Transformers(1984) is still the best of the Transformers shows, but Transformers: Prime even with its faults is one of the better shows in the franchise since then. Bumblebee does have a rather bland personality this time round, Mikko is annoying(the only character in the show who is) and there is some occasional clunkiness in the dialogue for the human characters(though not as goofy in nature as the worst of the live action trilogy films). The animation however is beautifully rendered, it is smooth with beautiful dark colours and shading and the robots look just great. The music is hauntingly moody, and does help in bringing tension when called for, the action sequences especially are very well scored. The dialogue on the most part is meaningful and intelligent which more than makes up for the occasional clunkiness, while the stories are involving, rich in atmosphere and clearly structured, nothing formulaic or dull at all. The action sequences are well-choreographed, intense and compelling, and the show does a good job in maintaining a balance between story and action without one over-shadowing the other. The characters are well developed- especially so later on- and have distinct and mostly likable personalities, Optimus and Megatron are the most memorable but brownie points also for Knockout, who's very funny, and Jack, the most identifiable of the human characters. And of course the voice acting is superb from all, Jeffrey Coombs, Kevin Michael Richardson, Daran Noris and Steve Blum are very dynamic and Peter Cullen and Frank Welker are without equal as Optimus and Megatron. All in all, a very good show if not as great as Transformers(1984), which is and probably always will be the pinnacle of the franchise. 8/10 Bethany Cox
