Drama
A Man in Full
Talent and intrigue ultimately can’t cloak the truth about this vulgar, crass and graphic drama on Netflix.
The Autobots and Decepticons continue to wage their destructive war. But the conflict on their home world has taken a devastating turn.
Cybertron is a dying planet, slowly being laid to waste. Energon, the source of energy and life for all bots, is waning. And both sides are desperate. Decepticons hold most of the power. And nearly all the Autobots have been annihilated.
The only hope for survival seems to be in accepting a grim peace treaty from Megatron: Join our side or become extinct.
But Optimus Prime will not kneel to evil. Nor will he allow those who depend on him to be treated as robotic slaves under a fascist regime. Although their numbers are few, the Autobots hold on to hope that one day freedom will become a right for all sentient beings.
But freedom always comes at a cost. And only one question remains: Do the few remaining Autobots have what it takes to restore order to their beloved home planet?
Netflix’s latest contribution to the bot world, “Transformers: War for Cybertron,” goes back to the beginning. Played out as an origin story, Autobots and Decepticons fight for a deteriorating planet in this TV-Y7 animated kids show.
As with most Transformers stories, explosions, death threats and combat are all present here and played out on screen, as is the ever-present battle between good and evil.
And while kids will learn about honor, bravery and teamwork, they will also witness some bad attitudes and hear some surprising language. In the very first episode, the word “a–” is heard once, which seems like a possible open door for more foul language to follow in future episodes. So, while this series continues strong for super fans, it may not be the best trek into deep space for the littlest viewers.
In this series premiere, Megatron tries to convince Optimus Prime to accept a “peaceful” treaty. The Autobots try to recruit a neutral Bumblebee to their side.
Bloodthirsty Decepticons, also known as “Seekers,” utter death threats, talk about execution, genocide and the total elimination of all Autobots. Bots from both sides are shot, hit and destroyed. A Decepticon loses its robotic arm. Buildings explode.
Autobots and Decepticons sport poor and arrogant attitudes. An Autobot calls someone a “pain in the a–.” Other insults include: “net head,” “fool” and “stupid.” One robot exclaims “polish my tail bud!”
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
Talent and intrigue ultimately can’t cloak the truth about this vulgar, crass and graphic drama on Netflix.
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