[7.2/10] This one has an entertaining gimmick to power it. The prospect of a Dinobot clone is the sort of toy box plot that helps give this show a sense of whimsy, but I like that the clone can’t transform out of beast mode. It creates limitations that help motivate and complicate the story, rather than just coasting on the coolness of two velociraptors in the same episode.
There’s also some pretty stylish visuals by this show’s standards. Maybe I’m just a sucker for Rattrap surfing, but I really enjoyed him floating on the river of lava and hopping from rock to rock to safety. The raptor-on-raptor showdown was slightly less kinetic, but I enjoyed the Marx Brothers-esque mirror routine, Dinobot returning to beast mode so as to have the fight with honor, and their oddly technological throwdown.
Storywise, this one starts slow, but finds interesting places to take the concept. The clone struggling to find excuses for why everyone else has to leave the base or why he can’t transform create tricky obstacles for him and others to overcome. Likewise, Dinobot pretending to be the clone to trick Megatron makes for a good reversal. The goals are simple, but the limitations on the characters make them interesting.
Last but not least, I love the reveal that Dinobot ate his clone after he subdued him. It’s just so dang weird, and I can’t help but admire a show that tends to be so kiddy and hammy in its approach go for something so out there.
Overall, this one isn’t much more than its gimmick, but it uses that gimmick well.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-06-05T20:49:25Z
[7.2/10] This one has an entertaining gimmick to power it. The prospect of a Dinobot clone is the sort of toy box plot that helps give this show a sense of whimsy, but I like that the clone can’t transform out of beast mode. It creates limitations that help motivate and complicate the story, rather than just coasting on the coolness of two velociraptors in the same episode.
There’s also some pretty stylish visuals by this show’s standards. Maybe I’m just a sucker for Rattrap surfing, but I really enjoyed him floating on the river of lava and hopping from rock to rock to safety. The raptor-on-raptor showdown was slightly less kinetic, but I enjoyed the Marx Brothers-esque mirror routine, Dinobot returning to beast mode so as to have the fight with honor, and their oddly technological throwdown.
Storywise, this one starts slow, but finds interesting places to take the concept. The clone struggling to find excuses for why everyone else has to leave the base or why he can’t transform create tricky obstacles for him and others to overcome. Likewise, Dinobot pretending to be the clone to trick Megatron makes for a good reversal. The goals are simple, but the limitations on the characters make them interesting.
Last but not least, I love the reveal that Dinobot ate his clone after he subdued him. It’s just so dang weird, and I can’t help but admire a show that tends to be so kiddy and hammy in its approach go for something so out there.
Overall, this one isn’t much more than its gimmick, but it uses that gimmick well.