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Transformers Prime - One Shall Stand on DVD

Bottom Line: If you like watching Transformers Prime on The Hub Network, then you're going to enjoy this full length DVD incarnation. In fact, if you are an avid watcher of the program, you've likely already seen it. However, it is neat to see it in a straight shot instead of having to wait through seven whole episodes.
Age Recommendation: 7+
Rating: The DVD uses the show rating of TV-Y7
Release Date: July 31, 2012
Run time: 154 minutes/ 2 hours 34 minutes (excluding bonus features)
Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-fi

Overview:

This DVD takes place at the end of the first season of Transformers Prime. The evil force of UNICRON has awakened deep within the Earth. Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, has slowly harnessed the power of the Dark Energon, and is ready to claim power with UNICRON. However, UNICRON wants nothing to do with Megatron.

Meanwhile, the Dark Energon is spewing from the Earth and causing mass natural catastrophes, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, and severe climate change. The Autobots, led by the honorable Optimus Prime, are taking care of their human friend Raphael, who was struck by a bolt of Dark Energon lightning while riding with Bumblebee. Optimus has reached his breaking point with Megatron and must face him for a rematch of their first battle royale.

Megatron, angry that UNICRON finds him unworthy, offers up a truce to the Autobots in order to defeat UNICRON and save humankind. While the Autobots are skeptical, Optimus Prime realizes it's the only way to save his human friends, including the teenaged Jack Darby.

Together, they journey deep into the heart of the planet to put UNICRON to rest once and for all. Optimus must unleash the power of the Matrix from within himself, which comes at a great personal sacrifice: he loses the knowledge of all the Primes before him, and reverts to his historical librarian self, Orion Pax, who has no recollection of being the leader of the Autobots.

Will Optimus be able to regain his status as the last of the Primes and return to lead the Autobots with the help of one human teenager?

Review for Parents:

If your child is already a fan of the Transformers movies, Transformers Prime on The Hub is a great next step into the world of Transformers animation that many children of the '80s already know and love. Transformers Prime is a CGI reboot, much like other shows for which The Hub is known. It's the same Transformers we all grew up with: Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Arcee, Megatron, Star Scream, and Soundwave. The original voices of Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime) and Frank Welker (Megatron) join an all-star cast including Steve Blum, Jeffrey Combs, Ernie Hudson, Adam Baldwin, Gina Torres, and John Noble.

There is a lot of cartoon violence in this show, including use of swords and guns. However, the only deaths or injuries seen are robots, so there is no blood or gore of which to speak. Some parents may not be comfortable with the level of cartoon battle. There is some slight peril when Raphael sustains an injury from the Dark Energon lightning strike, and that may require parents to talk to their children about fragility of life. From the human characters, there are instances of "bad behavior", such as defying a parent and general mouthiness.

Check out more great cartoon shows on The Hub Network.

Other Information:

This DVD is a full length feature comprised of seven episodes from the series, spanning the end of the first season and into the second, edited together for a somewhat seamless integration. There are parts where a viewer can tell there was an episode ending or a commercial break, such as repeated dialog or short scene snippets, however these are minimal and the movie does flow nicely otherwise. As I said before, if you are an avid watcher of the series, this will not be new material to you. Along this same line, if you are not a loyal viewer, you might be a bit lost at the beginning because it picks up in the middle of a plot line (namely the battle between Megatron and Optimus). I don't think most kids will really be all that bothered by it, but as a parent watching, you might be pressed to catch up.

Special Features:

There are only two special features on this disc - an interview with some of the writers and producers, lasting around 12 minutes, and an animatic of the episode itself. The interview will probably bore the dickens out of kid viewers, because it's four adults "talking shop" about the animation studio. However, adults and animation enthusiasts will enjoy hearing about their in-house writing staff and their creative process behind having season-long story arcs. The animatic is just that, namely pencil sketches of what will eventually become the series itself. I honestly don't know a single kid who gets excited about an animatic, especially since to them it looks like rough doodles at best. In all, the features are probably more for adults and animation enthusiasts than anyone else. I pretty much guarantee your kids will be bored with them.

Fun Facts:

*The voice of Megatron, Frank Welker, has been doing cartoon voices since the late 1960's. Characters you might recognize include Fred from the original Scooby Doo cartoons, Jabberjaw the shark, Nibbler from Futurama, and cartoon animals such as Abu from Aladin, Santa's Little Helper from The Simpsons, Goddard from Jimmy Neutron, Pegasus from Hercules, Flit from Pocohontas, and Dynomutt the Dog Wonder.

*Peter Cullen has always been the voice of Optimus Prime in all incarnations of Transformers, from the cartoons in the 1980's to the live action films produced recently. He is also the iconic voice of Eeyore in all of the Winnie the Pooh incarnations since 1988's "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh."

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