Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Transformers EarthSpark’ on Paramount+, Bringing a Burst of Renewed, Youthful Energy to A Classic Action Series

There have been several iterations of Transformers over the years, from live-action films to animated series. Of course, the classics still hold up, but the more modern takes on the characters have been a bit more hit or miss. Transformers: EarthSpark is a surprisingly fresh and fun-loving twist on a familiar property that has plenty for longtime fans to enjoy as well as friendly, modern characters and dialogue that feel like a new approach for characters that deserve to reach a new audience that skews a bit younger. And the best part? It all works.

TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot:A shot of the full moon pans down to reveal a robotic spider with its abdomen in the air as two vehicles roll up to a cargo area containing stolen property and two Decepticons looking at their Energon quarry.

The Gist: Robby and Mo Malto (Sydney Mikayla and Zion Broadnax) just moved from Philadelphia to the small town of Witwicky, Pennsylvania. With their mom Dot (Benni Latham) taking on her “dream job” there, it’s hard to adjust. College professor Dr. Alex Malto (Jon Jon Briones) tries his best to use humor to get his kids to adjust, and loves to talk about Transformers, but in the end Robby is depressed about the move and hurt that he had to leave his friends behind.

One night after an argument with his parents, Robby runs away from home on his bike, with Mo close behind. As Mo tries to get Robby to come home, the pair come across a brigade of the same spider-like robots from the beginning of the show and narrowly avoid getting caught in a semi-truck explosion. They fall down into a ravine and decide to go back home, but happen upon a nearby cave that’s glowing.

Upon further exploration inside, they find a strange rock that outfits them both with cyber-sleeves. Then, they witness the birth of two robot-like beings: new Transformers called Terrans: Twitch (Kathreen Khavari) and Thrash (Zeno Robinson). The pair are bonded to Robby and Mo, and represent a brand new type of being that the world has never seen before, not even post-war Earth after the Cybertronian war. Now that Robby and Mo are bonded to the Terrans, they must work together to protect the world in tandem with their mentor Bumblebee (Danny Pudi) – and keep away from the hands of those evil enough to try to use their powers.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Strangely enough, this iteration of Transformers feels somewhat like Digimon, in that the main characters find their “partner” bots and sync with them in meaningful ways. It’s also akin to all of the younger versions of the franchise, and reboots of other famous series surrounding classic toy lines. Of course, it feels similar to the familiar Transformers movies, but “buddy” anime like Pokémon even feel a little closer to this version.

Our Take: Sometimes, Transformers can take itself too seriously. That’s hardly an issue here, and instead we see familiar characters through a completely new lens. Instead of relying on the same tired old Transformers origin story and Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots, we get a completely new set of protagonists and the Terrans.

For a series targeted at a younger audience, EarthSpark isn’t afraid to leave plenty of material in that anyone of any age can laugh at, and it goes easy on dated slang and attempts to seem “cool”. It’s easy to empathize with Robby yearning to go back to where he used to live, and it’s exciting to see how Twitch and Thrash grow and evolve in their new environment. They’re warm and protective and feel like part of the Malto family at first blush.

What’s even more interesting is seeing how the Autobots and Decepticons have come together to face a common enemy in the waves of enemies that are attacking and the mysterious “Mandroid” (Diedrich Bader), who apparently wants to become a Transformer/human hybrid. These viewpoints aren’t explored often, and this series is usually about Decepticons bringing trouble down on the Autobots, so another storyline where they work together is a dream, and EarthSpark is exciting in several ways.

Plus, there’s so much humor here interspersed with great animation, fun writing, and so much Transformers lore for series fans to take in that it’s really a must-watch even for casual fans…or kids looking to figure what the hype is behind this classic action figure-to-show property.

Sex and Skin: Are you joking? This is non-Michael Bay Transformers, people. No Megan Fox here, either.

Parting Shot: Dr. Malto is cowering in the family minivan waiting to be attacked by a Decepticon, when his favorite Autobot makes an appearance: Bumblebee. The family regroups with Dot joining her family and Bumblebee gets a new mission: training Twitch and Thrash while under the protection of the Malta family. Bumblebee and Dot roll up to the family in Bumblebee while Robby and Mo head up to the roof for a touching moment together before proclaiming they actually like it in Witwicky.

Sleeper Star: Rory McCann brings his familiar voice to Megatron. While the Decepticon could sound evil and terrifying, McCann lends some warmth and wizened humor to the character, who’s playful with Dot and is even the source of a few laughs. He’s absolutely delightful in the role, and one of the biggest standouts, by far.

Most Pilot-y Line: The best way to sum up the pilot-y language in the first episode of Transformers: EarthSpark is with more than just a line. You need to hear the exchange in the beginning, which goes like this:

“What is that thing?” Elita One asks Optimus after coming into contact with the spider-like bots once more.

“I’ve never seen technology like it. This isn’t Cybertronian, yet we appear to be its target,” Optimus responds.

“Think it has something to do with those rumors? Elita One replies.

“About the Decepticons going missing? Perhaps,” says Optimus. “I fear what it might portend for all of us is that there is more than meets the eye.” Yes. They went there. And it could be cringe elsewhere, but it works well here.

Our Call: STREAM IT. If you’re a Transformers fan, EarthSpark is a no-brainer. And if you aren’t, this might be the best new way to jump on board. It doesn’t require any prior knowledge, it’s fun and lighthearted, and it’s well-written. It’s the best we’ve seen from this property in years, and who wouldn’t want to be bound to their own transforming friends? That’s right, the answer is absolutely no one.

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s collecting retro consoles and tech. Follow her on Twitter: @MolotovCupcake.