3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is the Potential I was talking about Prior, November 1, 2004
This review is from: Transformers Energon - The Return of Megatron (DVD)
I stated in the early episodes that this series has the potential for greatness and this is what I was talking about.
This dvd starts off with another failed attack by Scorponac (who has since recruited Cyclonus and Tidlewave to his side) to steal more Energon from the Transformers. The end result is that upon their return they witness the Unexpected revival of none other than Megatron, the Autobots most feared foe. After Megatron swiftly crushes Scorponac he returns to earth to get Energon. Upon his arrival the Autobots are defeated as Megatron defeats Hotshot and forces them to retreat. However Alpha Q is not pleased with these turn of events and ressurects another villian from the past, Starscream (who because of being dead for a while suffers from memory loss). As a result Starscream can go completly undetected by any one except Alpha Q and Kicker. It's in this series of Epsiodes that the villians show their true might as there is an awesome sword fight Between Prime and Megatron, as well as a duel between Prime and Starscream. These episodes are action packed and just fun to watch.
However there are complaints as well. It bugs me that all the characters are in Anime style yet Alpha Q (who is not that great of a villian) is CGI and pretty cruddy (although I have seen much worse). Also the final episode on the Disk is only a So-So and really should of been saved for the Next DVD Installment (as I recall Episode 5 was removed for some reason).
However there are many positives as well. Starscream and Megatron are both great villians who both beat the tar out of Prime. Kicker is starting to evolve into his own character (Despite being equally as annoying at times as Spike and Sparkplug of Gen 1) and is not just an excuse to have a human around. Also in other unexpected Character development is the dillema with Demolisher who is a decepticon who has grown fond of his life of peace (despite Guard Duty half the time) yet when the time comes for Megatron to require his services he is quite hesitant. This would be second tier character is getting some unexpected development not really seen in Transformers (yes there were characters who switched sides but they were generally major characters). This move in my opinion shows that the creaters care about all their characters to even consider this type of screen time.
Overall this is great set of episodes that exposes the raw potential that I see in this series. With a some fine tuning and carefully working at how they do things I can see this series taking off and being rembered by this young Generation as being beloved much like we who grew up with Generation One love it today. However in case you jaded Gen 1 fans think this is just a load of garbage remember this, I too am a huge Gen 1 fan and I do think that it is the best. However these are not the Transformers (the huge story driven marketing scheme that it was)that we grew up with. These are new Transformers for a New Generation. By you old foggies slaughtering it you may forever destroy the legacy of Transformers when it goes off the air for the final time, and then what... the only thing left will be distant memories of a time when a young child could watch the Robots in Disguise with awe.
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9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Battle to Save the Reputation of Transformers, July 20, 2004
This review is from: Transformers Energon - The Return of Megatron (DVD)
As an avid Generation 1 Transformers fan I must say that I am extremely disappointed with Armada and its successor Energon and must fully concur with all of the reviewers who have written prior to this entry.
Armada and Energon's plot are terrible at best. This is the first time since I watched Generation 1 and Beast Wars that I hoped that the Decepticons would obliterate the Autobots and their human sidekicks.
The humans in Armada and Energon are annoying and hold no special purpose. In comparison, Spike, Sparkplug and Chip from Generation 1 were not put in every episode in an attempt to try to help the Autobots. In many episodes in Generation 1, we did not see any human counterparts that played a pivotal part in deciding the victor of the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons. However, in Armada and Energon the Autobots cannot win without their human companions.
I disagree somewhat with the voice casting in Armada and Energon. In Generation 1 we had great voice actors for the Autobots and Decepticons. For example, Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Chris Latta, Neil Ross, Michael Bell, Scatman Caruthers, Casey Kasem and other greats portrayed my heros that I have watched growing up. In Armada, I am pleased with the voice casting of Megatron (David Kayle), Optimus Prime (Gary Chalk), Hot Shot, Starscream, and Demolisher. Mr. Kayle has done an extremely wonderful job since he started with Megatron back in Beast Wars and the same complement is extended to Mr. Chalk, but the other voices are sub par at best. For example, Ironhide in Energon sounds like Carlos...ridiculous.
Real Transformers should be ashamed of the latest incarnations of the Transformers story line. I have not seen a suitable Transformers story since Beast Wars and Beast Machines and odds are that I never will again.
Now to the DVD review, first off I would like to congratulate Rhino for releasing box sets of Transformers Generation 1, Jem, and G.I. Joe. Compared to the Armada releases the Energon DVD's are in sequential order, however the plot of the show is horrible. The human named Kicker, reminds me of Gohan in Dragonball Z because of Kicker's ability to turn his hair golden when he is near Energon. This is stupid to say the least. In addition, is Optimus Prime now Voltron? The way Optimus combines with those other four parts it appears Energon has also ripped off the idea of Voltron. I would not be surprised if we later see Energon rip ideas from Jem and the Holograms or the Care Bears.
In conclusion, the best thing about the Energon release is the cheap price. This DVD is selling for a cheap price because the Armada and Energon television show is a cheap product.
To the executives at Rhino STOP releasing Armada and Energon DVD's and release Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light also done by our friends at Sunbow and contains the same voice actors and writers who appeared in Generation 1 Transformers, Inhumanoids, Jem and G.I. Joe. Rhino please complete the Sunbow dynasty.
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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
it makes no sense......, July 21, 2004
This review is from: Transformers Energon - The Return of Megatron (DVD)
...to have episodes 1-4 on one dvd and 6-9 on the other dvd,what happened to episode #5? sorry like the armada series
I'm going to wait for a box set of this before even thinking about getting this series,the dvds for energon and armada makes no sense,I will say that energon is slightly better than armada but not much better,at least the animation is better...
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