Transformers: Prime - Darkness Rising features the first five episodes of the latest Transformers series pieced together as one long episode. Before watching Darkness Rising, I'd seen a few episodes, but without the benefit of history, I sometimes felt a bit lost, especially since the series is built more on on-going story arcs rather than self-contained episodes.
Darkness Rising is connected to the same continuity as High Moon Studio's Transformers: War for Cybertron and set within Hasbro's "official" continuity for the entire franchise (contained in the awesome sounding, 400-page "Binder of Revelation").
The series begins three years after the Decepticons' last attack on Earth. As the movie opens, we're introduced to Cliffjumper (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and Arcee (Sumalee Montano), as they patrol Earth for... well, any sort of action. Cliffjumper gets his wish and is attacked by Starscream (Steven Blum), announcing the Decepticons' return to Earth. With Megatron apparently dead, Starscream has taken over leadership duties and recruited a new army of Decepticons.
Later, Arcee is pursued by an Starscream's drones, the vehicons, leading her to come in contact with Jack (Josh Keaton), a human boy who discovers the existence of the Autobots alongside two other kids, Raf (Andy Pessoa) and Miko (Tania Gunadi). The kids are drawn into the growing conflict, Optimus (Peter Cullen) orders Arcee, Bumblebee (Assorted Bleeps) and Bulkhead (Kevin Michael Richardson) to serve as guardians.
Meanwhile, deep in space, Starscream discovers a signal originating from a defunct Space Bridge. Megatron (Frank Welker) is back, fueled with Dark Energon and a plan to raise an army of undead transformers. The first five episodes flow into each other incredibly well, and had I not checked the back of the box, I would have thought it was one big movie.
The series is packed with lots of action, though the little character moments are where it really shines. Everyone has their own goals and values, which is a big departure from other series. This is the first time since Beast Wars that some shades of grey have been introduced into the series. It's not just about "White Hats" vs. "Black Hats;" some really good characters harbor dark desires and feelings. There are even arguments against Optimus's command, a massive difference from the Generation One's lemming-like Autobots.
Transformers: Prime also manages to bridge the gap between old and new with its character designs. Unfortunately, the series can't escape the influence of Michael Bay's version, though the artists were also able to incorporate more design elements from past series as well. Characters are much rounder and more identifiable. Better still, they have actual visual personality traits.
The new designs are featured in one of Darkness Rising's three special features. The section takes each character's design from concept sketch to final model. If you're interested in getting into 3D character design, this is a great place to start. The other features the same step-by-stop process for backgrounds.
The last features is, as some of you may be able to guess, my favorite. The Animatic (animated storyboard) for the entire first episode is presented in full-screen mode. I would have preferred some sort of side-by-side comparison, but it's a neat addition and again, something people interested in the field should watch.
As Transformers series go, Transformers: Prime is shaping up to be one of my favorite interpretations. Generation One will always hold a special meaning for me, but Prime manages to hit all of the nostalgic notes while also presenting a more coherent and interesting storyline.
Unless you're a Transformers fan in complete denial about any series other than Generation One, Transfomers: Prime - Darkness Rising comes highly recommended.
