"Beast Wars"
REVIEW by Graham Thomson
The mid-nineties saw the Transformers trade in their
environmentally unfriendly vehicle modes for fur coats,
leather jackets, spots and stripes as the entire
12-year franchise received a much-need (re)boot in the
exhaust. And so, Beast Wars was born.
Animation studio Mainframe did really well with their Reboot series and then they go and present themselves with a major challenge for the entire Beast Wars series... computer-generated animation of realistic animals interacting in a realistic Earth-like environment; all on a tight budget. No wonder most of the series was set in the desert!
If it was a series about the original Transformers characters back on Cybertron, then it would have made things a lot easier for Mainframe. So, a gold star for giving themselves such a trial!
The animation of the opening space scene looks amazing, and still now comparable to anything produced at the same time. Once the action transfers to the planet below, however, there is a drop in detail such as shadows and background environment.
One thing which is truly an animation accomplishment on Mainframe’s part is the beast mode facial expressions. They look truly emotive (especially Optimus Primal) and convincing.
The plot makes for a promising set up of the series. There’s no point in going into too much detail about the foreshadowing of the next three years of stories revolving around the Golden Disc (that’s with a “C”!). The seeds are there, and these episodes stand up well to re-watching after learning of later revelations.
The main hook for this Beast Wars pilot double-episode is the characterisation. Small cast, defined roles with none of the lazy, “Well, I guess any old Transformer could say this line” scripting seen in the original Transformers cartoon. Optimus Primal, Dinobot and Rattrap come across the strongest so far, and though Waspinator and Cheetor have more airtime, they seem like the kids of their respective teams. Megatron, too, is a layered character (though look out for some dodgy animation when his tail moves when he first emerges from his spacecraft).
Another plus side is the sound design. If you listen carefully (with a good pair of headphones while watching the DVD version) you can hear all manner of sounds from ambient wildlife, falling water, servos of the joints of the robot modes. They have really gone all out to provide a rich soundscape for the viewer.
The only thing that’s a definite negative, and somewhat annoying, is the "activation code" rigmarole. Thankfully there were no scenes with Cheetor shouting “Maximise!” when he goes to use his litter tray.
Beast Wars marks the start of a bold, new (organic) direction in the animated Transformers universe with the creative teams making a more serious, more intelligent and more thought-out commitment to its stories and viewers.
"Beast Wars" (44 mins) was originally broadcast in
1996
Written by Bob Forward | Directed by Ian Pearson
Animation studio Mainframe did really well with their Reboot series and then they go and present themselves with a major challenge for the entire Beast Wars series... computer-generated animation of realistic animals interacting in a realistic Earth-like environment; all on a tight budget. No wonder most of the series was set in the desert!
If it was a series about the original Transformers characters back on Cybertron, then it would have made things a lot easier for Mainframe. So, a gold star for giving themselves such a trial!
The animation of the opening space scene looks amazing, and still now comparable to anything produced at the same time. Once the action transfers to the planet below, however, there is a drop in detail such as shadows and background environment.
One thing which is truly an animation accomplishment on Mainframe’s part is the beast mode facial expressions. They look truly emotive (especially Optimus Primal) and convincing.
The plot makes for a promising set up of the series. There’s no point in going into too much detail about the foreshadowing of the next three years of stories revolving around the Golden Disc (that’s with a “C”!). The seeds are there, and these episodes stand up well to re-watching after learning of later revelations.
The main hook for this Beast Wars pilot double-episode is the characterisation. Small cast, defined roles with none of the lazy, “Well, I guess any old Transformer could say this line” scripting seen in the original Transformers cartoon. Optimus Primal, Dinobot and Rattrap come across the strongest so far, and though Waspinator and Cheetor have more airtime, they seem like the kids of their respective teams. Megatron, too, is a layered character (though look out for some dodgy animation when his tail moves when he first emerges from his spacecraft).
Another plus side is the sound design. If you listen carefully (with a good pair of headphones while watching the DVD version) you can hear all manner of sounds from ambient wildlife, falling water, servos of the joints of the robot modes. They have really gone all out to provide a rich soundscape for the viewer.
The only thing that’s a definite negative, and somewhat annoying, is the "activation code" rigmarole. Thankfully there were no scenes with Cheetor shouting “Maximise!” when he goes to use his litter tray.
Beast Wars marks the start of a bold, new (organic) direction in the animated Transformers universe with the creative teams making a more serious, more intelligent and more thought-out commitment to its stories and viewers.
VERDICT:
Written by Bob Forward | Directed by Ian Pearson