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Description

Beast Machines: Transformers (1999-2000)
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 26
Network: Fox Kids, YTV

With the massive success and cult following of Beast Wars, fans were treated to a sequel series in between the 90s and the new millennium in the form of Beast Machines which tells the story of the Maximals returning to Cybertron but learning that Megatron beat them to it and has taken over and so the Maximals must adapt and evolve to liberate their home for good.

Now just like with Beast Wars, this here is a revisited review as both part of my Transformers cartoon review series in anticipation to the final batch of episodes for season 1 of Transformers: EarthSpark, coming presumably in July. Now Beast Machines is one of the more divisive shows in the Transformers franchise with one half of the fan base saying its an underrated masterpiece and one of the best shows while the other half despise the show and find it an inferior successor to Beast Wars. Now for me personally, while initially when I first heard and saw images from the show, I remembered being immediately put off by the new designs of the characters especially but after giving it a shot looking past that, I found a good amount of merit to the show that is underrated and worth noting, but it certainly is not a perfect show as it does have some flaws.

Positives:

I actually do like the story of the show with the Maximals back on Cybertron but having to evolve and liberate it from Megatron's control as he took over the planet with his new army of robots called Vehicons. It was certainly a cool and interesting premise to have as a followup to Beast Wars and despite how different it is from Beast Wars, tone wise and character wise especially which I will address, the series never loses sight of what its continuing and still having the continuity regarding the ending of that show that leads to the beginning of this show and its events and having familiar elements to its predecessor that pays respect to what came before but being more unique as a followup.

To my knowledge, this is the one series in the entire franchise to entirely be set on Cybertron and the setting of Cybertron in this show is a cool setting as it has this sleek dark cyberpunk like aesthetic to it when under Megatron's tyranny and how its mostly dark with shadowy allys and corners and undisclosed and secret locations within the planet that makes it a very foreboding yet intriguing setting for this more serious narrative.

While there's some issues regarding certain characters, I still do like most of the returning characters and the voice actors reprise their roles from before and they do just as good as they did in Beast Wars but also bringing about new sides to their characters never before seen. Optimus Primal develops into like a more spiritual and zealost type leader, Cheetor becomes a more mature second in command who is set to become the new leader, Blackarachnia has taken up more of the noble part of the team that Silverbolt was (we will get into him) and Megatron especially is a more intimidating and even scary villain this time around. While I do prefer and miss the very theatrical and God-complex megalomaniac he previously was, he is still pretty effective and the new take on him as this dark tyrant whose in the shadows for most of the show and pulling the strings, definitely helps make him one of the more standout in a good way characterizations in the show. In addition, the new characters introduced here like the Vehicon generals are very cool in terms of their looks and their personas and the twists regarding them being created using the sparks of previous Transformers was an interesting revelation (even though some of them aren't executed the best)and they make for formidable opponents when needed.

While not as iconic, the music in the show is very good and really fits the action packed cyberpunk aesthetic the show goes for. In addition, the opening theme is kickers with its techno sounding beats and fast pace.

And finally, though the show is not without its flaws, I do agree that the final episodes of the show are where the show gets the most epic and leads to a bombastic finale that leads to a bittersweet sacrifice and an ending that brings not just the Beast saga but also the original G1 continuity to a satisfying and hope-filled conclusion that is the big thing that I remember most as the last scene of the show and no matter what many say about the show as a whole, it went out with quite a bang!

Mixed:

Being that this is still in the early stages of computer animation, the animation and visuals, just like Beast Wars, are a bit dated and primitive by today's standards of CG animation. But I Will say that Beast Machines' animation is just as good as Beast Wars, maybe even better with how it still maintains the same look and visuals (especially with the small bits of the original designs that carry over) but is a bit more stylized, smoother, shinier and more refined in terms of the action scenes, character movements and expressions and the new designs exclusive to the show.

Speaking of which, one of the biggest dividing points of this show are the character designs of the Maximals when they upgrade to techno-organic forms. While I see and understand what they were going for with them having more organic features to their new looks and from a storytelling standpoint, they are given a reason to happen and are given a purpose in the narrative, they look a bit off-putting at first glance (I was one in the beginning). They look less like robots and look more humanoid in their designs with some that look okay and passable and others that look a bit uncanny and ugly especially in some awkward closeups of their faces. This is especially true for some of the new Maximals introduced here. I do think the animation is a slight improvement from before and though I don't hate the new designs of the Maximals, I wouldn't say I love them either. After a while and because I was still engaged with the story and episodes, I was able to overlook the weird designs.

What makes Beast Machines stand out from other shows is how the show kind of introduced a bit of a spiritual undertone with the new elements introduced like The Oracle and the show's theme of organic vs technological that give off some environmental vibes. Now all I will say is that I appreciate and like elements of the show is going for with its themes and how subtle they do at times, there are some times where the themes are a bit on the nose with the environmental and even Biblical like undertones that aren't going to be for everybody. Now I don't mind themes or undertones in shows and movies depending on how well they're executed and woven into the narrative, but I will say the show's way of conveying themes is a bit 50/50.

Negatives:

While I do like some of the new character developments and sides to the characters from Beast Wars, there were some returning characters that had drastic character changes that felt a bit too foreign to what they were previously and is a bit off kilter of a transition. Starting small, Rattrap is a bit more cowardly and goofballish than before but nothing too bad or distracting. Silverbolt was the biggest victim of this as he went from being a valiant and charming paladin to a nihilistic brooding edge-lord during his arc in the show and Rhinox, while certainly an interesting and gutsy move to make for him as like this good guy turned to the dark side, it felt very off from how he was before and was a bit of a betrayal of the character we knew and while it wasn't awful, his arc could've been executed way better.

In terms of the new aforementioned Maximal characters introduced here, the worst of the bunch is Nightscream who not only looks ugly with his monkey like face (despite his alt mode being a bat) and 90s emo hair, but character wise is a whiny and angsty emo teen who feels like a worst version of what Cheetor was in Beast Wars and like certain other characters later in the franchise, and how he actively gets into trouble and gets bailed out by the others only for him to complain and whine and you just want him to shut up.

While I do appreciate this show being a bit more darker in tone and one of the more mature entries in the franchise, there are times where the show can feel a bit bleak and serious almost all the time with small bits of light hearted relief and levity. While it certainly helps in good amounts, a bit more light hearted levity could've gone a long way for the show and could've made it a bit less dreary. Not a massive issue but it does go without saying.

Standout Episodes:
+ The Reformatting
+ Master of the House
+ Fires of the Past
+ Revelations Part I: Discovery
+ Revelations Part II: Descent
+ The Catalyst
+ Home Soil
+ End of the Line
+ Sparkwar Part I: The Strike
+ Sparkwar Part II: The Search
+ Endgame Part I: The Downward Spiral
+ Endgame Part II: When Legends Falls
+ Endgame Part III: Seeds of the Future
= In Darkest Knight

Final Thoughts:

Beast Machines is a very flawed show with equal amounts of good and equal amounts of bad, but I do think it's a decent follow up series to Beast Wars. It has the same fan favorite characters even if some of them aren't the same as before, it has good if dated animation, an engaging premise and narrative, some interesting ideas and a beautiful finale and ending, but has a lot of baggage of following from an admittedly superior show, not having the best character designs and questionable character changes, being a bit heavy-handed with its themes and feeling a bit too dark at times. But I do think that the good slightly outweighs the bad here in my opinion and will still give this a recommendation. If you're a fan of Beast Wars and its characters, I'd recommend giving Beast Machines a go and seeing if it appeals to you or not and though it is not as iconic or as good as Beast Wars, I still think Beast Machines is a decent yet flawed sequel, but is solidly in the middle of the franchise for me.

7/10

What do you think of Beast Machines: Transformers?

Description

Beast Machines: Transformers (1999-2000)
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 26
Network: Fox Kids, YTV

With the massive success and cult following of Beast Wars, fans were treated to a sequel series in between the 90s and the new millennium in the form of Beast Machines which tells the story of the Maximals returning to Cybertron but learning that Megatron beat them to it and has taken over and so the Maximals must adapt and evolve to liberate their home for good.

Now just like with Beast Wars, this here is a revisited review as both part of my Transformers cartoon review series in anticipation to the final batch of episodes for season 1 of Transformers: EarthSpark, coming presumably in July. Now Beast Machines is one of the more divisive shows in the Transformers franchise with one half of the fan base saying its an underrated masterpiece and one of the best shows while the other half despise the show and find it an inferior successor to Beast Wars. Now for me personally, while initially when I first heard and saw images from the show, I remembered being immediately put off by the new designs of the characters especially but after giving it a shot looking past that, I found a good amount of merit to the show that is underrated and worth noting, but it certainly is not a perfect show as it does have some flaws.

Positives:

I actually do like the story of the show with the Maximals back on Cybertron but having to evolve and liberate it from Megatron's control as he took over the planet with his new army of robots called Vehicons. It was certainly a cool and interesting premise to have as a followup to Beast Wars and despite how different it is from Beast Wars, tone wise and character wise especially which I will address, the series never loses sight of what its continuing and still having the continuity regarding the ending of that show that leads to the beginning of this show and its events and having familiar elements to its predecessor that pays respect to what came before but being more unique as a followup.

To my knowledge, this is the one series in the entire franchise to entirely be set on Cybertron and the setting of Cybertron in this show is a cool setting as it has this sleek dark cyberpunk like aesthetic to it when under Megatron's tyranny and how its mostly dark with shadowy allys and corners and undisclosed and secret locations within the planet that makes it a very foreboding yet intriguing setting for this more serious narrative.

While there's some issues regarding certain characters, I still do like most of the returning characters and the voice actors reprise their roles from before and they do just as good as they did in Beast Wars but also bringing about new sides to their characters never before seen. Optimus Primal develops into like a more spiritual and zealost type leader, Cheetor becomes a more mature second in command who is set to become the new leader, Blackarachnia has taken up more of the noble part of the team that Silverbolt was (we will get into him) and Megatron especially is a more intimidating and even scary villain this time around. While I do prefer and miss the very theatrical and God-complex megalomaniac he previously was, he is still pretty effective and the new take on him as this dark tyrant whose in the shadows for most of the show and pulling the strings, definitely helps make him one of the more standout in a good way characterizations in the show. In addition, the new characters introduced here like the Vehicon generals are very cool in terms of their looks and their personas and the twists regarding them being created using the sparks of previous Transformers was an interesting revelation (even though some of them aren't executed the best)and they make for formidable opponents when needed.

While not as iconic, the music in the show is very good and really fits the action packed cyberpunk aesthetic the show goes for. In addition, the opening theme is kickers with its techno sounding beats and fast pace.

And finally, though the show is not without its flaws, I do agree that the final episodes of the show are where the show gets the most epic and leads to a bombastic finale that leads to a bittersweet sacrifice and an ending that brings not just the Beast saga but also the original G1 continuity to a satisfying and hope-filled conclusion that is the big thing that I remember most as the last scene of the show and no matter what many say about the show as a whole, it went out with quite a bang!

Mixed:

Being that this is still in the early stages of computer animation, the animation and visuals, just like Beast Wars, are a bit dated and primitive by today's standards of CG animation. But I Will say that Beast Machines' animation is just as good as Beast Wars, maybe even better with how it still maintains the same look and visuals (especially with the small bits of the original designs that carry over) but is a bit more stylized, smoother, shinier and more refined in terms of the action scenes, character movements and expressions and the new designs exclusive to the show.

Speaking of which, one of the biggest dividing points of this show are the character designs of the Maximals when they upgrade to techno-organic forms. While I see and understand what they were going for with them having more organic features to their new looks and from a storytelling standpoint, they are given a reason to happen and are given a purpose in the narrative, they look a bit off-putting at first glance (I was one in the beginning). They look less like robots and look more humanoid in their designs with some that look okay and passable and others that look a bit uncanny and ugly especially in some awkward closeups of their faces. This is especially true for some of the new Maximals introduced here. I do think the animation is a slight improvement from before and though I don't hate the new designs of the Maximals, I wouldn't say I love them either. After a while and because I was still engaged with the story and episodes, I was able to overlook the weird designs.

What makes Beast Machines stand out from other shows is how the show kind of introduced a bit of a spiritual undertone with the new elements introduced like The Oracle and the show's theme of organic vs technological that give off some environmental vibes. Now all I will say is that I appreciate and like elements of the show is going for with its themes and how subtle they do at times, there are some times where the themes are a bit on the nose with the environmental and even Biblical like undertones that aren't going to be for everybody. Now I don't mind themes or undertones in shows and movies depending on how well they're executed and woven into the narrative, but I will say the show's way of conveying themes is a bit 50/50.

Negatives:

While I do like some of the new character developments and sides to the characters from Beast Wars, there were some returning characters that had drastic character changes that felt a bit too foreign to what they were previously and is a bit off kilter of a transition. Starting small, Rattrap is a bit more cowardly and goofballish than before but nothing too bad or distracting. Silverbolt was the biggest victim of this as he went from being a valiant and charming paladin to a nihilistic brooding edge-lord during his arc in the show and Rhinox, while certainly an interesting and gutsy move to make for him as like this good guy turned to the dark side, it felt very off from how he was before and was a bit of a betrayal of the character we knew and while it wasn't awful, his arc could've been executed way better.

In terms of the new aforementioned Maximal characters introduced here, the worst of the bunch is Nightscream who not only looks ugly with his monkey like face (despite his alt mode being a bat) and 90s emo hair, but character wise is a whiny and angsty emo teen who feels like a worst version of what Cheetor was in Beast Wars and like certain other characters later in the franchise, and how he actively gets into trouble and gets bailed out by the others only for him to complain and whine and you just want him to shut up.

While I do appreciate this show being a bit more darker in tone and one of the more mature entries in the franchise, there are times where the show can feel a bit bleak and serious almost all the time with small bits of light hearted relief and levity. While it certainly helps in good amounts, a bit more light hearted levity could've gone a long way for the show and could've made it a bit less dreary. Not a massive issue but it does go without saying.

Standout Episodes:
+ The Reformatting
+ Master of the House
+ Fires of the Past
+ Revelations Part I: Discovery
+ Revelations Part II: Descent
+ The Catalyst
+ Home Soil
+ End of the Line
+ Sparkwar Part I: The Strike
+ Sparkwar Part II: The Search
+ Endgame Part I: The Downward Spiral
+ Endgame Part II: When Legends Falls
+ Endgame Part III: Seeds of the Future
= In Darkest Knight

Final Thoughts:

Beast Machines is a very flawed show with equal amounts of good and equal amounts of bad, but I do think it's a decent follow up series to Beast Wars. It has the same fan favorite characters even if some of them aren't the same as before, it has good if dated animation, an engaging premise and narrative, some interesting ideas and a beautiful finale and ending, but has a lot of baggage of following from an admittedly superior show, not having the best character designs and questionable character changes, being a bit heavy-handed with its themes and feeling a bit too dark at times. But I do think that the good slightly outweighs the bad here in my opinion and will still give this a recommendation. If you're a fan of Beast Wars and its characters, I'd recommend giving Beast Machines a go and seeing if it appeals to you or not and though it is not as iconic or as good as Beast Wars, I still think Beast Machines is a decent yet flawed sequel, but is solidly in the middle of the franchise for me.

7/10

What do you think of Beast Machines: Transformers?