Transformers: War for Cybertron
Wasted Potential. I know I shouldn't be surprised. This is Netflix, after all. It'll be an event if they produce a really good-quality show once every 10 to 15 years. But with War for Cybertron, I'll admit the story ideas were good, but the writing and dialogue just fell very short of realizing its potential.
All right, let's start with the good.
I liked the story and the ideas: Cybertron's last days, how the war between Autobots and Decepticons is slowly and painfully killing the planet and its inhabitants, and the desperation of both sides to win the war and the extreme actions they both take.
It's one of the darker and more serious works in the Transformers animated shows, depicting the ugliness and atrocities of war. It also makes a serious attempt to show Megatron as something more than an evil tyrant. In rare moments, it's successful; in others, it just shows him as a lunatic.
This is neither a praise nor a criticism. The show uses G1 models for its characters, and the result is—how to put this? Imagine putting toys of Transformers in an animated landscape and trying to move their parts and animate their facial expressions. The result is this weird mix of LEGO-like characters on the screen, with jerky movements and stiff expressions. I didn't hate it, but it definitely was weird to me.
Now let's get to the negatives:
The show is too ambitious for its own good. It tries to tell multiple storylines that deserve their own series: the war between Decepticons and Autobots, Unicron, Galvatron, Nemesis Prime, Beast Wars, and yet all of these ideas were jam-packed into 20-minute, 18-episode installments, which are either left unfinished or concluded unsatisfyingly.
In terms of characterization, WFC tries to show both sides of the war as more than just good and evil, mainly by showing moments of regret for Megatron and many instances of self-doubt for Optimus. Most of the time, it falls flat and either shows Megatron as having mental problems and Optimus as a complete moron.
The pacing is very uneven. There are times when the characters give lengthy monologues and barely anything happens to move the plot forward. Then, in the next scene, bam! World-altering events happen, characters A or B die, or the next event is set up.
If I had to sum up what I mainly feel about this show, it's frustration. Because in terms of concepts and ideas, it has some pretty decent ones going for it. But the problem is, they try to tell all of them in three seasons that have six episodes with a 20-minute runtime, and it is a mess that ultimately makes you feel sorry for what could have been.
So, is WFC worth a watch? If you're a fan of the Transformers IP and want to see a darker, more mature take on the world and the characters, you can give it a try. But be prepared to be disappointed by its less-than-stellar storytelling and bizarre, disjointed choice of voice direction.
All right, let's start with the good.
I liked the story and the ideas: Cybertron's last days, how the war between Autobots and Decepticons is slowly and painfully killing the planet and its inhabitants, and the desperation of both sides to win the war and the extreme actions they both take.
It's one of the darker and more serious works in the Transformers animated shows, depicting the ugliness and atrocities of war. It also makes a serious attempt to show Megatron as something more than an evil tyrant. In rare moments, it's successful; in others, it just shows him as a lunatic.
This is neither a praise nor a criticism. The show uses G1 models for its characters, and the result is—how to put this? Imagine putting toys of Transformers in an animated landscape and trying to move their parts and animate their facial expressions. The result is this weird mix of LEGO-like characters on the screen, with jerky movements and stiff expressions. I didn't hate it, but it definitely was weird to me.
Now let's get to the negatives:
The show is too ambitious for its own good. It tries to tell multiple storylines that deserve their own series: the war between Decepticons and Autobots, Unicron, Galvatron, Nemesis Prime, Beast Wars, and yet all of these ideas were jam-packed into 20-minute, 18-episode installments, which are either left unfinished or concluded unsatisfyingly.
In terms of characterization, WFC tries to show both sides of the war as more than just good and evil, mainly by showing moments of regret for Megatron and many instances of self-doubt for Optimus. Most of the time, it falls flat and either shows Megatron as having mental problems and Optimus as a complete moron.
The pacing is very uneven. There are times when the characters give lengthy monologues and barely anything happens to move the plot forward. Then, in the next scene, bam! World-altering events happen, characters A or B die, or the next event is set up.
If I had to sum up what I mainly feel about this show, it's frustration. Because in terms of concepts and ideas, it has some pretty decent ones going for it. But the problem is, they try to tell all of them in three seasons that have six episodes with a 20-minute runtime, and it is a mess that ultimately makes you feel sorry for what could have been.
So, is WFC worth a watch? If you're a fan of the Transformers IP and want to see a darker, more mature take on the world and the characters, you can give it a try. But be prepared to be disappointed by its less-than-stellar storytelling and bizarre, disjointed choice of voice direction.
Mini Review: If I had to sum up what I mainly feel about this show, it's frustration. Because in terms of concepts and ideas, it has some pretty decent ones going for it. But the problem is, they try to tell all of them in three seasons that have six episodes with a 20-minute runtime, and it is a mess that ultimately makes you feel sorry for what could have been.So, is WFC worth a watch? If you're a fan of the Transformers IP and want to see a darker, more mature take on the world and the charact