WesternAnimation It's a really dumb, but really fun show to watch
Biker Mice From Mars is your typical Saturday Morning Cartoon from the 90's: It's mostly a ripoff of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (a fact the show itself acknowledges and rubs on TMNT's face), the heroes are beefy and overtly macho, and there is little to no story beyond random weekly shenanigans... and I love it.
The episodes follow a general formula: Limburger comes up with a zany scheme to destroy Chicago, the Biker Mice stop him, Limburger comes up with a different zany scheme to destroy the Biker Mice, Charley wants to help, the Biker Mice rudely ditch her because girls should stay safe in the kitchen, she goes solo and finds out about Limburger's evil plan, she warns the others and comes up with a way to defeat Limburger, the Biker Mice stop said plan, and Limburger's building is destroyed.
What sets it apart from other shows, however, is that this one has a lot of sexually charged jokes, fan-service, blatant no-homo scenes and a lot of craziness that makes me think the writers were high the entire time. It's all honestly a blast to watch, because at one point or another, you just turn off your brain and join in the mindless fun.
Every single character is funny and lovable. And even though Charley usually ends up in the Damsel in Distress role, I can at least appreciate the writers firmly establish her as the brains of the group and give her at least one moment to shine every episode.
If you're looking for a mindless fun Saturday Morning Cartoon to watch, that also happens to appease to adults, this one is it. Give it a try.
WesternAnimation Three years of good riding
Like many others cartoons of its era, this was riding on the popularity of the first TMNT cartoon; unlike many of them, I honestly think it was better: the animation was more consistent, the plot of the episodes less likely to wander off and slighty more violent. This means there are more episodes I can unironically enjoy today without the nostalgia's glasses. Those taking place on Mars are especially some of the best of '90 cartoons: the writing is funny, smart and at times even sad; the animation hìgets a bump and the characters shine more than ever.
I honestly suggest to check it out: like I said, several episodes still work really work (The Pits, Road Ravens, Hard Rock, Back To Mars just to list some of them), others are funny enough (as in, funny due to characters and writing) to pass over the flaws, and the bad ones can be counted in one hand.
Ride free, citizens.
WesternAnimation Let's Rock and Ride
I missed out on both the original series and the 2006 revival when they originally aired, but I felt encouraged to give Biker Mice from Mars a try because it had such a large following.
For completionist's sake, I attempted to watch both the 1993 series and the revival. I was not able to watch every episode of the original show, but I was able to watch every episode of the 2006 series, and I liked both shows equally.
The original 1993 series had pretty much everything you'd find in your typical 90's cartoon: A catchy theme song, interesting villains, and loads of running gags and intense action sequences.
I especially liked Rob Paulsen, Ian Ziering, and Dorian Harewood's voice acting as the titular trio Throttle, Vinnie, and Modo.
I understand that the 2006 series had its detractors, but my opinion is that it is just as good as the first series.
One thing I praise is that they actually got some of the original actors to reprise their roles. Not only do Rob, Ian, and Dorian reprise their roles as Throttle, Vinnie, and Modo, but the few episodes featuring the original villains Limburger and Karbunkle even have W. Morgan Sheppard and Susan Silo reprising their roles.
Some of the jokes in the 2006 series may have been a bit on the juvenile side, but there were several poignant themes, like how the Biker Mice returned to Earth so they could find the necessary materials to repair Stoker's regenerator and use it to end Mars' drought.
Perhaps the most tear-jerking of all would be the 2005 series' final episode "Turf Wars", which plays like a rock opera. After defeating the Catatonians for good, our heroes return to Mars to deal with any remaining enemies there.
Vinnie's girlfriend Harley from the original series returns, but she was disfigured while fleeing from the Plutarkians and has betrayed the Biker Mice because she thinks they abandoned her.
She does eventually come to her senses and ends the drought, but appears to give her own life to do so.
Never before have I seen such a bittersweet finale.
WesternAnimation 2006 Season - Misses the mark heavily
What happens when you take a Saturday Morning Cartoon from the 90's, remove just about everything that made it special, and update its design to the point the characters look almost unrecognizable? Answer: Biker Mice From Mars 2006.
Now, this series isn't bad by any stretch of the word, it's just... another incredibly mediocre cartoon that came out of the late 2000's, including many of the faults cartoons from that era used to have: An uninteresting plot that tries to take itself too seriously, obvious early 3D animation clashing with the animated 2D characters, plain and forgettable Monster of the Week episodes.
But perhaps the biggest disservice it does is naming itself "Biker Mice From Mars." The problems this show has go much beyond the animation and art style shift. Many of the elements that made the original so fun to watch - the sexually charged jokes, the characters' likability and sense of camaraderie, the general insanity - are all extremely toned down in the 2006 version. I could barely recognize the main trio when they started arguing about how annoying they were to one another, this would have never happened in the original.
Another low point is how this series brands itself as a sequel, but starts off by ignoring the main plot-line of its predecessor entirely. What happened to the Plutarkian War? Where did the Catatonians come from? Wasn't Vinnie supposed to be allergic to cats? The show doesn't bother to explain anything, it just expects you to forget about the old story and accept the new one, even though there was no reason to introduce a new story.
The Catatonians fill the exact same role of the Plutarkians, down to the Big Guy, Small Excited Guy, Mad Scientist, Evil CEO dynamic. Except without the backstory and the heavy amount of toilet humor. Maybe that's why they decided to introduce new villains? Because the old ones were dirty? Whatever the case was, their inclusion didn't add to anything.
Like I said, this show isn't bad, it's just very forgettable and not Biker Mice From Mars at all. While the old one was fun, this one is just boring.