Transformers: War For Cybertron: Earthrise Review - An Action-Packed Transformers Thrill Ride

Those who tuned into Netflix and Rooster Teeth's first entry in the Transformers: War For Cybertron trilogy discovered a stylish and more mature take on the beloved franchise with one heck of a cliffhanger. Now the time has finally come to dive back into this universe with the newest chapter in the trilogy, Transformers: War For Cybertron: Earthrise and fans are in for a wild ride that delivers the same pulse-pounding action and gorgeous visuals while also upping the ante on its ties to the greater Transformers universe, including some appearances and introductions that will absolutely delight longtime fans of the franchise.

Some time has passed between when the first series ends and Earthrise begins, though there's not much storywise that jumps forward as a result, and the few changes are covered quickly when Earthrise begins. Earthrise does completely assume you've watched the first series though, so if you are new to it you will at least want to watch the original series finale before hopping in here, otherwise, it's not going to make any sense.

Those that have watched that series, however, can jump right in, as Earthrise tells a two-pronged story of Elita-1's fight to rescue those oppressed by Megatron and the Decepticons on Cybertron and Optimus Prime and the Autobots on the Ark, who are desperately trying to recover the AllSpark, which was lost after Optimus threw it through the Space Bridge to get it out of Megatron's hands.

Towards the beginning of the series the events of Cybertron are innately more compelling, as while Elita-1's Autobot forces are but a fraction of what Prime had to work with, she seems to get better results, as she and her team have been a huge thorn in Megatron's side since the other Autobots left. Watching them work is a joy thanks to the perfect convergence of personalities and skillsets of the group, especially the dynamic between Jetfire (Keith Silverstein) and Elita-1 (Linsay Rousseau), who has truly come into her own as a leader and finally found her right-hand lieutenant in the former Decepticon. Throw in Red Alert (Todd Haberkorn) and my new favorite Autobot Chromia (Georgia Reed) and you've got a squad that I would happily watch 10 more episodes of in a heartbeat.

Things slow down a bit when the larger-scale plot comes into frame, following Optimus and the crew as they seek the AllSpark. Early on we meet a new faction of mercenaries that definitely play a role later down the line, and this also paves the way for a greater enemy threat to make their introduction. That said, while both of these do play a part in the season in later episodes, they don't feel nearly as consequential as you'd expect, and honestly you could've swapped them out with any other number of characters and achieved mostly the same effect. They serve their purpose, but I wouldn't say they left their undeniable mark on the series.

This aspect of the story does pick up considerably about midway through the season, and it's there that all the richness of the Optimus and Megatron conflict starts to surface. The back and forth between Optimus (voiced by Jake Foushee) and Megatron (Jason Marnocha) on an action level is delightful, but it's the smaller conversations between them that really bring all their baggage to the surface, with some surprisingly honest dialogue occurring between the two arch-rivals alongside several small but important glimpses into their pasts.

This all gets expanded upon wonderfully in episode 5, and while I won't spoil any of the surprises here, let's just say that if you're a longtime fan of the franchise, this one will leave you dizzy in the best way possible. Two conversations happen in this episode that not only provide some sweet fan service but also open up some intriguing possibilities for the series all the while developing its two key leads in compelling ways.

As for how it all ends, we won't spoil that either, but suffice it to say that this series knows how to craft a satisfying ending that hooks the viewer for what comes next. That said, the ending and season overall isn't quite as satisfying as the original, but don't let that stop you from jumping in, because what you will find is a gorgeous and action loaded adventure with heart and character development to spare, and the next chapter can't get here soon enough.

Star Trek Actor's Ashes Were Smuggled Onto International Space Station

Star Trek star James Doohan's remains were smuggled aboard the International Space Station, a secret mission kept under wraps for 12 years. Richard Garriott, the famed entrepreneur and video game developer known also as "Lord British" who created the Ultima series, hid Doohan's remains among his belonging and then placed them beneath a floor piece aboard the ISS. “It was completely clandestine," Garriott tells The Times in a new interview. "His family were very pleased that the ashes made it up there but we were all disappointed we didn’t get to talk about it publicly for so long. Now enough time has passed that we can. As far as I know, no one has ever seen it there and no one has moved it. James Doohan got his resting place among the stars.”

After twice being denied their request to send Doohan's ashes to the station, Doohan's family contacted Garriott just days before his 12-day private mission to the station in 2008. “Richard said ‘We’ve got to keep this hush hush for a little while’ and here we are 12 years later," Doohan's son, Chris, says. "What he did was touching—it meant so much to me, so much to my family and it would have meant so much to my dad."

Doohan played Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in Star Trek, reprising his roles in the six live-action films featuring the show's cast, Star Trek Generations, and the episode "Relics" of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and voicing him in Star Trek: The Animated Series and multiple Star Trek video games. He died in 2005 due to complications from pulmonary fibrosis, a condition it is believed he contracted due to substances he came into contact with during World War II.

Doohan was cremated following his death. In 2007, a portion of his ashes was sent into space on the SpaceLoft XL rocket during its four-minute suborbital flight. In 2012, an urn containing some of Doohan's ashes was placed aboard the Falcon 9 rocket during the second test flight of SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo capsule.

As Scotty, Doohan left an indelible mark on popular culture through the phrase "beam me up, Scotty," which even non-fans associate with Star Trek and Captain Kirk requesting a return to the Starship Enterprise. That the phrase was never once spoken on the show, at least not in that exact configuration, hasn't done stopped it from being widely used.

Disney's Soul Pays Tribute to Late Pixar Animator Behind Cars and Toy Story

Soul pays tribute to late Disney and Pixar animator Joe Ranft, a 20-year animation veteran whose credits include Toy Story and Cars. When middle school band teacher and jazz musician Joe (Jamie Foxx) suffers an accident, his soul separates from his body and ends up in the Great Beyond. To buy time and reunite his soul with his body back on Earth, Joe poses as a soul counselor in the Great Before and becomes the unwitting mentor of 22 (Tina Fey). As an eons-old soul who has never found her "spark" — despite the teachings of notable figures like Abraham Lincoln, Mohammed Ali, and Mother Teresa — 22 proudly shows Joe a wall collecting the nametags of her many mentors.

 Conspicuously placed in the center is a name tag for Ranft, who died in a 2005 car accident aged 45. Ranft and Soul director Pete Docter worked together on Toy Story, the first Pixar feature film, where they broke the story with Andrew Stanton and director John Lasseter.

Ranft also served as the story artist on Docter's first feature as director, 2001's Monsters, Inc., where Ranft voiced the blue-skinned monster who panics when he's nearly touched by a human child. Ranft's other voice roles include always-hungry caterpillar Heimlich in A Bug's Life and penguin squeaky toy Wheezy in Toy Story 2.

Ranft made his directorial debut on Cars, serving as writer and co-director with Lasseter. The film released posthumously in 2006 and was dedicated to his memory.

Soul is just the latest Pixar film to honor Ranft in the form of an Easter egg. An engraved portrait of him appears in 2012's Brave, and the home to brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt) in Onward gets its address from Ranft's birthday. Docter also paid tribute to Ranft in his previous film, Inside Out, by modeling the Jangles the Clown character after Ranft's real-life clown costume.

"We wanted a wall full of stickers. So there were plenty of chances for people to fill in their own," Docter told /Film about 22's Easter egg-filled wall of name tags. "Another one for me was Joe Grant, who was one of the great Disney story artists and development guys back in the ‘40s. He worked with Walt Disney. I got to know him when he was like 95 or something, and he was a great mentor to me. As well as the father of Frank Oz, this guy named Mike Oznowicz. He lived locally in Oakland, and we would meet him every weekend, and his was just a fantastic, full of life guy. And a bunch of other folks."

Batgirl and Static Shock Reportedly HBO Max Exclusives

The DC Films universe has gone through quite a few different evolutions over the years, as Warner Bros. has worked to bring a slew of beloved DC Comics characters onto the big screen. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic shifting elements of the franchise's schedule, there are still quite a lot of new films either on the schedule or in the pipeline -- and it sounds like DC Films could soon be expanding how they release them. A recent article from The New York Times profiles DC Films president Walter Hamada, and previews what the company's strategy could look like following the hybrid theatrical and HBO Max release of Wonder Woman 1984. Part of the article outlines that DC Films plans to release two films a year exclusively on HBO Max, with the article hinting that it could perhaps be films that are "focused on riskier characters like Batgirl and Static Shock."

Of course, there's no official indication of whether or not that will ultimately be the fate of either of those films, especially since that portion of the article does not quote Hamada directly. But still, the mention of both of those films in particular - especially when DC has countless other films in the work - is definitely interesting. The Batgirl solo film has been in the works for several years now, with Joss Whedon initially lined up to write and direct the project, only to drop out months later. Christina Hodson, who has penned both Birds of Prey and the upcoming Flashpoint for DC Films, has been handling the Batgirl script since April of 2018, but no official updates have been announced recently.

Static Shock, meanwhile, was just announced to be in the works in October of this year, with Michael B. Jordan lined up to produce the project.

While there are definitely fans who would want to see either Batgirl or Static Shock on the big screen - and again, this article doesn't definitively confirm either film's fate - there is an argument to be made for either film ending up on HBO Max, or even doing a hybrid release similar to Wonder Woman 1984 and WB's current 2021 film slate. Given how beloved Batgirl and Static Shock are as characters, there's a good chance that either film could reach a wider audience with the help of HBO Max, similarly to how Birds of Prey got a second wind once it hit PVOD and HBO Max earlier this year. Plus, as the theatrical experience proves to be more and more of a logistical challenge amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the idea of definitively having blockbuster films premiere on filming could have some upsides. It also would provide an experience equivalent to what the Marvel Cinematic Universe has planned for the future, with a mix of theatrically-released films and Disney+ exclusive series.

DC Films President Addresses Live-Action Multiverse Plans

DC Films president Walter Hamada believes moviegoing audiences are "sophisticated" enough to understand the multiverse, a concept allowing the studio to bring multiple versions of DC Comics superheroes to the screen — even at the same time, or in the same movie. That will be the case in The Flash, where the super-speedster (Ezra Miller) will encounter the Batman of his world (Ben Affleck) and a Dark Knight from another dimension (Michael Keaton). Yet another Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) will exist on a new Earth outside of the DC Extended Universe in the rebooted The Batman, which is separate still from Arthur Fleck's (Joaquin Phoenix) reality in the standalone Joker.

"I don't think anyone else has ever attempted this," Hamada told The New York Times. "But audiences are sophisticated enough to understand it. If we make good movies, they will go with it."

The DCEU — home to such superheroes as Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa's Aquaman — has already crossed over with the Arrowverse, home to television superheroes like Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) and Supergirl (Melissa Benoist). During TV's ambitious Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, Miller's big-screen Flash crossed paths with the Arrowverse Flash (Grant Gustin) to tease things to come.

"This really opens the door for us to do more crossovers, to really establish this idea that there can be a Flash on TV and a Flash in the movies," Hamada said during the virtual DC FanDome event over the summer. "You don't have to pick one or the other, you can love both. On one Earth, you have Gal and Jason and Ezra as this Justice League, and you can continue telling these stories. While on another Earth, you can have a more grounded, real, Year Two Batman [in The Batman]."

The move allows filmmakers like Matt Reeves the freedom to operate outside of a pre-existing continuity in The Batman, and filmmakers like Todd Phillips the opportunity to tell standalone stories like an R-rated villain origin in Joker. And Zack Snyder's Justice League, the filmmaker's long-awaited Snyder Cut, will exist "slightly elsewhere" in the ever-expanding multiverse.

"We're trying to keep it as simple as that, like there is that one Earth that exists in Justice League, and then the beginnings of another earth that is happening in its early stages of [The Batman]," Hamada said in August. "And then, obviously, there are outliers like Joker, which doesn't exist in either earth, but that's okay, it's all part of the multiverse. Matt Reeves can continue to build out his Gotham, and he's got great plans on how to build it out and build it out in a way that's innovative."