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Transformers Prime

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transformers_prime_series_1_vol_1_-_darkness_rising_nordic-22068890-frntl-By Alex Shaw

The Digital Drift Transformers podcasts are recording this week. In “celebration” of the fourth live action movie release we’re covering the three live action movies and the 1986 animated film. It’s going to be pretty hard going trawling through and we have no hope of finding anything to actively deconstruct in the Revenge of the Fallen or Dark of the Moon aside from the diseased mentalities of their creators. Instead we will have to outline precisely why they offend us so supremely on a molecular level. On a more positive note I just finished the animated show, Transformers Prime: Season 1.

It’s excellent.

It is, without hyperbole, the best version of Transformers and similar in tone and animation style to Green Lantern: The Animated Series. It focuses on a small group of Autobots (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Bulkhead & Arcee) and a trio of human teenagers who bond with them. Rather than the simple, repetitive, consequence-free, cartoons that have already come and gone this one has some dedicated characterization at its core, more akin to fan favourite Beast Wars. It’s almost like they’re not trying to flog us the action figures. This again reminds me of the toyless Green Lantern and the story-focused Lego movie. I won’t compare it to Avatar as it’s not in that league, but it’s WAY ahead of the robotic competition, especially the noisy, shallow, stupid, racist, misogynistic and pathetic live action films.

Here’s a handy list of reasons to watch it.

1. It takes heavy elements from Generation 1 including cameos from; Wheeljack and Cliffjumper and later on Smokescreen and Ultra Magnus. But like some of the best episodes of those first two seasons nearly every episode focuses on the development of one or two characters rather than just endless group action sequences. Like Justice League Unlimited the episodes are largely self-contained but each is a piece of the overarching season plot, which culminates in breathtaking fashion. For fans of the video games ‘War For Cybertron’ and ‘Fall of Cybertron’, this takes place in the same universe. 

Transformers-prime-the-transformers-36917007-600-3502. It has a look and score similar to the movies, minus the emo rock music and with all bots given very distinct, colourful identities and personalities. 

3. It cherry-picks the female bot from the 1986 movie and the bruiser from Transformers Animated to add texture and variety to the G1 lineup. 

4. Soundwave is a mute military spy drone and even scarier for it.

5. Scheming Starscream is voiced by Steve Blum (Wolverine and Amon) and is given compelling weight in his protracted power plays.

6. Megatron is voiced by the original and best Frank Welker and is supremely intimidating and scary. Kept as a lurking presence rather than a gloating fiend, but when he turns up things go badly for the Autobots every time.

Transformers-Prime-005-0697. Arcee is a deep, flawed, doubt-filled soldier trying her best to be professional. Her partner is Jack, voiced by Joshua Keaton (Hal Jordan and Peter Parker)

8. Bulkhead is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson and for Lantern fans he’s basically Kilowog again, which is wonderful. His partner is Miko, a Japanese teenager who identifies with his boisterousness and seeks to be useful to the group even though she may seem insignificant.

Bulkhead_on_Smokescreen_future9. Bumblebee is the mute version from the movies, but often reaches WALL-E/R2 levels of expressiveness. His human partner is Raphael, an eager young tech head.

10. Ratchet is voiced by Jeffrey Combs, the Re-Animator himself (also The Question in Justice League) and is a well-measured introvert scientist. And yes they get in a reference.

11. Two Decepticons played by Firefly alumni, Gina Torres as Arachnid and Adam Baldwin as Breakdown are show-stealers, as is preening bully ‘Knock Out’ voiced by Daran Norris (Spottswoode in Team America: World Police).

12. Ernie Hudson and Clancy Brown lend their distinctive voices as two opposing agents. John Noble (Denathor) also turns up, but I won’t spoil who he plays. However if you know his magnificent, rumbly, theatrical voice it won’t take much guessing.

13. And of course the greatest Transformer who ever lived, Peter Cullen as the classic Optimus Prime we all love.

All three seasons are available on Netflix USA and Region-locked Blu Ray, or you can start collecting the first season in five parts on DVD in the UK. We may well do a show on this too. I’d much rather talk about what transformers does right (even if it does get cancelled two and a half seasons in) than what it does wrong (even if it makes over a billion dollars and simply won’t stop!)

 

 


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