Just watched Beast Wars - should I watch Beast Machines?

[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.

[Hursticon]

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.

Wish the bloody music evolved; I haven't watched the show in years and I can still hear that oh so repeated tune in my head!

[Autocon]

Beast Machines went to slow to move the story forward. Alot like those soap shows that drag lingering looks for 15 seconds. It was more dogged in that the maximals were never on the front foot, always trying to run away.

Need to rewatch them I suppose

[1orion2many]

I did enjoy the BM series (not as good as BW though), My biggest gripe was what they did to two main characters. The nearest thing that could explain the change in them would be split personalities because there was no way in hell they were even vaguely related to their original personas in Beast Wars.

[Trent]

Thanks for the replies people. Good to hear that it's not as bad as I originally thought.

Oh and Hursty, it's not that I assumed Beast Wars was crap as the reason it's taken me this long to watch it, it's that I just never got around to watching it. As a 15/16 year old when it was on tv I was just caught up in other things, you know, chasing girls, making orange guns, water bombing Pauline Hanson, you know, teenager stuff.

Although while I previously had zero Interest in the toys, the show sure does a good job of marketing them

[kup]

In my view Beast Machines is totally worth watching. However I would try not to expect a 'Transformers' cartoon and try to judge it by it's own merits as it is totally different to anything that existed before (or after) in the way plot, factions and characters are handled.

Also try to have a more 'flexible' mind frame when it comes to continuity from Beast Wars to Beast Machines. As Gok mentioned, character development from one series to the next is not logical and several character personalities are drastically changed. I think that the most 'logical' character progression is Cheetor but everyone else seems to get considerable and sudden personality revamps.

Some of the BW and G1 continuity is a bit misinterpreted or misunderstood this time around. It is clear that the writers for BM did not do their research as well as Larry DiTillio and Bob Forward had done for Beast Wars. Without too many spoilers, you will see odd things on Cybertron that do not make much sense continuity wise like the multiple use of a prominent G1 character design as a 'generic cybertronian' or statues of a G1 character holding objects that were prominent in the previous series but make no sense for this character to hold them.

In short, try to go into Beast Machines with a neutral 'fresh' perspective without expectations. Evaluate the series on it's own merits and you may come out enjoying it as it is still well written in a unique 'UnTransformers' sort of way.

[klystron]

No.
Just no.

[liegeprime]

Yeah watch it, just gets a bit of getting used to the character art though, as it's really more organic even in "bot" mode. Vehicons wise they dont look like the conventional transformers look we get - more like Dr Who casts really but although not as enjoyable as BW, BM has it's own merits. Although as Gok said it kinda placed a period in the end for TF G1 line....I for one aint really that satisfied with how it ended. Oh well.