Customer Reviews

Beast Wars - Transformers

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Beast Wars debuted in 1996 as a new take on the classic Transformers show from the 80s. The re-vamped toyline became a hit, and the show was even better. Audiences soon learned that not only did BW tie in with the original Transformers, in many ways, it was a continuation of it.

These episodes are a great intro, and a must in order to get the entire epic story of Beast Wars. The show really hits its stride towards the end of the first season, and I can still remember how excited I was through pretty much all of the second season. Do not make the mistake of writing this show off as standard kiddie fare, it was one of the best written "cartoons" I've ever watched, a true science fiction saga. Credit for this goes to the series' two excellent story editors: Bob Forward and Larry DiTillio. They breathed a life into these transforming robots the like of which Transformer fans had never seen (let's face it, the original TF characters were somewhat one and two dimensional). So, there you have it: characterization, plot, script, visuals, all of these and more are reasons not to miss a single volume of this, the best Transformers has to offer, finally on DVD.

Being a cartoon, this show starts out with a lot of stigmas. I loved the original transformers as a kid. This show was unbelievable. Yes, it was all about selling toys but the creators weren't just satisfied with that alone. The story telling is weaven together better than most primetime television shows. There are very few holes. I dare you not to feel a little teery eyed when Dinobot hits the dust. One of the saddest deaths I've seen on the tube. Oh and Austria stop blasting the show. You have obviously not seen the show and are just a cranky Transformers fan that wont give this new show any respect. Those are the only people that do not like this show. Those that haven't seen it and dismiss it as nothing but a stupid cartoon. Then, there's the original Transformers fans that can't accept this show being better and never give it a chance. If you watch this show from the beginning you will be addicted, I guarantee you. Although as said the show really hits it's mark in season 2 with a lot of drama. Season 1 is a lot of introduction. Season 3 is the payoff with the bots heading back home, very good season. Season 4 is a bit of a mess in auto world but it's entertaining. There wasn't anywhere else to go after season 4. It was a fun ride. I give it a 4 but for cartoons this is definitely a big 5 stars.

>The buy info is wrong though, this is ONLY Volume 1. It contains 6 episodes

The buy info isn't wrong, it's just a little confusing. In the VHS versions volume 1 is the first three episodes, volume 2 is the second three episodes. Someone in marketing decided that it would be less confusing to label volume 1 of the DVD series volumes 1 & 2 so that people would know that it includes all six episodes.

Besides this contorted piece of logic, this is a great DVD. I look forward to Rhino releasing the rest of the series!

This DVD is definetly a must buy for Beast Wars fans. In this DVD the first six episodes are presented. The picture and sound quality is very impressive, although it is a bit better in Volume 2. The first six episodes are not particularly interesting, in my opinion, but I enjoyed "Chain of Command" and "Power Surge" the most. There are no special features on this disk,..., but you occasionally see little snipets in the episodes that were not there on TV. For example: You see Megatron bash Terrorsaur in the back in "Beast Wars, Pt. 2" also, at the end of that episode when Optimus declares the "Beast Wars" the camera zooms away from him for much longer. Overall this is a good DVD That is more then worth purchasing. I just hope that Rhino continues to release them until they finish up the series.

OK, I'm going to do a little DVD review here first:

Picture Quality: AWESOME!!! A+ - Crisp & Clear. No fuzziness. Excellent transfer. Bright vibrant colors. No CGI flutter.

Animation: Average to Good. B - Being that the show debuted in '96, CGI hadn't matured like it did by 1999. When compared to the animation of Roughnecks: Starship Troopers, Beast Wars animation looks a bit dated at times, especially in this first season. IIRC It gets better with later episodes.

Sound: Good. A- Using Dolby 5.1, the soundtrack creates a submersive sound environment. You are constantly enveloped in sound due to the rear speakers being used extensively for the music and the occasional rear sound effect. However, with this volume at least the front left and right channels don't seem to have the punch that I thought they would. Most action and dialogue is anchored in the center speaker. But this improves with Volume 2 with more sound effects in the side channels. The .1 LFE channel is a bit weak in the this volume, but it's stronger in Volume 2. However, don't get me wrong, this is still a good soundtrack, I just thought it was a little weak in areas as noted above.

Episodes:
1) Beast Wars Part 1: The Predacons and Maximals are fighting through space and crash on an unknown planet. The planet is rich in Energon and powerful enough to fuel galactic conquest. And so the battle for the planet begins!

2) Beast Wars Part 2: The battle between the Maximals and the Predacons continues. It starts off as Dinobot joins the Maximals after a fight with Optimus Primal for leadership which then gets cut short by a Predacon ambush. The battle culminates with the discovery and fight over a giant Energon crystal atop a mountain.

3) The Web: Rhinox develops a long-range comlink and Cheetor gets into trouble with a Predacons. He becomes trapped by Tarantulus's web device which will slowly and surely drain all of his energy unless he can get free. Mousetrap comes to the rescue and springs a surprise trap on Tarantulus.

4) Equal Meausures: Cheetor tries to prove himself to Optimus Primal by setting up a series of scanner prods, but he srikes a Energon stream that acts as a teleporter between the Predacon base and the Maximal base. Cheetor get transported to the Predacon base and Terrorasaur gets transported to Maximal base.

5) Chain of Command: A battle between the Predacons and the Maximals at the Stonehenge arrangement unleashes a signal to outer space that summons a mysterious probe. The probe arrives and absorbs Optimus Primal into its memory banks temporarily, so the Maximals have to choose a new leader. Dinobot tries to bully his way into the role.

6) Power Surge: Terrorsaur finds a floating mountian loaded with Energon that give him super-charged abilities but with a price of dependence. Having this new power, he challenges Megatron for leadership and pretty much trashes him. But after the mountain explodes, Terrasaur is back to square one and Megatron has been rebuilt. [gulp]

And for those fans of the original G1 Transformers, the draw towards Beast Wars is one of more realistic fight scenes. Transformer actually get blow away and there's actually some emotion in their fights as well, giving the fights more impact.

Most can claim that they have seen the original Transformers TV show and declare it the best animated show they ever saw growing up as a child. Well, now, I have a say in that to. While I was growing up, I watched Beast Wars and it was without a doubt the best animated show at the time.

I recall watching it early in the morning on a 5-day block of morning animation that included other shows like GI Joe Extreme (something a kin to Force Five)and then watching the second season a few years later. I highly enjoyed the series and tried to buy all of the toys as well. Now, my childhood has returned to me. This DVD set is great. It starts out with the first six episodes which pretty much introduce all the main characters: Optimus, Cheetor, Ratrap, Rinox, Megatron, Terrasaur, Scorpinoc, Dinobot and Taransalaus.

These first six episodes are pretty good, but the first season is only minor episodic episodes with a few new characters added along the way. The real meat of the story comes in the second season where the story of Cybertron finally comes into play. Overall though, this is a good start to a great story and gets way better down the road. Recommended to just about anyone.

I used to watch these and I'd always find time to talk about them and how cool each episode was with my friend at school. The plot is great, it's even funny, and it's cool how it inter-twines with the original Transformers series which I used to watch growing up. A must buy for fans of the originals.

The classic Beast Wars saga is back! For those who grew up with it, here is your chance to relive your childhood. The story takes place about a generation after the great war from Transformers The Movie. The new Predicons break the treaty with the Maximals and steal a golden disc that will lead them to Energon, a main power source. The Maximals follow on the Axalon and are drawn into a strange planet along with the Predicons.

Beast Wars Part 1 (B): After the Predicons and Maximals get their new beast forms to protect themselves from Energon, Cheetor discovers Waspinator and the two sides are drawn into battle.

Beast Wars Part 2 (B-): Dinobot decides to join the Maximals. When Megatron's missile hits a mountain, it exposes a huge amount of Energon. Now, a race to the top of the mountain is on for the Energon.

The Web (B+): Cheetor gets cocky when he is scrapped by Scorponoc's missile and lets him get away with the Energon. When Cheetor tries to go out and get it back, he is ambushed by Terancalious and gets caught in his energy draining web.

Overall, the episodes aren't the best, but they do provide a solid intro to one heck of a great series.

The minute I saw this on sale, I ordered it. I have always been a Beast Wars fan since I can remember. The money is well spent towards it. The dvd qualities absolutely make the Beast Wars episodes more vivid toward sound and picture quality. It includes the first six episodes which have great storylines and actors to perform thier voices. What makes Beast Wars such a good series is you can be any age to understand it. To be honest, it is sort of an educational series as well. They talk about everything from teamwork to molecular structures while mixing in action and suspense. It's educational, entraining and overall, excellent.

This DVD is very well put together, as is the show. It contains the very first six episodes from the first season. The CGI is a mind-blower (even better when it comes to the third season). The storyline is very well kept between this new generation of Transformers and the original G1/G2 Autobots and Decepticons. And instead of robots in disguise with vehicles, it's robots in disguise with animals. Their beast forms help protect themselves from raw, unstable energon. A very clever idea. Optimus Primal (named after the great Autobot leader Optimus Prime) leads his crew (Rhinox, Rattrap, Cheetor and Dinobot) through a war against their evil enemies, the Predacons. Megatron (named after the evil Decepticon leader) battles his way to victory with his minions (Scorponok, Tarantulas, Waspinator and Terrorsaur) in ambition to conquer and crush the Maximals. Beast Wars ties in very well to the original Transformers as the seasons go on. It has characters that can be liked by everyone. Don't keep your mind shut on the first generation of Transformers. Open it to a new computer generated series which keeps the G1/G2 series alive. I barely remember the original Transformers, but since I was so interested in Beast Wars, I got hooked onto it again. Yes, Beast Wars is new, doesn't have nearly as many characters, but there is a lot of humor, action, battles, adventure and comes back to the Tripredacus Council, Ravage, the Autobots and the Decepticons. Keep up with the generations of this remarkable show. Don't stop at the first one because IT did not stop there. And remember, the Autobots are the ancestors of the Maximals and the Decepticons are the ancestors of the Predacons. They are NOT the same! :-)