Brand New Trailer For Netflix Transformers War for Cybertron Trilogy Earthrise Cartoon
Monday, December 7th, 2020 12:45PM CST
Categories: Cartoon News, Digital Media NewsPosted by: ZeroWolf Views: 66,256
Topic Options: View Discussion · Sign in or Join to reply
It's the full length trailer for the upcoming second part of Netflix's Transformers War for Cybertron cartoon; Earthrise!
We have embedded the trailer below for your convenience but be warned, some of for footage can be considered spoilers for those trying to go into the series without any information.
Check out the trailer here:
Earthrise will hit the streaming service on December 30th, giving you plenty of time to remind yourself of what happened in Siege!
Will you be watching this installment? What did you think of Siege? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!
News Search
Got Transformers News? Let us know here!
Most Popular Transformers News
ROTB Optimus Prime Lead Designer Discusses Why the Face Looks Similar to the 2007 Movie
58,168 viewsMost Recent Transformers News
Posted by o.supreme on December 7th, 2020 @ 1:04pm CST
Other than that, a pretty nice trailer, looking forward to it.
Posted by Sabrblade on December 7th, 2020 @ 1:20pm CST
I heard "Matrix" at first, but now that you mention it, I can't unhear "Fatrix" (no K sound) in the trailer.o.supreme wrote:at 1:25 I swear it sounds like he's saying "Take The Faketrix for yourself"...so is there a fake matrix, or is this just bad audio?
Posted by o.supreme on December 7th, 2020 @ 1:28pm CST
Sabrblade wrote:I heard "Matrix" at first, but now that you mention it, I can't unhear "Fatrix" (no K sound) in the trailer.
Yeah that sounds about right...
also at 0:39 Scorponok Descending?
Posted by First-Aid on December 7th, 2020 @ 3:16pm CST
o.supreme wrote:Sabrblade wrote:I heard "Matrix" at first, but now that you mention it, I can't unhear "Fatrix" (no K sound) in the trailer.
Yeah that sounds about right...
also at 0:39 Scorponok Descending?
Maybe.
Also, I hate sound engineers. When you mix a trailer, PLEASE don't make the background music louder than the dialogue.
Posted by Nuclearxpotato on December 7th, 2020 @ 4:14pm CST
Maybe the figure itself would be the standout deco of this wave (like Decepticon Mirage was for Wave 1) but it looks kinda bland on the animation model.
Posted by Munkky on December 7th, 2020 @ 4:33pm CST
Posted by o.supreme on December 7th, 2020 @ 4:35pm CST
Munkky wrote:So Earthrise is taking a leaf out of IDW's book and having Galvatron as his own seperate character instead of an upgraded or resurrected Megatron. I can dig that.
Pretty sure it's just chaos caused by time travel, like in the PS2 game I referenced above
Posted by ZeroWolf on December 7th, 2020 @ 4:39pm CST
Munkky wrote:So Earthrise is taking a leaf out of IDW's book and having Galvatron as his own seperate character instead of an upgraded or resurrected Megatron. I can dig that.
I wouldn't be too sure...given we know there's time travel shenanigans going on in Kingdom...I'm betting they're instead taking a leaf out of Marvel with Time Wars (of a sort), basically Galvatron is trying to change his own fate against Unicron.
Posted by Nexus Knight on December 8th, 2020 @ 12:53am CST
o.supreme wrote:Munkky wrote:So Earthrise is taking a leaf out of IDW's book and having Galvatron as his own seperate character instead of an upgraded or resurrected Megatron. I can dig that.
Pretty sure it's just chaos caused by time travel, like in the PS2 game I referenced above
Given the context this is happening, and how the "trust no one" advice is given (plus, yknow shot of FREAKING UNICRON), I'm going with time travel.
Posted by Nexus Knight on December 8th, 2020 @ 12:59am CST
Posted by Sabrblade on December 8th, 2020 @ 10:17am CST
I mean, we know the toy is coming. It's been known of since, what, July 2019? It would make sense for Hasbro to want their "biggest TF toy ever!" put into something like this.Nexus Knight wrote:So, in reference to my above comment, anyone else kinda have a minor freak out at 1:55? I mean, more than likely it's a cameo shot to get older fans (or *shudder* GEEWUN fans) fired, but still. Even if for a second.
Posted by just_aCloud on December 8th, 2020 @ 4:25pm CST
Well, I may / may not be going out on a limb, but personally, I am loving this show so far.
I love the new takes on the personalities / voices. Welllll....Prime is hard to listen to, mostly because he sounds like someone trying to sound like Cullen. Not sure why they did that when they threw so many other sacred cows out the window.
I'm up for all these big changes because it gives some fresh life to character development. Not that it's perfect. For ex., I think Ironhide was a letdown in Siege. Maybe he'll shine more in Earthrise.
As a 90's kid, I'm probably committing High Treason here, but I actually look forward to how they'll (re?)characterize and voice the Beast Wars cast. Guessing Primal, Rhinox and Tigatron will be somewhat recognizable but Dinobot, Cheetor, and especially Blackarachnia will get a Siege-style overhaul.
Who knows?
But hey! Don't mess with Beast Megs please. No.
Just watched Siege a couple weeks ago and this is my first time posting any thoughts on it...sorry for the rant.
Posted by Rodimus Knight on December 9th, 2020 @ 3:48am CST
Nexus Knight wrote:o.supreme wrote:Munkky wrote:So Earthrise is taking a leaf out of IDW's book and having Galvatron as his own seperate character instead of an upgraded or resurrected Megatron. I can dig that.
Pretty sure it's just chaos caused by time travel, like in the PS2 game I referenced above
Given the context this is happening, and how the "trust no one" advice is given (plus, yknow shot of FREAKING UNICRON), I'm going with time travel.
Am I the only one who thought that Galvatron sounded like a pervert?
Posted by Razorbeast88 on December 14th, 2020 @ 11:20am CST
Posted by o.supreme on December 14th, 2020 @ 11:29am CST
Posted by ZeroWolf on December 14th, 2020 @ 11:34am CST
o.supreme wrote:It could be anything. Nemesis Prime has been both an evil clone, and Optimus himself corrupted for a time. It seems a foregone conclusion that Optimus probably won't make it through ER alive, and may or may not come back in Kingdom...
Despite being on the Kingdom poster that Netflix shared if OP dies in ER, it will be like always, a temporary set back.
As for Nemesis's origins, I think the two front runner theories are 1) an experiment from Shockwave or 2) something to do with Unicron (this explanation allows for the fin theory that Galvatron is trying to change the past to allow his own victory, thus unicron sends Nemesis Prime to both kill Galvatron and destroy the matrix!*)
* - probably as unlikely as any fan theory but fun to think about
Posted by Sabrblade on December 14th, 2020 @ 1:09pm CST
Posted by ZeroWolf on December 14th, 2020 @ 1:45pm CST
Sabrblade wrote:I think Nemesis's Spoiler Pack box contains the spoiler for his role in the show. Hopefully, no one will share it out of respect for the letting the show tell us.
Now that you've said that, I do seem to remember that being the case.
Posted by xRotorstormx on December 17th, 2020 @ 7:10pm CST
Nexus Knight wrote:So, in reference to my above comment, anyone else kinda have a minor freak out at 1:55? I mean, more than likely it's a cameo shot to get older fans (or *shudder* GEEWUN fans) fired, but still. Even if for a second.
Man, we aren't that bad...are we?! lol
Posted by Sabrblade on December 17th, 2020 @ 11:39pm CST
Posted by just_aCloud on December 18th, 2020 @ 9:50am CST
Awesome, I loved reading that. I really enjoyed Siege but I would say this gave me a little more clarity, being able to see the thoughts of the creators behind the show. Thanks for the share.Sabrblade wrote:Back on December 12, Unicron.com posted an interview with Executive Producer F. J. DeSanto.
Posted by Sabrblade on December 18th, 2020 @ 3:20pm CST
Interview w/ F.J. DeSanto, Executive Producer of War For Cybertron on NetflixTransformers War for Cybertron - Chapter 1: “Siege” Recap
A Conversation w/ Exec Producer, Showrunner: F.J. DeSanto
Unicron.com: F.J.! Thanks for taking time with us once again. As we anxiously await the debut of chapter 2: "Earthrise" we have some burning questions from the first season, that need answering! Hoping you can shed some light on a few things for us! So let's jump into it!
“Surrender stations?!” What the - Oh, please tell us more!? What are these exactly? And what exactly would happen if I, an Autobot, went to one?
F.J. DeSanto: They’re basically prison camps for anyone caught or who has surrendered during the war. It shows at this point there is still a shred of decency amongst the Decepticons. Of course Starscream, as he says, would prefer to “surrender” the Autobots right then and there so the idea is to see they are moving in a darker direction.
Unicron.com: Many of the best Transformers stories begin at a point of Cybertronian dystopia - where the antagonists have taken over Cybertron: (1986) Transformers The Movie, Beast Machines and now your series - the War for Cybertron Trilogy. I’ve always found it fascinating, stories of the history and culture of Cybertron civilization, which would lead to Megatron’s rise to absolute power and prominence. Megatron mentions Kaon and Gladiatorial pits. Ultra Magnus discusses the times fighting together with Megatron against a common foe - and Jetfire’s moral struggle that Megatron’s motives have *changed* … There are hints of a Functionalist society and the oppressive governing body/ Class War - which pre-dates the Autobot-Decepticon conflict. Jetfire submits to the (Autobot?) Praxus law enforcement practice of “Core Override implants” … blow up his brain module if the Decpticon steps out of line! …. No wonder Megatron’s movement caught hold in this society! In developing your series, did you draft its own unique backstory - or should we think of this as a continuation of stories told in IDW Comics or the “Transformers Exodus” novel? …
F.J. DeSanto: The backstory to WFC is something we crafted on our own. Our initial reference points were always G1, the 86 movie and then eventually BEAST WARS. To be frank, we never looked at the IDW books or novels. Early on, we were asked by Hasbro to align as best we could with CYBERVERSE because it treads into similar story territory. This was super cool as we got to read their scripts in advance which allowed us to make sure we didn’t conflict with anything they were doing continuity-wise. We also had the advantage of having Gavin on the writing team and he had been on that show also. Cool tidbit: our Allspark model is literally the same one used in CYBERVERSE.
Unicron.com: Starscream is absolutely delicious. Your depiction of him here makes him one of my absolute favorites once again!
“Looters are to be executed on site! Let alone, Autobots.”
Back when this was first written, did you have any idea just how relevant this line would be with all that’s going on in the real world America 2020?!
F.J. DeSanto: To be honest, we write for Transformers and those characters in that world. We want the show to be inclusive to everyone, everywhere and maintain the wonderful themes it began with. If something is relevant to the world itself, its most likely because the classic conflict of good vs evil transcends everything and will exist till the end of time. I don’t think you can have a line as powerful as “Freedom is the right of all sentient beings”
As for Starscream, all credit goes to Frank Todaro bringing so much to the character. He and our voice director pushed each other to the limit. Starscream has an amazing arc in this trilogy that I doubt anyone will expect and again that’s because we knew Frank could deliver something beyond just a “bad guy”.
Unicron.com: Oh, and re: Starscream’s promotion! Shockwave, Soundwave, even B-list bot Barricade not impressed!
F.J. DeSanto: I love that scene. It’s like when a total weasel gets a promotion at work and you know they don’t deserve it but kissed the right butt to get there. But you know, Megatron has his reasons!
Unicron.com: What’s Barricade’s rank? He seems to be a leader of ground forces, analogous to Jetfire/Starscream leading the Seekers?
F.J. DeSanto: Barricade is technically a Sergeant, which would make sense given his history as a (corrupt!) cop on Praxis. He is definitely leading the ground forces on these missions, so I think it’s safe to assume he’s in charge.
Unicron.com: Two moons! Seen in the skyline of Cybertron skies. How perfect! Intentional?
F.J. DeSanto: You’d have to ask the artists, haha.
Unicron.com: We’ve got to talk about Megatron. Aside from his depiction in (1986) Transformers The Movie - this is the most badass and intimidating versions of the Decepticon Leader we’ve ever seen. (Love it, BRAVO!) He’s headed toward being a genocidal maniac - but seems he’s not quite there yet. Tells us about Megatron’s moral compass. In the series opening scene, he outright says, the Decepticon cause is not genocide, but then in then orders termination of Wheeljack an Autobot and Bumblebee a neutral. Has he given up on that moral compass by the time this show kicks off? … Does he regret killing Ultra Magnus?
F.J. DeSanto: When we meet Megatron in SIEGE, he’s on the precipice of victory and still has some sense of honor. Yeah, he orders the termination of Wheeljack and Bee, but he DOES offer them the opportunity to join his cause first. He is trying, in his mind, to be fair. If you recall, when Shockwave proposes using the Allspark to Megatron, he says he has to think about it first. He doesn’t just automatically agree to it. But throughout you see him slowly slipping into darkness and that has a deep effect on the Decepticons, especially Jetfire, Impactor and Starscream. Their paths are entirely influenced by Megatron’s decisions.
The moral compass goes out the door when Ultra Magnus plays him for a fool at Trion’s memorial and Megatron blows him away. It’s too much for him. All bets are off after that especially when the Allspark is in the mix. As for regretting killing, Magnus, that’s something we explore in the future chapters for sure.
Unicron.com: Ultra Magnus. His motives seem well placed, but seem oddly naive for his character. At this point in the war, he’s been through many battles against Megatron. What’s going through his mind when he surrenders? Is he naive or an Autobot Mastermind, resulting from his possession of the Alpha Trion Protocols, knows full well Megs will kill him and intends the Alpha Trion Protocols to pass to someone else?
F.J. DeSanto: Is it him being naive or having no other choice to do what he thinks is best to protect what’s left of the Autobots? We’re joining this story at the END of the war. After hundreds of battles against Megatron, Magnus is the first to admit that the Autobots have lost.
He goes to Megatron because he’s considered every possible angle and this is the last resort. He’d rather try to save a few Autbots then see them all wiped out. However, once he realizes Megatron is too far gone, he knows he’s a dead man walking. He knew the risk. He’s defiant from that point on which only frustrates Megatron more.
The only thing perhaps naive about Magnus is that he has a sense of honor which no longer applies to this war. He could have killed Megatron and didn’t. However, he is never going to give up The Autobot’s location so he tries to buy them time by leading Megatron and Decepticons on a wide goose chase. If you look closely when he’s killed, you’ll see Magnus slightly smiling because he knows the Protocols, in particular the keys to finding the Allspark, will somehow get to Optimus.
In the end, he’s a noble yet tragic character stuck in the middle of a death feud between his two brothers.
Unicron.com: Perceptor Cameo in Ratchet's "theater!" (I only noticed this bit because you pointed it out when I told you about Perceptor being my favorite character!)
* The “Sector 7” reference as the location of the vanguard class space ship (Ark)!
* Like the 1984 original, this series begins with Wheeljack and Bumblebee together in a desperate search for Energon and subsequent Decepticon ambush. What a great homage!
Are there other hidden easter eggs we fans haven’t noticed yet? Have any hints as to where to look!?
F.J. DeSanto: You can thank John Warden for the Perceptor cameo! When we were designing the theatre, he specifically asked to have him be part of the murals. I think he felt Perceptor would be a patron of the arts before the war. There are some big easter eggs coming in Earthrise and Kingdom, so im gonna keep quiet for now.
Unicron.com: Starscream states that Jetfire, “murdered Skywarp.” Is that’s just a typical Starscream exaggeration for the sake of the story he’s trying to tell and rise through the ranks? Can you confirm that Skywarp’s not actually dead? (Ah meeeeeean, why kill off Skywarp when you had a nearly unlimited number of similarly colored Tetrajet seekers you could whack off without consequence!?
F.J. DeSanto: Starscream may have a flair for the dramatic, but Skywarp is totally dead. Sorry.
Unicron.com: Are we seeing Kaon? - Where Megatron is giving his propaganda speeches? Don’t think it’s ever explicitly stated, but I’d love to know.
F.J. DeSanto: Yeah, we call it Kaon Arena in the scripts.
Unicron.com: How about Soundwave?! I love the use of sound manipulation to goad OP into the fools errand by mimicking Magnus’ voice. Brilliant use of the character! Are we going to see mass shifting where he shrinks down to the size of a human walkman?! Do kids even know what a walkman is anymore?
F.J. DeSanto: I thought Polygon did a tremendous job animating Soundwave’s digital cassette player. While I can tell you we will see Soundwave in action in the later chapters, we will NOT be seeing him in walkman mode!
Unicron.com: This is a new version of Optimus Prime we have not seen before. He makes significant strategic mistakes. He is not Megatron’s equal in strength or hand-to-hand combat. Should we consider this part of a developing story arc, that he will develop significantly over the course of this series or instead ought we consider that this essentially IS the Optimus Prime of this trilogy?
F.J. DeSanto: It’s absolutely a story arc. I know this interpretation of Prime has surprised and frustrated a few fans. However, if you start off with him fully realized as as the Optimus Prime we know and love, where can you go with him? You can’t do much with the character if he’s already in his, ahem, prime. So why not meet him just before that and see the events that get him to where he truly is THE Optimus Prime. We still have two more chapters to explore him and by the time it’s over, we will see who he is and why the Matrix of Leadership chose him.
unicron.com:
“As you know. We will not become involved in a skirmish - between two factions.”
Unicron.com: Let’s talk about “The Guardians” How many of them are there exactly? Is Omega Supreme heir leader or one equal, among many? Optimus appeals to them and their reply is not to get involved w/ a battle of two factions. We’re about to add Mercenaries, Maximals and Predacons maybe even Quintessons. Will they get involved w/ a battle of 6 factions? What does the prophecy say to this!?
F.J. DeSanto: Omega Supreme’s not the leader. He’s more the renegade who believes in doing what is best for Cybertron. We kept the Guardians intentionally vague. I think there’s a deeper story to be developed, maybe in a comic.
Unicron.com: What actually convinces Bumblebee to turn Autobot? The wisdom of the Alpha Trion Protocols? Or reasoned thought, seeing that there is a philosophical difference between the leaders Megatron’s dictatorship vs Optimus, unwilling to take the Alpha Trion Protocols being too much power for any one bot to possess? It’s apparent, more knowledge was transferred to Bumblebee during their conversation than just the spoken words of their conversation. Before the vision, Bee has no knowledge of the Allspark - then after its conclusion, he knows exactly where it is. Is there other knowledge/info bestowed to Bee that wasn’t stated explicitly?
F.J. DeSanto: Bee in the end makes his decisions based on his heart. He’s seen every side of the war and knows he has to make a choice. The Protocols chose him because deep down he is the purest of hearts and the best person to help Optimus in the future. We thought it would be fun to show the origin of that relationship in a new way. You’ll see as the story goes on that for our heroes its not about the protocols or the matrix, its about the bot and their spark.
Unicron.com: Related question - speaking of Alpha Trion protocols - were they wiped out 100% with Shockwave’s virus or will they continue to be a factor?
F.J. DeSanto: As far as we know, they are totally wiped out because Shockwave doesn’t mess around.
Unicron.com: We got Prowl in this show. Why no Bluestreak or Smokescreen? Might we see these characters in the future???
F.J. DeSanto: We only have so much time and space per episode and we have a lot of new characters coming in the next two chapters. But not these guys, sorry.
Unicron.com: Mercenaries! Now that Soundblaster is out in the open, and you mentioned your favorite character. Can we talk about him/them? Is he their Leader? I get the sense we have a lot more revelations to come with this newly developing faction than what we learned in S1.
F.J. DeSanto: Being able to introduce the Mercenaries into the franchise is one of my proudest moments. Soundblaster is indeed my favorite character. I think it stems from my love of the Japanese cartoons and I had always wondered about him from when I first saw him in the Masterpiece Official Guide. I am beyond excited Takara Tomy is making a figure out of him with the mercenary logo (and yes I bought the 35th anniversary Soundblaster because I didn’t think there would be another!).
To be clear, Soundblaster is the leader of the mercenaries on Cybertron. It’s a crime syndicate and they could be anywhere and everywhere in the galaxy. In Earthrise, we will meet Doubledealer and his gang, who are out in space causing all kinds of trouble. We have developed a rather elaborate backstory for the mercenaries to use down the line if we get the opportunity.
Unicron.com: Are there any other named/known Autobots who stayed behind on Cybertron besides Elita-1, Chromia, Red Alert and the still-a-Decepticon Jetfire?
F.J. DeSanto: Well it will be now-an-Autobot Jetfire, but you’ll have to wait and see who stayed behind and who will be joining (or opposing) them.
Unicron.com As with our interview with Siege, before it aired, I don’t want to ask questions that spoil surprises from season 2. But we have to pry a little! SkyLynx - when this toy was revealed on the showfloor of ToyFair 2020, you said, “Oh, you’re going to love him!” Sooooo…. He’s in? Please tell me he maintains his arrogance. That crazy bird/dragon thing is just so quirky and cool - cannot wait to see him in action again. Does he play a role in things to come?
F.J. DeSanto: When I said you’re gonna love him, I meant the toy….but man he is one arrogant bird.
Unicron.com: Chapters 1, 2 and 3 - Siege, Earthrise and Kingdom. What an incredible trilogy. Which is your favorite and why?
F.J. DeSanto: To me it’s one big giant story so there’s no need to choose!
Unicron.com: Thank you once again again for taking time to talk to us and all the Transformers fandom! These characters and their mythology are sacred territory to us! It's great to know it's in the hands of such talented, enthusiastic artists ... who care! Thanks again and look forward to Earthrise and more conversations to come!
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on December 18th, 2020 @ 3:29pm CST
Posted by Deadput on December 19th, 2020 @ 2:04am CST
It makes me appreciate the series a bit more, I don't love this series but I don't dislike it either.
Siege was average and considering the lack of overall outstanding media recently (Transformers or otherwise) I'll take what I can get to pass the time.
Posted by william-james88 on December 19th, 2020 @ 8:38am CST
Some spotlight the different factions, such as the Decepticon, Autobots and Mercenaries.
The Transformers War For Cybertron: Earthrise cartoon series will premiere on Netflix December 30.
In the meantime, let us know what you hope to see and if you are excited!
Posted by Sabrblade on December 19th, 2020 @ 8:53am CST
Posted by blackeyedprime on December 19th, 2020 @ 9:28am CST
Nice to see the three leaders side by sid...erm swipe, odd choice for a poster.
Posted by Deadput on December 20th, 2020 @ 4:25pm CST
blackeyedprime wrote:Euwwww on the merc symbols on double dealer -going to be interesting to see how they likely screw up his power masters along with Zarak for Scorponok.
Nice to see the three leaders side by sid...erm swipe, odd choice for a poster.
Screw up his power masters?
Those guys aren't even in his actual toy and are a Selects exclusive, why would they be in the show? Why does including a gimmick for him and Scorp matter?
Posted by blackeyedprime on December 20th, 2020 @ 4:47pm CST
Deadput wrote:blackeyedprime wrote:Euwwww on the merc symbols on double dealer -going to be interesting to see how they likely screw up his power masters along with Zarak for Scorponok.
Nice to see the three leaders side by sid...erm swipe, odd choice for a poster.
Screw up his power masters?
Those guys aren't even in his actual toy and are a Selects exclusive, why would they be in the show? Why does including a gimmick for him and Scorp matter?
It's not a gimmick when it is the actual character/s
Posted by Deadput on December 20th, 2020 @ 5:43pm CST
blackeyedprime wrote:It's not a gimmick when it is the actual character/s
Zarak sure but Knok and Skar aren't even characters when their only source of personality is toy bios with otherwise no media appearances.
We have enough characters as is that struggle with screen time, there is no need to include the 2 who are for all purposes a couple of drones.
Posted by ZeroWolf on December 20th, 2020 @ 5:53pm CST
Posted by ScottyP on December 27th, 2020 @ 1:47pm CST
A Review of Transformers: War for Cybertron, "Chapter Two: Earthrise"
Spoiler Free-ish
Images in this review courtesy of Netflix
With much closer timing to its namesake toyline, the next part of the Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy known as "Chapter Two: Earthrise" is due for release on Netflix in only a few days' time. Picking up where "Chapter One: Siege" left off, Earthrise finds the heroic Autobots adrift in space in search of the Allspark which they themselves sent out there. For a little bit more, here's the official synopsis provided by Netflix:
The WAR FOR CYBERTRON continues with the second chapter, EARTHRISE! With the Allspark gone, Megatron is forced to confront the harsh reality that his Decepticons are trapped on a dying Cybertron while also fighting off the persistent threat of Elita-1 and her Autobots. Meanwhile, lost in the darkest reaches of space, Optimus Prime and his team embark on a desperate mission that will push them to the breaking point as they travel to uncharted new worlds to face spacefaring mercenaries, enigmatic figures from long ago and even their own creators…the Quintessons.
How does this chapter stack up to the first, and to expectations in general? Read on to find out.
The initial episode ignores the cliffhanger at the end of "Siege" and returns the action to Cybertron. While this does result in the first of many questionable pacing choices, it helps set up the basis for the plot lines to follow effectively while continuing to build on the character of Megatron. It will also serve as a good reset of expectations for any viewers that expect a dramatic shift in tone, acting, or even the quality of production for "Earthrise", in that it really is a sequel to "Siege" and feels like it right from the beginning. Any problems a viewer had with respect to animation, voice acting, or the Tron: Legacy copycat score (my biggest sore point from Siege) will remain in Earthrise. Plan accordingly.
Based on early trailers and promotional images, many fans are looking forward to the new "faction" known as the Mercenaries, featuring some franchise standards like the conehead Seekers alongside new or sparsely used characters such as Exhaust and Doubledealer. They're only especially present within one episode, but they bring some fun and even humor to the mix and help break up the generally slow pace of the first 2/3 of the show. While not given especially deep characterization, they serve a purpose in the story and do so well.
The writing isn't a huge departure from Siege, but there are a few lines throughout that feel like they'd be more at home in a soap opera or low budget horror film. When these occur for the purpose of levity, such as Red Alert mentioning how he's "always... alert", that's ok and it ultimately provides some welcome personality. When it's in a serious moment and the show follows it up by having the characters within take it especially serious, then I just feel insulted. Some of the new characters introduced see their plot progress too quickly without earning it, while others still are some of the more egregious uses of "they're here to sell toys" that we've seen in a while. Characters appear who speak lots of words that end up not meaning anything which makes the experience more somniferous than stimulating.
That leads to the big offender with respect to the overall problems carried over from Siege into Earthrise: pacing. Just as the first four episodes of Siege felt like they dragged on, so do three of the first four of Earthrise. Saving almost all of the good stuff for the third act isn't very surprising, but the relative dullness of what comes before it was for me. Some viewers are likely to disagree with this sentiment, and there's definitely an argument to be made that Earthrise does much better at making sure to include action scenes on a regular basis. Unfortunately, when these are padded out with a nearly six minute long conversation between Optimus Prime and Megatron, that loses its luster.
The show looks very nice, and even downright incredible in some scenes, with the texture artists once again providing a visual treat for Transformers fans. More variation in the environments helps here too, with the backdrop of a galactic journey providing more opportunity for variation than the constant scenery of war-torn Cybertron. Sure, characters still move too much while talking, not enough of them transform, and the cost-saving recycling of CGI character models is completely frustrating at times, but within the framework put forth Polygon did an outstanding job. A particular one on one battle in episode five even added characterization through the action for someone familiar to Transformers fans but wholly obscure to casual viewers that only caught the live action movies, which was an impressive feat and part of the show that I really enjoyed.
If this review feels very negative, there's a very good reason for it - reviewers were not allowed to mention details about the final episode. This is a really bizarre thing as it's the strongest episode in the series to date and that's really about all I'm allowed to say about it until December 30th. You'll just have to take my word for it that the end of this show was very good and saved it from a much worse numerical score. The rest of it is quite boring. How boring? To be genuinely honest, I haven't had to actively struggle to pay attention to a Transformers show like this since Transformers: Energon. What was being laid down was clear and nothing went super far off the rails, but a good bit of Earthrise just did not land for me. Eventually it was worth it to have made it through, but I don't see myself coming back to this one anytime soon.
. ½
out of
Seibertron.com was provided with complimentary advance screening access to Transformers Chapter Two: Earthrise by Netflix for the purpose of this review. "Thank you" to Netflix and Hasbro for this access!
Posted by Quantum Surge on December 28th, 2020 @ 9:14am CST
Posted by morganprime on December 28th, 2020 @ 11:58am CST
Posted by o.supreme on December 28th, 2020 @ 1:02pm CST
The reviewer states "Scorponok! Not classic toon size…" (I take this as he is not a giant City Bot, although I could be wrong). This would defeat the whole purpose of being a Titan Class toy in the ER line, and would go against all other portrayals of his Classic personna in Animation (I know the comics are different), but while this is a whole new continuity, I think most viewers tend to skew it closer to the original animated series than any comic book continuity. A non-city bot Scorponok would definitely be disappointing.
Posted by Sabrblade on December 28th, 2020 @ 1:08pm CST
Maybe he could still be big but not city-sized big. Like, Combiner-sized big.o.supreme wrote:I'm still looking forward to it. While I wont be waking up early before work this time. I'll enjoy binging on Wednesday evening. I was reading a review on another website and something has me a bit concerned.
The reviewer states "Scorponok! Not classic toon size…" (I take this as he is not a giant City Bot, although I could be wrong). This would defeat the whole purpose of being a Titan Class toy in the ER line, and would go against all other portrayals of his Classic personna in Animation (I know the comics are different), but while this is a whole new continuity, I think most viewers tend to skew it closer to the original animated series than any comic book continuity. A non-city bot Scorponok would definitely be disappointing.
Posted by o.supreme on December 28th, 2020 @ 1:16pm CST
Maybe he could still be big but not city-sized big. Like, Combiner-sized big.[/quote]Sabrblade wrote:
To me, That would still not really make sense. I mean when you look at the amazing artwork on his Titan Sized toy box, and how they portrayed Omega Supreme in Siege...Scorp should be about the same size. The only size/scale anomaly I noticed in Siege was Astrotrain (taking notes from Cyberverse for who knows why). Especially if FJ DeSanto is the fan of Headmasters Anime he claims to be, I would think Scorponok is one character he would not mess up. Of course all this worry will be dismissed, and I apologize in advance if it is revealed that he in fact accurate to the size he should be.
Posted by ScottyP on December 28th, 2020 @ 1:16pm CST
Mild spoiler but I'll tag it anyway: it's more or less toy scale used when Scorponok's in bot mode. He may be a little smaller than toy scale in scorpion mode, there's a scene I'm thinking of involving Optimus where I feel like OP's toy would be too small if recreated. Particulars aside, he's very big but not huge/city-bot sized. For what they do with him, it really doesn't matter, tbh.Sabrblade wrote:Maybe he could still be big but not city-sized big. Like, Combiner-sized big.o.supreme wrote:I'm still looking forward to it. While I wont be waking up early before work this time. I'll enjoy binging on Wednesday evening. I was reading a review on another website and something has me a bit concerned.
The reviewer states "Scorponok! Not classic toon size…" (I take this as he is not a giant City Bot, although I could be wrong). This would defeat the whole purpose of being a Titan Class toy in the ER line, and would go against all other portrayals of his Classic personna in Animation (I know the comics are different), but while this is a whole new continuity, I think most viewers tend to skew it closer to the original animated series than any comic book continuity. A non-city bot Scorponok would definitely be disappointing.
Posted by Rodimus Prime on December 28th, 2020 @ 1:19pm CST
I understand why you would say that. Most fans prefer the version you also do, but I am partial to the other version, since that one was a big part of my favorite TF continuity. So I'm looking forward to seeing my favorite version in animated form.o.supreme wrote:I'm still looking forward to it. While I wont be waking up early before work this time. I'll enjoy binging on Wednesday evening. I was reading a review on another website and something has me a bit concerned.
The reviewer states "Scorponok! Not classic toon size…" (I take this as he is not a giant City Bot, although I could be wrong). This would defeat the whole purpose of being a Titan Class toy in the ER line, and would go against all other portrayals of his Classic personna in Animation (I know the comics are different), but while this is a whole new continuity, I think most viewers tend to skew it closer to the original animated series than any comic book continuity. A non-city bot Scorponok would definitely be disappointing.
As for the new installment, I was really hoping the creators would listen to the criticisms on Siege and make adjustments to ER accordingly. But I guess they think they know what they're doing. I'll still watch ER, just for the sake of following the story, but as it's been advised, I'll have very low expectations.
As for a 6-minute convo between Prime and Megatron being a downer, I wouldn't consider it that as long as their interaction gives exposition and furthers the story along in an interesting way.
Posted by ScottyP on December 28th, 2020 @ 1:27pm CST
It does further the story, ymmv on it being interesting. My biggest issue with it is that it could have been done four times faster and gotten the same job done.Rodimus Prime wrote:As for a 6-minute convo between Prime and Megatron being a downer, I wouldn't consider it that as long as their interaction gives exposition and furthers the story along in an interesting way.
Posted by o.supreme on December 28th, 2020 @ 1:28pm CST
Also, thanks Scotty for your clarification, much appreciated.
Posted by o.supreme on December 28th, 2020 @ 1:47pm CST
For Sige, I thought the line was represented well. While no Battlemasters or Micromasters appeared (aside from a couple cassette minions of Soundwave & Soundblaster). Pretty much everyone from the Mainline appeared except: Sixgun, Brunt, Crosshairs, Springer, & Apeface.
However due to budgetary constraints, I know only a fraction of the characters from Siege will be appearing in ER, but still, it feels like a LOT of ER characters are going to be left out, unless the previews we've seen have done a really good job of holding back.
Posted by Seibertron on December 28th, 2020 @ 9:17pm CST
Sabrblade wrote:Maybe he could still be big but not city-sized big. Like, Combiner-sized big.o.supreme wrote:I'm still looking forward to it. While I wont be waking up early before work this time. I'll enjoy binging on Wednesday evening. I was reading a review on another website and something has me a bit concerned.
The reviewer states "Scorponok! Not classic toon size…" (I take this as he is not a giant City Bot, although I could be wrong). This would defeat the whole purpose of being a Titan Class toy in the ER line, and would go against all other portrayals of his Classic personna in Animation (I know the comics are different), but while this is a whole new continuity, I think most viewers tend to skew it closer to the original animated series than any comic book continuity. A non-city bot Scorponok would definitely be disappointing.
He's still big. Combiner-sized big is a good comparison. When Optimus Prime was attacking Scorponok in scorpion mode, it seemed very much in scale with the physical Earthrise toys to me. I'm fairly certain he was comparable in size to Omega Supreme, but Mirage's hologram of Omega Supreme that attacked Scorponok might be throwing me off on that.
Posted by Seibertron on December 28th, 2020 @ 9:21pm CST
Rodimus Prime wrote:I understand why you would say that. Most fans prefer the version you also do, but I am partial to the other version, since that one was a big part of my favorite TF continuity. So I'm looking forward to seeing my favorite version in animated form.
I'd really like to see Leader Class versions of Scorponok and Fortress Maximus at some point in the future. They really need both versions! It'd be a great way to keep two main Transformers on shelves and give us a new way to have those characters in our collections.
Posted by Quantum Surge on December 28th, 2020 @ 9:42pm CST
Posted by Razorbeast88 on December 28th, 2020 @ 9:44pm CST
Posted by Rodimus Prime on December 28th, 2020 @ 11:50pm CST
In the comics both of them were about a head taller than Powermaster Prime IIRC, so maybe Commander Class might be more suitable, if we're going for accurate scale. Good thing is in the comics they didn't have a city mode, so their alt modes and transformations don't have to be compromised. I wonder, would we get a smaller version of TR Maximus or the original '87 version?Seibertron wrote:Rodimus Prime wrote:I understand why you would say that. Most fans prefer the version you also do, but I am partial to the other version, since that one was a big part of my favorite TF continuity. So I'm looking forward to seeing my favorite version in animated form.
I'd really like to see Leader Class versions of Scorponok and Fortress Maximus at some point in the future. They really need both versions! It'd be a great way to keep two main Transformers on shelves and give us a new way to have those characters in our collections.
Posted by Seibertron on December 28th, 2020 @ 11:53pm CST
Rodimus Prime wrote:In the comics both of them were about a head taller than Powermaster Prime IIRC, so maybe Commander Class might be more suitable, if we're going for accurate scale. Good thing is in the comics they didn't have a city mode, so their alt modes and transformations don't have to be compromised. I wonder, would we get a smaller version of TR Maximus or the original '87 version?
For a "head taller", I'd be fine with Leader Class. Commander Class would be too big. I just want to see them at the standard Leader Class size along the lines of Double Dealer or Overlord. No need to be that specific with scale. Head-to-head with Super Ginrai / Powermaster Optimus Prime is fine with me.
Though, after looking at some of the old school Marvel Comics, I'm not sure that Fortress Maximus and Scorponok were taller than Powermaster Optimus Prime. You might have mis-remembered this, as it seems in one example below, it's the other way around. In the others, Scorponok is shown as the same height as Optimus. Either way, I wouldn't take this scale that serious. Just a Leader Class toy comparable in size to Powermaster Optimus Prime would be sufficient.
Posted by william-james88 on December 29th, 2020 @ 1:17am CST
Seibertron wrote:Rodimus Prime wrote:In the comics both of them were about a head taller than Powermaster Prime IIRC, so maybe Commander Class might be more suitable, if we're going for accurate scale. Good thing is in the comics they didn't have a city mode, so their alt modes and transformations don't have to be compromised. I wonder, would we get a smaller version of TR Maximus or the original '87 version?
For a "head taller", I'd be fine with Leader Class. Commander Class would be too big. I just want to see them at the standard Leader Class size along the lines of Double Dealer or Overlord. No need to be that specific with scale. Head-to-head with Super Ginrai / Powermaster Optimus Prime is fine with me.
I agree. Leader would be fun for Scorponok and Fort Max. And instead of making them toy accurate, their designs would take cues from the comics (G1 comics for Scoponok and IDW Comics for Fort Max).
Posted by Rodimus Prime on December 29th, 2020 @ 1:49am CST