Transformers: Prime animated TV Series Season 2, Volume 3 – Weapons of Choice. Includes 5 episodes.
To Prevail In The Future, The Autobots Must Control Their Past…
Megatron and the Decepticons race to find Iacon relics, weapons of great power that were sent to Earth during the fall of Cyberton. The stakes are high: the weapons must be secured if Earth is to be secure and the search for them will take both Autobots and Decepticons around the world.
Volume 3 of 5 – includes episodes 11 – 15.
Awards for series
- Won Emmy Award 2012, Outstanding Special Class Animated Program
- Won 6 Emmy Awards 2011–2013 for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation
Transformers Prime TV Show Review
For Season 2
"To say that I'm not a fan of Michael Bay's take on the Transformers franchise is a massive understatement…As such, I wasn't particularly interested in the idea of an animated television show directly tied to the film franchise, especially since the films themselves were already juvenile enough. It's a delightful surprise, then, to discover that Transformers: Prime is not only superior to the Bay films, but a representation of everything that the big-screen movies should have been.
It's almost alarming to consider how many things Transformers: Prime gets right that the films got wrong. First and foremost, it places the attention precisely where it should be: on the title characters. Yes, there are teenage human sidekicks who help out here and there, but the show never loses sight of the fact that its primary purpose is to dramatize the ongoing conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons. There are moments of humor, but most of them are actually quite charming (in contrast to the agonizingly clunky, crude gags Bay leans on). The action sequences are dynamic and involving. The plotting emphasizes smart, emotionally-involving, long-arc storytelling (arguably even moreso that Star Wars: The Clone Wars). Man, this is good stuff.
Another key virtue is that the voice cast is consistently strong. For all the ups and downs of the franchise, there are few greater pleasures in life than hearing Peter Cullen voice Optimus Prime. His deep, commanding vocal performance has never been better; it's such a joy to hear such a fine voice actor playing the role he was born to play. It's also a delight to have Frank Welker back in the role of Megatron (he played the role in the original animated series, but was demoted to playing less significant parts in the movies). While it's no surprise that these two old pros do a fine job, they're matched by Jeffrey Combs' turn at Ratchet. Combs' quivering, endlessly inventive take on the character is fantastic; he's an inspired choice.
The quality level hasn't really shifted much from season one to season two, as both are exceptional efforts only hampered by minor weaknesses. Part of the first half of season one suffered from an abundance of relatively insignificant “incident of the week” episodes that did little to move the overall story forward. That's less of a problem this time around, though there are times when it seems as if the series is a bit too eager to sacrifice the more character-driven material (which is consistently stellar) in favor of delivering yet another fight sequence. I realize that each individual episode needs to contain a certain action quotient to keep the kids satisfied, but that need can become just a bit wearisome when you're plowing through the season in a marathon viewing session. Still, if “too much robot-punching” is your biggest problem, you're in pretty good shape." DVD Verdict