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Transformers is one of those shows that took the 1980s
by storm. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing about
it. In a golden age of animation, this was one of the best
shows out there. Recently, the series has gotten a huge
revival due to the new Michael Bay film series. After having
to put up with lame “few episodes” compilations and bootlegs,
Shout! Factory is giving us what we always wanted - proper
season sets. Shout! Factory has released a number of great
(and often forgotten) 80s cartoons on DVD, including most
of the Nintendo-based shows. Transformers is a much-welcomed
addition to their releases. ***
If you don't know the story to Transformers, you've
been living under a rock for the last 25 years. The show
follows two factions of transforming robots - the peace-keeping
Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, and the evil Decepticons,
led by the villainous Megatron. The characters transform
from vehicles into battling robots, both sides constantly
at war with one another. It's a standard “good versus evil”
story, and certainly feels dated in many respects. But if
you ask this reviewer, that just adds to the charm. ***
If you're a fan of 80s animation, there is absolutely
no reason not to buy this set. If you're a fan of the recent
films and want to see where this phenomenon began, this
set will be a guaranteed rental title if nothing else. If
you grew up in the 80s, this box set is just the nostalgia
fix you need. ***
Image And Sound:
Shout! Factory is great for releasing tons of long-lost
and much-desired shows on home video, but they are often
given less-than-stellar source material to work with. Transformers
is another series of which the source material wasn't in
the best of shape, but it still looks better than any bootleg
or earlier compilation set. Some grain and print damage
are present, but fortunately it's nothing so serious that
it will derail the viewing experience. All things said,
it still manages to look and sound better than most cartoons
of its era on DVD do. ***
Audio, on the other hand, gets a competent upgrade.
No, this isn't going to rock your speakers. But it's been
cleaned up and given a stereo overhaul (like many cartoons
from the era, it originally aired in mono.) It doesn't take
long with this set to figure out that it's a good upgrade
from other DVD packages.
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| Special
Features: |
A few minor things on the disc that fans will enjoy.
In addition to vintage toy commercials for the figures and
a rare public service announcement, the set contains a script
for the episode Transport to Oblivion, and a featurette
on creating the television series from the Hasbro toy line.
This is a fantastic collection of supplements. And even
if it's fairly limited, it's better than the bonus features
present on a lot of Shout! Factory properties.
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