Just watched Beast Wars - should I watch Beast Machines?

[Trent]

So, I just finished watching Beast Wars all the way through for the first time. I must say I'm very impressed and now hold that series in very high regard.

With all this in mind my question is as follows:

Should I watch Beast Machines??

I mean, is it really that bad?? Should I not watch it? Do you wish it purged from your mind and find yourself envying me for the fact that my mind has not yet been polluted with the tripe that is Beast Machines?

Or is it something that I should still watch despite how bad it is? Do I approach it with stupidly low expectations, thus being presently surprised( this is the reason I like the first Bay movie).

????????

[Quickstrike]

It's not bad at all. It's different (I'm not going to say that it's better or worse) than Beast Wars but it's totally worth watching.

[BigTransformerTrev]

It's not bad at all. It's different (I'm not going to say that it's better or worse) than Beast Wars but it's totally worth watching.

What he said

[theheretic]

So, I just finished watching Beast Wars all the way through for the first time. I must say I'm very impressed and now hold that series in very high regard.

With all this in mind my question is as follows:

Should I watch Beast Machines??

I mean, is it really that bad?? Should I not watch it? Do you wish it purged from your mind and find yourself envying me for the fact that my mind has not yet been polluted with the tripe that is Beast Machines?

Or is it something that I should still watch despite how bad it is? Do I approach it with stupidly low expectations, thus being presently surprised( this is the reason I like the first Bay movie).

????????

I liked Beast Machines better than BW! Except the last few episodes went down hill FAST and the ending went full retard... And we all know you never go full retard.

[SuspectimusPrime]

So, I just finished watching Beast Wars all the way through for the first time. I must say I'm very impressed and now hold that series in very high regard.

With all this in mind my question is as follows:

Should I watch Beast Machines??

I mean, is it really that bad?? Should I not watch it? Do you wish it purged from your mind and find yourself envying me for the fact that my mind has not yet been polluted with the tripe that is Beast Machines?

Or is it something that I should still watch despite how bad it is? Do I approach it with stupidly low expectations, thus being presently surprised( this is the reason I like the first Bay movie).

????????

It's not bad at all. It's different (I'm not going to say that it's better or worse) than Beast Wars but it's totally worth watching.

I only got around to watching it as a grown adult and enjoyed it enough to rewatch it along with BW As a series, it's got a good tempo and intrigue to it. (Skipped through DOTM today, and still found that hard to enjoy).

With BM, I did find myself toy hunting for one particularly noble character afterwards Most people would agree that the storyline quality to toy quality comparison ratio was better than BW (writers did a very good job at selling bad toys!)

I liked Beast Machines better than BW! Except the last few episodes went down hill FAST and the ending went full retard... And we all know you never go full retard.

Kind of like G1 Season 4? Except that probably went full retard faster

[GoktimusPrime]

Beast Machines...

PROS
+ Great animation -- leaps and bounds better than Beast Wars
+ Deep and philosophically intellectual story engages the adult mind, and it's the most dystopic story ever written for a TF cartoon.
+ There is no good or evil. Morality is completely subjective (as it is IRL).
+ Also helps to further enhance the G1 continuity family (though not as well as BW IMO)
+ No humans!

CONS
+ Story pacing can be slow at times. Some plot elements drag on for too long -- and there's a certain catchphrase that's repeatedly drilled into your skulls so often you'll be sick to death of hearing it.
+ Maximals' technorganic forms and transformations look weird. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea. Vehicons look pretty cool though.
+ Evolution of some characters is inconsistent with Beast Wars (and it should be consistent since it's the sequel to BW). Other characters are evolved well though -- but yeah, it's not consistent across all characters.
+ There's a new character who's really annoying and you just want to slap him.
+ The deep/meaningful and dark dystopia thing turns some people off. There's very few light hearted moments in this show; it would be dull for kids and some adult fans didn't like it because they enjoy TF shows that are more "fun."
+ The ending is highly controversial and essentially dead ends the G1 continuity family (arguably this is why the G1 continuity family came to an effective halt after BM and since then we've just had continuity reboots).

My overall opinion? It's a very good show. But not a great sequel to Beast Wars and maybe not necessarily a great Transformers story -- but it is a good story in its own right. It's a better sequel than Revenge of the Fallen, I'll give it that.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Do I approach it with stupidly low expectations, thus being presently surprised( this is the reason I like the first Bay movie).

????????

Do this one,and enjoy the good moments it offers up - there are a handful of good episodes amongst all the tripe. If you can mentally/emotionally separate it from it's predecessor it's not a bad show, but as a follow-up to BW it kinda falls flat - especially re. the characterisation.

[Hursticon]

So, I just finished watching Beast Wars all the way through for the first time. I must say I'm very impressed and now hold that series in very high regard.

With all this in mind my question is as follows:

Should I watch Beast Machines??

I mean, is it really that bad?? Should I not watch it? Do you wish it purged from your mind and find yourself envying me for the fact that my mind has not yet been polluted with the tripe that is Beast Machines?

Or is it something that I should still watch despite how bad it is? Do I approach it with stupidly low expectations, thus being presently surprised( this is the reason I like the first Bay movie).

????????

1st of all, thank you and good on you for sitting down and giving Beast Wars the proper time that it deserves - The fact that you came out really liking it is a bonus, I just wish more people who beat on it (because they only saw 3 or less episodes of the 1st season ) would do exactly what you've done.

Now, before I begin you'll have to understand that I was one of the kids who was of the target age when Beast Wars originally aired ; so when it ended and that was it (I spent a year waiting for new episodes that never eventuated ), I have some rather heavily tinted glasses if you know what I mean - But...

In all honesty, Beast Machines isn't that bad & holds its own well - So long as you view it as its own standalone show and (IMO) forget about any links it may or may not have with the superior preceding series.
It explores some rather dark things which is great but it also got very preachy in an almost religious sense, it also introduced some rather cool characters (Striker is one of the coolest Fembots!) and also some of the single worst excuses to market a toy since Wheelie (I'm looking at you Nightscream ).

There is also a character concept that I don't think has really been explored since Beast Machines, I'd like to see more of it but (Without spoiling it) you'll know exactly who I'm referring to if you keep the concept of a Rocklord in mind.

Trent, I say watch it even if it's just so that you can say you have; You'll have a better understanding as to why most dislike it and why some (Like myself) utterly detest its existence.

[Sky Shadow]

Beast Machines is great and works really well as a solid story arc from beginning to end. I actually disagree about forgetting about Beast Wars - the fact that it mindscrews over all the Beast Wars characters is one of the best things about it. It's better than the Armada, Energon, Cybertron or Prime cartoons. Watch it.

+ There's a new character who's really annoying and you just want to slap him.

I think almost every Transformers franchise has someone who needs a good slapping. I spent all of Beast Wars wanting to slap Cheetor, and he's actually not too bad in Beast Machines.

[GoktimusPrime]

I think almost every Transformers franchise has someone who needs a good slapping. I spent all of Beast Wars wanting to slap Cheetor, and he's actually not too bad in Beast Machines.

Hahah, yeah, he was one of the characters I was referring to when I said that some of the characters did evolve well. In fact, I think he was the best developed character in the show.