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Transformers Armada - Battle for the Mini-Cons
Rhino // G // June 22, 2004
List Price: $11.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
As with most guys my age (that I've talked to at least), I've grown up watching the Transformers on TV, well before this DVD craze started. Like others, I was hoping to pop this disc in and relive some of my glory days of running around the house yelling "Transform!" then making the three toned noise that indicates a successful transformation; however the only thing I kept yelling was "I can't believe I'm watching this."
In the Transformers: Armada series, the story revolves around the usual Autobot and Decepticon war that has been raging for many years, however the twist to this series is that the reason for the battling is a race of transformers that are called Mini-Cons, who when collected by the other race of transformer can combine their powers to add a wondrous force to the large transformer. The four episodes presented here by Rhino, are a small collection showing the battle for the Mini-Cons.
As mentioned in other reviews for the Armada series on this site, there is a human element added to the series in the form of at least three stereotypical kids, Rad, Alexis and Carlos. Why these kids hang around with giant transforming robots I cannot tell you based on this disc alone, so the fact that they are always around seems like somewhat of a mystery, based on the episode selection here. Usually, the moral of the episode will be delivered by the humans if they are around, because what good would a cartoon be without a moral to teach you something?
The DVD
The four episodes on this DVD are:
Episode 24 – Chase (Originally aired January 29, 2003)
Episode 25 – Tactician (Originally Aired January 30, 2003)
Episode 35 – Rescue (Originally aired April 26, 2003)
Episode 36 – Mars (Originally aired May 3, 2003)
Video:
Transformers: Armada is presented in it's original form: 1.33 : 1, Full Screen. The colors are sharp, crisp and no major issues were noticed. Some nice touches to the animation are the blur effects that add a nice sensation of depth to the image when multiple transformers are on the screen.
Audio:
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, as it was originally aired. For what it is, the audio is quite sharp and well defined. Some decent use of the stereo aspect was noticed, and added to the overall feel of the presentation.
Extras:
There are no extras on this disc aside from an advertisement for Transformer toys that is show upon starting the disc.
Conclusion:
The largest disappointment I have with this set is the order in which the episodes are shown. What ends up happening is that we essentially get two sets of episodes that were initially shown in sequential order. The four episodes, while all dealing with the Mini-Cons were separated by twelve other episodes, so you will end up scratching your head on occasion when the jump occurs because some transformers will be absent, or will have a new mini-con that only 20 minutes earlier, there was no indication of.
Because this is a subset of an entire season, the transitions between episodes is somewhat jarring, and to a viewer who is not in his/her pre-teens might not make a difference. However, to someone who expects a little more, even from the compilation discs such as this, the overall experience was a disappointing one. My suggestion would be to put off this purchase, and if you are one of the Armada fans buy the season set instead.
In the Transformers: Armada series, the story revolves around the usual Autobot and Decepticon war that has been raging for many years, however the twist to this series is that the reason for the battling is a race of transformers that are called Mini-Cons, who when collected by the other race of transformer can combine their powers to add a wondrous force to the large transformer. The four episodes presented here by Rhino, are a small collection showing the battle for the Mini-Cons.
As mentioned in other reviews for the Armada series on this site, there is a human element added to the series in the form of at least three stereotypical kids, Rad, Alexis and Carlos. Why these kids hang around with giant transforming robots I cannot tell you based on this disc alone, so the fact that they are always around seems like somewhat of a mystery, based on the episode selection here. Usually, the moral of the episode will be delivered by the humans if they are around, because what good would a cartoon be without a moral to teach you something?
The DVD
The four episodes on this DVD are:
Episode 24 – Chase (Originally aired January 29, 2003)
Episode 25 – Tactician (Originally Aired January 30, 2003)
Episode 35 – Rescue (Originally aired April 26, 2003)
Episode 36 – Mars (Originally aired May 3, 2003)
Video:
Transformers: Armada is presented in it's original form: 1.33 : 1, Full Screen. The colors are sharp, crisp and no major issues were noticed. Some nice touches to the animation are the blur effects that add a nice sensation of depth to the image when multiple transformers are on the screen.
Audio:
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, as it was originally aired. For what it is, the audio is quite sharp and well defined. Some decent use of the stereo aspect was noticed, and added to the overall feel of the presentation.
Extras:
There are no extras on this disc aside from an advertisement for Transformer toys that is show upon starting the disc.
Conclusion:
The largest disappointment I have with this set is the order in which the episodes are shown. What ends up happening is that we essentially get two sets of episodes that were initially shown in sequential order. The four episodes, while all dealing with the Mini-Cons were separated by twelve other episodes, so you will end up scratching your head on occasion when the jump occurs because some transformers will be absent, or will have a new mini-con that only 20 minutes earlier, there was no indication of.
Because this is a subset of an entire season, the transitions between episodes is somewhat jarring, and to a viewer who is not in his/her pre-teens might not make a difference. However, to someone who expects a little more, even from the compilation discs such as this, the overall experience was a disappointing one. My suggestion would be to put off this purchase, and if you are one of the Armada fans buy the season set instead.
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