I’ll admit, I wasn’t really feeling Transformers: Prime when I first starting watching it on The Hub last year. While it’s always awesome having Peter Cullen voice Optimus Prime (the first time on a series since the original 80’s TV show), even he had trouble saving the show from sillier bits like the annoying human characters, Prime's odd-looking 'bellybutton' mouth animation, and those fuzzy noises Bumblebee makes when he “talks” (why can't they just give him a voice already?).

But despite these things, the show has grown on me over time, and the annoying stuff bothered me less as the stories and action really begin to pick up. That being said, Transformers: Prime - Season One is a substantial upgrade over the previous release, Transformers Prime: Darkness Rising, as we're finally getting the entire first season of 26 episodes collected in one robust Blu-ray edition.

It's quality AND quantity here, with several episodes that make this show worth sticking with like “Crisscross”, which sees a rogue female Decepticon named Airachnaid setting a trap for the female Autobot Arcee using one of the human companions she’s fond of. “Stronger, Faster” has the usually stern and strict Ratchet testing out an experimental form of energon on himself that makes him chipper and powerful, but at a cost. Finally, there’s the three-part finale “One Shall Rise” which sees Optimus and the Autobots having to fight off Megatron and the Decepticons in an explosive battle, but they must also contend with the return of the infamous transforming planet Unicron as well.

Shout Factory has done an amazing job with bringing this series to high-definition life on ray. The video transfer is incredible, making every color, sharp CG detail, and smooth animation a treat for the eyes. And you can’t have all that Transformers action without some powerful audio backing it up, which the 5.1 DTS-HD sound does here nicely making sure every bit of blaster fire, piece of dialogue, and the famous 'transforming' sound is heard loud and clear.

The special features help keep the energon flowing, as things off with audio commentary from some of the cast and crew on select episodes. From music composer Brian Tyler, to voice actors such as Peter Cullen and Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters!), they all give fun insight into the making of the show. A “Behind-the-Scenes” featurette shows off the cast and crew giving even more details as to what goes into making the series. The “Toy Featurette” focuses on the characters and how they were selected to use in the show. Rolling out is a short teaser for Season 2, now airing on The Hub, and the “Limited Edition” Blu-ray set we received for review comes with 96 page graphic novel that provides some back-story for Cliffjumper and Arcee that takes place before the series begins.

While the show does start off a tad bit shaky, Transformers: Prime - Season One does a stellar job showcasing how far this show has come in its first season and why fans who stuck with it have been rewarded. Not only are all 26 episodes here and presented in amazing HD, but the special features help offer great insight into how the show is constantly transforming from a simple cash-in to become a unique take on the expanding Transformers mythology. It's easily one of the best iterations of the franchise to come along in some time, and fans of both the classic 80s animated series or more recent live-action films will quickly find out there’s more than meets the eye when you add this Blu-ray set to your collection.