Transformers Season 1 DVD Boxset Review

I will start off this review by saying that I will NOT be reviewing the episodes, I will be reviewing the DVD menus, video, audio and the extras.

DVD Menus

Once you pop in one of the DVDs and get past the legal notices and the Rhino information, a starry sky is shown. The camera pans on down to the Ark stuck in the volcano and then the camera rushes through the entrance to Autobot Headquarters and into the main room. Here, video monitors appear on the center of the screen and familiar Transformer music plays in the background. You navigate the DVD by using the monitors. The Menus are really well done and Rhino deserves ALOT of credit for putting forth a tremendous amount of effort in making these menus. I give the menus an A+. Below is an animated GIF of the animated menu.

Video

In one word, Awesome! The video is drop dead gorgeous. The video is so vibrant and colorful, you have never experieced the Transformers cartoon until you have watched these DVDs. Once again, Rhino deserves a tremendous amount of credit in this department. While there are a few places in the episodes that could have used an improvement, there is just no way to get the video crystal clear and flawless. Rhino cleaned the episodes up they best they could, and there is no way we will ever see the episodes look any better. I give the video an A+ despite the few minor flaws.

Audio

Rhino came up with a 5.1 soundtrack for Transformers The Movie, and once again, Rhino comes through. Each episode is presented in 5.1 audio with the option of changing to 2.0 Stereo. But seriously, why would you want to listen to it in stereo? Just from listening to the intro to the episodes, I can tell right away that the sound is so clean, that there are sounds in it that I have never heard before on the VHS copies. There was an instance here and there where the voices were overshadowed by background sounds, but that can be overlooked. I give the audio an A+

The Extras

The boxset comes with an extra 4th DVD which cannot be obtained anywhere else. In addition to the DVD, the boxset comes with 2 animation cels and a coupon for $10 off at ActionFigure Xpress. Before I talk about the DVD extras, let me talk about the animation cels. The first cel is of Starscream and Skywarp carrying energon cubes. The second cel is a closeup of Rumble. These cels are a great extra to own and are great to display. Ok, on to the DVD. The Extra's DVD contains the following:

Restoration:
*Restoration Process
*Frame By Frame Analysis
*Remastering Comparisons

Bumpers:
*Domestic
*Japanese

Outtakes and Anomolies:
*Outtakes and False Starts
*Anomolies

Alternate Sequences
*Textless Opening
*Textless End Credits
*Textless Opening Episode 1
*Opening Credits Domestic
*Opening Credits Domestic - Season 3
*Alternate Opening Sequence
*Japanese Opening
*Japanese Opening with Slate
*Japanese Recap
*Japanese Scene Clip

Original Transformers Script
*Episode 4 "Transport to Oblivion"

A Taste of BotCon 2001
*BotCon: Above and Beyond
*Interview with Glen Hallit (BotCon Organizer)

As you can see, the Extra's DVD is jampacked with tons of extra's! The Restoration Process shows how the episodes were rematered and restored to their presnet condition on the DVDs. The Bumpers are great to watch, but they don't include and voiceover, and there aren't many US bumpers. On the other hand, a few of the Japanese bumpers were pretty funny. The Outtakes and Anomilies show animation errors, foreign materials on the film itself and out of sequenced audio. The Alternate Sequences contain intros/outros and feature a clip from one of the many Japanese Transformer cartoons. The Episode 4 script is a good addition for you readers out there. I have never liked the addition of scripts on DVDs, I would rather watch the movie itself, but it was still good of Rhino to include it. The Taste of BotCon 2001 extra it perfect for those of you who haven't been to a BotCon before. It shows off the dealer room, has some fan interviews and features an interview with the BotCon organizer. All of these extra's add up, and I give them a A+.

Final Score

Well, if you have been keeping score, you would see that I gave the boxset an A+ in all areas. This is it people, this is what we have all been waiting for. Throw away your VHS copies and get rid of those downloaded episodes on your computer, you will never get a better copy of these episodes. Rhino did a stellar job with this boxset and I hope they they continue delivering outstanding Transformer boxsets in the future.