2012
