When The Transformers debuted in america in the early 1980's alien robots had been a bastion of science fiction films of the 1950's. Taking inspiration from a cartoon from Japan, this story takes a leap by giving the robots souls and character. (as opposed to being just machines that humans control). Possibly inspired by the writings of Isaac Asimov, The Transformers (american version season one) gave life to robots like never before. Taking a cue from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, this program showed what a group of friends could do against the forces of evil. Sure there were super powered groups before in comics and tv shows, but these were alien robots that had the built in technology to camoflouge in their surroundings. A remarkable feat of evolution, and what that shows is that these machine men were alive! Leaps and bounds in Paleontology at the time sparked an interest in dinosaurs and the movie E.T. an interest in alien life forms so this story of a meeting between ancient aliens and humans was perfectly timed. Mixing themes from Cold War espionage of the forties and of the space race of the sixties ,breakdancing robots of the 1980's were ready to be thrown into the mix. Showing a family model like no other, The Autobots, led by the surly Optimus Prime fought for survival against the domiating Decepticons, led by the cold as ice Megatron. The Music was epic as well as the pathos. Making the Transformers an addition to your child's world is a great idea, as they provide some great role models.Read full review
Transformers has possibly the largest fan following of any animated show from the mid-80's. And the franchise has continued to grow and evolve to this day. Rhino Video holds the rights to both the original Transformers as well as GI Joe, and after doing a respectable job with the US release of Transformers: The Movie on DVD, they have outdone themselves with a four-disc boxed set that collects the entire first season of the TV show. However, instead of just slapping the original episodes on the disc, they gave the shows a complete and stunning digital restoration that makes them look better than ever. The premise behind Transformers is simple. Robots from a planet called Cybertron are locked into a fierce war between two sides, the Autobots and the Decepticons. Optimus Prime leads the Autobot forces away from Cybertron in order to find energy to bring home. On their journey, Megatron's Decepticon forces attack them and their ship crash-lands on Earth in prehistoric times. Millions of years later, the Transformers are re-awakened and repaired by their crashed ship so they can transform into modern day earth vehicles. The Autobots ally with a few humans, while the evil Decepticons go off on their own search for energy. This boxed set collects the entire first season on three DVDs along with a fourth disc of supplemental material: Disc One: - More Than Meets The Eye Part 1. - More Than Meets The Eye Part 2. - More Than Meets The Eye Part 3. - Transport to Oblivion. - Roll For It. Disc Two: - Divide and Conquer. - Fire in the Sky. - S.O.S. Dinobots. - Fire on the Mountain. - War of the Dinobots. Disc Three: - The Ultimate Doom Part 1. - The Ultimate Doom Part 2. - The Ultimate Doom Part 3. - Countdown to Extinction. - A Plague of Insecticons. - Heavy Metal War. It's been a long time since I've seen all of the episodes, but I was surprised at how much I remembered. I was also surprised at how bad and laughable some of the lines and mistakes in the series are. Don't get me wrong, I still love the show and had the biggest smile on my face while watching the disc, but some of the writing is just hilarious as are some mistakes that there are in both the audio and video. A lot of these video mistakes can be seen in their glory on the fourth disc, but one audio mess up takes place in the first episode where Optimus Prime is seen speaking, but Megatron's voice is heard. This isn't a DVD problem as it was like that when the show originally aired. There are some really good episodes on the discs despite the laughable flaws. More Than Meets The Eye is great, the Dinobots episodes on disc two are really fun, while on disc three A Plague of Insecticons is good and Heavy Metal War is excellent. Overall, you couldn't ask for a better collection of a series that most people (myself included) have fond memories of. But before you fire up the hate mail over my score, remember that nostalgia alone isn't enough to warrant a 5/5. Especially considering that the movie is so good, and later seasons of the show are a bit better.Read full review
Verified purchase: No
Season 1, Episode 1: More Than Meets the Eye: Part 1 Original Air Date—17 September 1984 The Autobots are running low on Energon, they leave their home planet of Cybertron to search for more sources. The Decepticons follow them and attack the Autobot's ship. The ship crashes on Earth and ends up inside a volcano. Millions of years later, Teletran One, the ship's computer activates and revives them. The Decepticons are determined to exploit Earth's resources for their own needs. The Autobots are just as determined to stop them. The start of the series. Season 1, Episode 2: More Than Meets the Eye: Part 2 Original Air Date—18 September 1984 Season 1, Episode 3: More Than Meets the Eye: Part 3 Original Air Date—19 September 1984 Season 1, Episode 4: Transport to Oblivion Original Air Date—6 October 1984 Season 1, Episode 5: Roll for It Original Air Date—13 October 1984 Season 1, Episode 6: Divide and Conquer Original Air Date—20 October 1984 Season 1, Episode 7: S.O.S. Dinobots Original Air Date—27 October 1984 Season 1, Episode 8: The Ultimate Doom: Brainwash (1) Original Air Date—3 November 1984 Season 1, Episode 9: The Ultimate Doom: Search (2) Original Air Date—10 November 1984 Season 1, Episode 10: The Ultimate Doom: Revival (3) Original Air Date—17 November 1984 Season 1, Episode 11: War of the Dinobots Original Air Date—24 November 1984 Season 1, Episode 12: Countdown to Extinction Original Air Date—1 December 1984 Season 1, Episode 13: Fire in the Sky Original Air Date—8 December 1984 The Decepticons find a transformer buried in the ice. When they free him, Starscream is pleased to find out it's his old friend/colleague Skyfire. They convince Skyfire to join their ranks against the Autobots. While the Autobots try to stop Megatrons latest plan, Skyfire encounters humans for the first time, and discovers what joining the Decepticons really entails. Season 1, Episode 14: Heavy Metal War Original Air Date—15 December 1984 The Constructicons attack a construction site and steal energy machine parts needed for Megatron's current scheme. With this done, Megatron challenges Optimus Prime for a duel according to Cybertron law: the leaders of the opposing armies engage in one-on-one battle, without additional reinforcement, and the loser must exile himself and his army to deep space for eternity. Optimus, confident that he can beat Megatron under these terms, agrees. The Constructicons assemble the stolen components into power-transfer machine, which Megatron uses to obtain the powers of all the other Decepticons - against the combat rules. To ensure that the Autobots will not discover the cheat, Megatron sends the Constructicons to the Autobots' headquarters, so they will destroy Teletraan 1 while the Autobots are watching the battle. During the battle, Optimus fights valiantly, but multi-powered Megatron has the upper hand from the beginning. It seems Megatron's plot succeeds, but he forgot one important detail: the Dinobots were left in the Autobots' headquarters to guard Teletraan 1, and their intervention severely interferes with the scheme... Season 1, Episode 15: Fire on the Mountain Original Air Date—22 December 1984 Season 1, Episode 16: A Plague of Insecticons Original Air Date—29 December 1984Read full review
What do I like/love about Transformers-Season 1...hmm?....what's not to like!!!...for the generation I grew up in, this was our introduction to a fantastic world!....I've always liked sci-fi/fantasy, and even as a kid, I couldn't have pictured robots that disguise themselves as vehicles....this concept fascinated me!...then, I got hooked into the storyline...valiant Autobots trying to stop the evil Decepticons!...it was traditional good VS evil, but presented unlike anything I ever could have imagined!...and that was one of the things my parents liked about me being interested in the Transformers, I begin to ask my parents and grandparents questions, like how or what really defines good and evil...but it was also just fun as he** to watch...of course, like everybody who grew up watching Transformers, I had my favorites....from the Autobots: Optimus Prime, the Dinobots, Jazz, Wheeljack, and Jetfire...from the Decepticons: Megatron, Soundwave, Shockwave(most underused character ever!!!), Sarscream and the Constructicons....the first season of the Transformers will forever bring me joy and excitement, no matter how many times I watch and re-watch episodes....I highly recommend this box set to people....it's great seeing these episodes all these years later....you will not be dissapointed in tracking this box set down....Read full review
This is simply one of the best jobs ever done with any dvd let alone an entire series! As a huge fan of the original series I was excited when they released it on dvd. I recently started watching it over again for the third or fourth time especially now that i've have a big screen tv to view it on. For the last three years I have also been collecting the original G1 toy line, wow, I need a much bigger place now! The animated movie will be re-released in November 2006 and then ocurse the live action CGI movie July 4th 2007. The dvd sets are well worth the price, they did a great job restoring the footage and even go in depth of how the process was accomplished on the sets extras. The dvd sets also allow you to listen in the original broadcast audio or 5.1 digital sound. I highly recommend these dvd sets to anyone wanting to relive the memories!Read full review
I am a big Transformers fan. I remember seeing it on television for the first time in the early 80's. I guess you're going to get a biased opinion about this dvd set, but I will try to be fair. The set included all of the episodes from the original season. You learn the origin of the transformers and how they came to earth. It's alot easier to watch than the original cut because you don't have to deal with all of the commercials. The voice over and video is of good quality. I would highly reccomend it to any fan of the transformers or for people who might want to introduce a child to the world of the Autobots and Decepticons.
Great show grew up watching as a kid must have for G1 fans an collectors
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
just like old times back in the early 80's. I love it! Includes cartoon cells, special features include the whole restoration history and a split screen series of clips for comparison of the cartoon films before and after restoration. take a trip down memory lane with the transformers.
It's the original Transformers cartoons that I used to watch after school when I was a kid. It has the whole season and an extra disc for information about the cartoons. I decided to buy it because I borrowed it from a friend and my brother in law accidentally lost one of the discs so I had to replace it so my friend would still have a complete set.
the original G-1 transformers first season. you cant go wrong with that. also some great extras, the original bumpers for the Japanese series that never aired on american tv. which is a shame. cause the Japanese series were great. It's Transformers u cant go wrong.
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