Transformers – The Complete First Season 25-Year Anniversary – DVD

DVD Review

Transformers – The Complete First Season 25-Year Anniversary

Directed by: Peter Wallach
Cast: Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, Scatman Crothers, Corey Burton
Running Time: 16 episodes (22 minutes each)
Due out: June 16, 2009

Complete coverage of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Features
Scorecard Review
Video Review
He Said – He Said
Soundtrack listing

Interviews
Megan Fox
Josh Duhamel
Tyrese Gibson
Ramon Rodriguez
Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Farrar

Plot: Four million years after crash-landing on Earth, sentient robots known as the Autobots (good guys led by Optimus Prime) and Decepticons (bad guys led by Megatron) wage a battle for energy to gain control of their dying home planet of Cybertron.

Who’s It For? Kids, kids kids … and then after that, guys who grew up loving the cartoons and toys.

Episodes: Look, this isn’t like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, that’s trying to appeal to teenage boys and mainstream audiences everywhere. “Transformers” the cartoon is for elementary school-aged children. And don’t forget this was a toy before it was a show. Considering that, they do a great job making the transfer. Heck, they even do a better job justifying why the Transformers look the way they do (in the first episode). The first season gives you a surprising amount with the Dinobots and Devastator showing up in the second half of the season. Plus, hearing Kasem and Crothers voice a couple of the Autobots just feels right.
Score: 8/10

EXTRAS

Triple Changer: From Toy to Comic to Screen — The Origins of “The Transformers”: Filled with good information, it’s interesting to listen to how an advertising team is responsible for “The Transformers” made possible by 80s deregulations, so a toy line could have a TV show.

Original Hasbro Commercials: Terrible quality and they blurred out the kid’s faces. I’m assumed they’re blurred so they don’t have to be paid again. Since there is only three, and the quality is so poor, I’m surprised they included this extra.

Public Service Announcement: Bumblebee explains to a couple of kids that you shouldn’t run away from home, and then he says, “And knowing is half the battle.” What?! How dare he steal from “G.I. Joe.” Duke would be rolling over in his grave if he heard that … and were dead.

The other extras:
Printable “Transport to Oblivion” script

Extras Score: 6/10

OVERALL

Buy this for one reason … you have children. It will definitely hold up for them. And maybe you can cook a meal or do laundry when they are watching. Hearing the classic moments like “Transformers will return after these messages” while Jazz is transforming and shooting off his lasers immediately takes me back. But any teenager or adult will notice the “Gilligan’s Island” type plots. Autobots and Decepticons fight, almost get energy, almost escape/leave Earth … and repeat.

The extras seems thrown together. While the people behind “The Transformers” have none they are turning 25 for a while, it feels like a last second idea to get the DVD, with a couple of extras, out before Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits the big screen.

Final Score: 7/10