[7.1/10] So let’s get this out of the way. Those neanderthals are some of the ugliest, most uncanny valley CGI creations I’ve seen in a long time. The more humanoid this show tries to get with its designs, the creepier it gets. That worked with Transmutate who was supposed to seem a little off-yet-sympathetic, but it doesn’t really work with characters the audience is supposed to find cute and cuddly.
I’m also not enamored with the sort of regressive gender politics material of Black Arachnia’s “I don’t like kids, but I’ll risk my life to save them” arc here. It’s a cliché and not terribly well-written either. Likewise, the last thing in the world I’m asking for from Beast Wars is a love triangle. Cheetor’s sudden interest in Black Arachnia is hacky as hell, and I don’t want or need to see him and Silverbolt duking it out over her.
So why is this rated comparatively high despite those critiques? Well for starters, the Maximals having to escort the neanderthals back to their tribe adds some actual stakes to the show’s omnipresent firefights for once. While usually those encounters seem pointless since almost everyone gets repaired and rebuilt anyway, that’s obviously not true for the neanderthal kids which gives things a little more urgency. While it seems unlikely that the show would kill off a pair of moppets, it just gives things a little more stakes.
Likewise, I appreciate the visual threat of the robotic raptors. The scene of them charging in with Tarantulas (who is working with Megatron again, I guess?) and Waspinator is one of the show’s cooler shots, and there’s a specific goal to beat them rather than just the miscellaneous laser fire we normally get. I also enjoyed Depth Charge playing Big Damn Hero to help save the base when Megatron and company try to take it over while the other Maximals are distracted.
Overall, this one is definitely a mixed bag, but the positives slightly outweigh the negatives. I’m also intrigued by the prospect of the “Transmetal 2” technology that Megatron’s testing, and whether it will introduce the show’s umpteenth character redesigns/introductions.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-08-11T21:58:34Z
[7.1/10] So let’s get this out of the way. Those neanderthals are some of the ugliest, most uncanny valley CGI creations I’ve seen in a long time. The more humanoid this show tries to get with its designs, the creepier it gets. That worked with Transmutate who was supposed to seem a little off-yet-sympathetic, but it doesn’t really work with characters the audience is supposed to find cute and cuddly.
I’m also not enamored with the sort of regressive gender politics material of Black Arachnia’s “I don’t like kids, but I’ll risk my life to save them” arc here. It’s a cliché and not terribly well-written either. Likewise, the last thing in the world I’m asking for from Beast Wars is a love triangle. Cheetor’s sudden interest in Black Arachnia is hacky as hell, and I don’t want or need to see him and Silverbolt duking it out over her.
So why is this rated comparatively high despite those critiques? Well for starters, the Maximals having to escort the neanderthals back to their tribe adds some actual stakes to the show’s omnipresent firefights for once. While usually those encounters seem pointless since almost everyone gets repaired and rebuilt anyway, that’s obviously not true for the neanderthal kids which gives things a little more urgency. While it seems unlikely that the show would kill off a pair of moppets, it just gives things a little more stakes.
Likewise, I appreciate the visual threat of the robotic raptors. The scene of them charging in with Tarantulas (who is working with Megatron again, I guess?) and Waspinator is one of the show’s cooler shots, and there’s a specific goal to beat them rather than just the miscellaneous laser fire we normally get. I also enjoyed Depth Charge playing Big Damn Hero to help save the base when Megatron and company try to take it over while the other Maximals are distracted.
Overall, this one is definitely a mixed bag, but the positives slightly outweigh the negatives. I’m also intrigued by the prospect of the “Transmetal 2” technology that Megatron’s testing, and whether it will introduce the show’s umpteenth character redesigns/introductions.