By Joshua Tyler
| Updated 24 seconds ago

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds beamed in for a fourth season this week, and avoided the jokey premises that hamstrung the previous season, for at least one episode. Instead, in this first episode titled “Valles Marineris,” it took on the hot topic of mass migration by sending the Enterprise back in time to deal with the consequences of an invasive species sucking up resources.

The Enterprise arrives 65 million years in the past to find an extra planet in our solar system. It’s ruled by a race of intelligent insects who use mass migration to invade planets. That extra planet and its inhabitants aren’t the only surprise. The planet Mars is not a dead world in the past. It’s vibrant, alive, and run by technologically advanced Martians.

Meanwhile, Earth is still a place of volcanoes and dinosaurs. At one point, the Enterprise’s genetically enhanced security chief saves the day by punching a velociraptor.

The insectoids intentionally crashed a ship into Mars and “fed” on their world. Then the Martian commander hammers the situation home by saying, “That’s why your discussions of cultures, of science, although kind and hopeful, are not relevant.”

When Pike says, “There may be other ways to deal with them,” the Martian commander responds by pointing out that many thought the same on her world. “As they talked, we died,” she says. The Martians were only able to stop the insects by ripping a hole in their own planet, killing all the invading settlers and also two million of their own people. 

On Earth, Enterprise’s crew discovers a crashed insectoid colony ship. Everyone aboard was killed, but our heroes learn the insects were trying to land and feed on Earth, presumably to do the same thing they did to Mars. The Enterprise away team voices sympathy for the dead creatures, with Lieutenant Ortegas voicing, “They may be different from us, but they wanted to survive too.” Meanwhile, Lieutenant Commander Noonien-Singh acknowledges the reality of the situation, “If they were settlers, I’m not sure if I should feel sad or relieved.”

Captain Pike quickly realizes the truth. If this insectoid race is allowed to send “settlers” to Earth, humanity’s future home planet, they’ll suck up all the resources and wipe out our entire future. To save the human race from dangerous mass migration, Pike allows the Martians to blow up the insectoid planet and genocide the race of resource-consuming migrants. 

The parallels to the real world are hard to miss. The episode goes out of its way to portray the insectoids not so much as invading armies but as migrants whose unwanted arrival consumes resources. The Martians deliberately refer to them as feeding on their planet, to hit home the point that the main issue is their resource consumption. The crashed ship on Earth is referred to as a ship of settlers, not soldiers. 

Mars has already been devastated by the process, and Earth is next. Stripped of the science-fiction setting, the episode clearly explores questions of mass migration, resource competition, demographic change, and whether a civilization has the right to prevent an influx it believes threatens its long-term survival. 

“Valles Marineris” was written by Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers. It’s worth noting that Myers wrote some of the best and most thoughtful episodes in the show’s first season and none of the worst episodes of its subsequent seasons. He was also a driving force behind the gone-but-not-forgotten spy series Chuck from the 2010s and the 2016 show The Magicians.

In telling this story, Strange New Worlds did what Star Trek has always done, and what the best science fiction usually does, by engaging with a real-world problem and clearly restating it in a way that lets the audience reason out the best response.

Reasoncraft Is Honest Persuasion

This approach, while persuasive, is not propaganda, which is dishonest persuasion done through manipulation. There’s nothing dishonest in what Strange New Worlds is doing. It’s persuasion through logical thinking. There’s never really been a clear word for this type of up-front screenwashing before, so I’ve come up with one. 

This is Reasoncraft. Reasoncraft is persuasion through openly stated reasons and honest exploration, rather than manipulation.

Even at its lowest point, Star Trek has always stuck with reasoncraft as its form of persuasion. It’s fundamental to the franchise, and it’s part of why shows like Starfleet Academy are so bad.

Reasoncraft Results In Bad Writing For Bad Ideas, And Good Writing For Good Ideas

When a piece of entertainment uses reasoncraft to make good arguments, the result is often good writing. When reasoncraft is used to make bad arguments, the result is bad writing that makes no sense. 

This turned Starfleet Academy into one of the worst shows in television history. It’s also why the previous Strange New Worlds season was so reviled. The stories they told in season 3 were nonsense because the arguments they were making were also nonsense. This season 4 episode of Strange New Worlds, while not perfect, is at least a step up from those season 3 lows. It’s a step up because it takes on hard questions, considers them honestly, and then follows those honest answers to their logical, unflinching conclusion.

Reasoncraft is also why a show like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is so good. Because when that series tackled a complex issue and used reasoncraft, they followed it through to its logical conclusion, even if that conclusion didn’t always fit with their personal ideology. That willingness to follow the story where reason takes it, even if that conflicts with the beliefs of the show’s writers, is something modern Star Trek has often been unwilling to do.

It’s why people with bad ideas resort to propaganda. Dishonesty is the only way to screenwash others into believing something stupid without also creating an entertainment product that plays out like something written on the side of a bathtub with a water crayon.

Streamer Rakai has social media in stitches after a live reaction to his latest haircut took an unexpected turn. What started as frustration over his lineup quickly escalated when the 17-year-old called 911, to report his barber for a bad haircut.

Related: Social Media Weighs In After Rakai Reveals Why He Wasn’t Allowed To Walk At High School Graduation (PHOTO + VIDEO)

Rakai Says His Barber Left Him “Bald”

Rakai recently went live to show viewers his fresh haircut, but it didn’t take long for fans to realize he wasn’t happy with the results. While examining his lineup on stream, Rakai pointed out that he believed his hairline appeared slanted. He then showed viewers both sides of his head. While he seemed satisfied with the right side, he turned to the left side and repeatedly shouted, “Bald!” while reacting to what he believed was a pushed-back hairline. Rakai also pointed to the lighter skin along his forehead, claiming he and viewers could see where his lineup was originally supposed to begin before the haircut.

Police Call Gave Rakai A Reality Check

Rakai took things a step further by calling 911 on his barber while live on stream. However, the dispatcher wasn’t having it, immediately asking whether the call was “a joke” and whether the streamer needed the fire department or medical services. Rakai responded by saying he wanted to sue his barber before ending the call. Shortly afterward, the dispatcher called Rakai back and warned him that calling 911 for a non-emergency and then hanging up could have consequences. Stumbling over his words, Rakai quickly apologized, explaining that he thought calling 911 was the only way he could sue his barber.

Social Media Reacts

The viral clip quickly sparked thousands of reactions in The Shade Room Teens comment section, with many social media users joking about both Rakai’s haircut and his decision to call 911.

Instagram user @biancaisking wrote, “😂😂😂😂😂😂”

Another Instagram user @cuddie_powell wrote, “why did his barber do that bs 😭😭😭😂😂”

While Instagram user @ciaafromig wrote, “Can we talk about why he called the police 😭😭 I’m in tears lmao”

Instagram user @badgaldeme wrote, “Normally I would be mad he called 911 buttttt that haircut low-key needed police involvement”

Another Instagram user @siannalynnn wrote, “barber must’ve had his eyes closed”

While Instagram user @ittybitty_.natt wrote, “All he have to do is keep his head tilted a little bit 😂”

Instagram user @nevaehnevaeh__ wrote, “They need to charge a fee when people play on the police phone”

Another Instagram user @luuvlyy._ wrote, “Yoo this is hilarious 😂 I’m upset for him”

While Instagram user @koreemoore_ wrote, “Wardrobe said his sh** look like “🤪” 😭😭😭

Related: Boo’d Up? Social Media Reacts After Rakai Shares Cozy TikTok Showing Him In Matching Pajamas With Yona Royale (VIDEOS)

Dakota Mortensen and Shinia Powell fueled dating rumors after being spotted together at a baseball game.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, 33, was photographed with Shinia on Thursday, July 23, at The Ballpark at America First Square in South Jordan, Utah.

In the pictures, obtained by TMZ, Dakota was seen with his hand on Shinia’s back as they watched the game from the lawn. In a separate snap, Dakota was cozying up to Shinia as she lounged on a blanket in the grass.

The pair were both wearing cream-colored baseball hats in the snaps. Dakota donned a black T-shirt and khaki pants while Shinia wore jean shorts, high-top sneakers and a silky top.

Related: Is Miranda Still Friends With Shinia After Secretly Sleeping With Dakota?

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Miranda McWhorter is breaking down where she stands with Shinia Powell after her friend slept with Taylor Frankie Paul’s ex Dakota Mortensen. Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 4. “I think the Taylor and Dakota of it all was definitely a […]

She documented the outing via social media on Thursday, sharing a picture with two of her friends — but didn’t include Dakota in her recap.

Dakota and Shinia’s outing comes after multiple outlets reported earlier this month that the pair are dating amid Dakota’s ongoing custody battle with ex Taylor Frankie Paul.

After months of speculation, People reported on Wednesday, July 22, that Dakota and Shinia’s “close friendship” grew “into something more” amid his ups and downs with Taylor, 32, whom he dated from 2022 to 2025. (The exes share a 2-year-old son, Ever, whom they welcomed in March 2024.)

Us has reached out to Dakota’s rep for comment.

The pair’s rumored romance has been raising even more eyebrows because Dakota previously received backlash from Taylor for hooking up with Shinia during season 4 of SLOMW. (Shinia, for her part, made her debut on the Hulu reality series as one of Miranda McWhorter’s best friends.)

“I do just want to say sorry for everything that I did. I know that caused a lot of problems,” Dakota told Taylor during a season 4 episode FaceTime. “I’m sorry for hooking up with Shinia. Was it dumb of me? Yes. Could I have picked someone else? Yes.”

Related: ‘Mormon Wives’ Stars Joke About ‘Cease and Desist’ for Dakota Amid Drama

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast is seemingly choosing sides amid Taylor Frankie Paul‘s most recent drama with ex Dakota Mortensen. Miranda McWhorter and Layla Taylor shared a TikTok on Tuesday, June 17, of themselves filming content before Dakota steps into the frame. The caption read, “When you run into your friend’s ex unexpectedly.” […]

Dakota, who has had a tumultuous on-off relationship with Taylor, said he understood Taylor’s stance since Shinia was entwined in their friendship group.

“I picked somebody that was obviously going to come with problems, and that was very s***y of me to do,” he added.

At the time, Shinia’s hookup with Dakota also caused problems for Miranda, 28, as she was put in the middle and felt forced to take sides between Shinia and Taylor.

Speculation surrounding Dakota and Shinia’s current romantic status comes as he and Taylor are battling over custody of their son.

Earlier this year, Dakota and Taylor were both granted restraining orders against each other after being previously involved in alleged domestic disputes. Dakota was granted temporary custody of their son in March amid their legal woes, but Taylor has since received more parenting time with Ever.

On July 13, Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) filed a petition asking a juvenile court to find that Taylor’s three children are being “abused, neglected, or dependent” while asking for protective supervision and the appointment of a guardian ad litem to represent the children. (Taylor also shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 6, with ex-husband Tate Paul.)

Following the DCFS inquiry, Taylor released a statement in support of the organization stepping in.

“It was recently decided that the ongoing custody actions would be best suited for juvenile court, a common step for families engaged in highly contentious, complex custody matters,” she said in a statement to Us on July 16. “Taylor is not deterred by this transition; she welcomes the added structure and oversight it provides and looks forward to continuing her progress toward normalizing custody and becoming the healthiest version of herself.”

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Advertisement

Related: Taylor Frankie Paul Accuses Dakota of Secretly Meeting Up With Girls in Texts

Taylor Frankie Paul reportedly accused ex Dakota Mortensen of secretly meeting up with girls in explosive text messages from 2025. The ongoing custody case between the former couple took another dramatic turn on Friday, July 10, when TMZ published text messages that Paul, 32, reportedly sent Mortensen, 33, in February 2025. Per the outlet, Paul […]

The statement concluded, “Taylor remains fully committed to doing whatever is necessary to reach that goal and will not be swayed from it. Taylor appreciates the professionalism of DCFS and its representatives.”

Dakota and Tate then released a joint statement in response to Taylor’s remarks, telling Us that they are “deeply concerned that Taylor’s statement minimizes the gravity of the action filed by DCFS and her many underlying actions that prompted such.”

The duo’s attorney claimed in a July 17 statement that both Dakota and Tate “share the serious concern that the family court system, law enforcement, prosecutors, and child-welfare agencies need meaningful coordination necessary to understand the situation and act in a manner most likely to protect the children.”

Austin Abrams learned firsthand that going the extra mile for a movie can have consequences.

While filming the upcoming film Resident Evil, Abrams, 29, had a near-death experience, according to director Zach Cregger, when a “body-sized blood bag” almost took him out.

“It’s in the trailer momentarily, but [Austin is] running down the street, and there’s zombies on the roof of the buildings on either side, and they’re all leaping at him,” Cregger, 45, told reporters during a Q&A, SlashFilm reported on Thursday, July 23, of the explosive scene.

He explained that in the movie, Abrams’ Bryan, a medical courier, must fight for his life when a zombie apocalypse breaks out around him.

While the film is based on the video game by the same name, Cregger said he wanted the scenes to feel as realistic as possible.

“We had to basically design this thing where he’s just running and bodies are just falling and detonating all around him. And I knew I didn’t want to do it with VFX because I feel like it would just look like VFX,” he recalled, referring to visual effects that are usually computer-generated. “So, I was like, ‘How do we do this where all these explosions are real?’”

Cregger noted he was able to avoid VFX by using choreography, staging and dropping 150 pound “blood bags” from cranes as Abrams ran take after take.

The director, however, said tragedy almost struck when one of the bags came extremely close to falling on the actor’s head.

“It would’ve killed him. If he had been one step to the right, he would’ve died,” Cregger revealed. “[The shot is] in the movie, so it’s f***ing worth it. I was pretty stunned.”

Cregger confessed that the blood bag situation wasn’t the only time Abrams was in danger on set.

In fact, he said that Abrams actually “split his head open in an elevator shaft” after a separate accident.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Advertisement

Cregger admitted that despite the obstacles along the way, the movie really came together and reminded him what he loves about the industry.

“That’s what’s so great about making movies is you have this scene, you have this amazing idea in your head, and then you just have all these people help you realize that idea and immortalize it on the screen,” he shared. “And there’s a real sense of teamwork and accomplishment. I’m very proud of this movie. I feel like I grew a lot making it, just as a filmmaker.”

Resident Evil hits theaters on Friday, September 18.

By Joshua Tyler & Chris Snellgrove | Published 52 seconds ago

There are plenty of post-apocalyptic movies out there, but most of them share the same problem: by the end, you feel just as hopelessly miserable as the characters onscreen. Far too many directors think the key to this genre is simply to give us scene after scene of bleak despair.

What audiences really want is a movie that uses a fictional future apocalypse as a lens to help us understand our present day.  In 2013, one sci-fi movie tried to do exactly that, and it enlisted the biggest movie star in Hollywood history to make it happen. 

It was directed by a man who is currently the hottest filmmaker in Hollywood, responsible for much of two of the industry’s most recent, big-money hits. The elements were there to make this an all-time great sci-fi movie, and nothing like that happened at all.

This is why Oblivion failed.

A Tom Cruise Movie Starring Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise stars in Oblivion as Jack Harper, a technician repairman of drones on Earth who begins to question his mission when he encounters a spaceship crash that throws his world upside down. It’s 2077, and Earth has been devastated by a war with an alien enemy known as the Scavs. Humanity won the war, but the planet was left mostly uninhabitable. Most survivors have relocated to Saturn’s moon Titan, while Jack Harper and his communications partner Victoria, played by Andrea Riseborough, remain stationed on Earth to maintain the drones protecting massive machines that harvest the planet’s remaining resources.

Jack’s memory has been wiped for security reasons, but he is troubled by recurring dreams of a woman he does not know. While investigating a crashed spacecraft, Jack discovers that the woman from his dreams is Julia, played by Olga Kurylenko, an astronaut who has been in suspended animation since before the war. Her arrival causes Jack to question everything he has been told about the Scavs, the mission, and his own identity.

When he made Oblivion, director Joseph Kosinski was coming off the modest success of Tron: Legacy, a movie that nearly everyone agreed worked only because of his visionary directing. He used the goodwill he’d built up there to get funding for a movie based on a concept he’d written out as a pseudo-graphic novel, called Oblivion. 

The work was a preview/pitch booklet with text and concept art. Kosinski had it handed out to attendees at the San Diego Comic-Con. That booklet ended up in the hands of Tom Cruise and got his attention. Cruise called Kosinski, and with Tom Cruise on board, getting funding became easy. 

Karl Gajdusek developed that pitch into a screenplay for the big screen, and then Michael Arndt was tasked with revising some of Kosinski’s and Gajdusek’s writing, using the pseudonym of “Michael deBruyn” as his writing credit for the film. William Monahan also got involved at some point, making his own changes to the script. If you’ve followed along with our Why It Failed series before, you should know that this much writing and rewriting is already a bad sign.

Disney stepped up to make the movie, inspired by Kosinski’s Tron: Legacy success, but then bailed when they wanted something closer to a PG version, even though the material worked better as a harder PG-13 post-apocalyptic action film. Universal, which had already been interested, ended up taking it on.

Olga Kurylenko came in alongside Jessica Chastain, Olivia Wilde, and Noomi Rapace to read for the role of Jack’s wife and crew member Julia. Chastain originally won the part and was contracted to start production until she was cast in 2012’s Zero Dark Thirty about the mission to capture and kill Osama bin Laden. Cruise let her out of her contract to do the historically important film, and Kurylenko was cast as Julia in place of Chastain.

The production’s biggest creative decision was that Kosinski did not want the movie to look like a standard green-screen sci-fi film. Coming off Tron: Legacy, he wanted Oblivion to feel more physical, more photographic, and more daylight-driven. He said the visual idea was “beauty in the desolation,” influenced by sci-fi artists Peter Elson and Chris Foss, whose work showed colorful daylight futures rather than only grim wastelands. 

Oblivion’s most famous and successful production trick was the Sky Tower. Instead of surrounding the movie’s glass house set with green screen, Kosinski built the set with real glass and surrounded it with a massive 270-degree projected sky. Pixomondo filmed sky footage from Haleakalā in Hawaii, then projected that imagery around the Baton Rouge set. The projection was not just background; it became the main light source for the actors and reflective surfaces. 

Because of that, Oblivion looks fantastic. Watching Cruise’s drone repairman blast through the wrecked-up wasteland of a post-alien-invasion New York City on a futuristic dirt bike, past the strewn carcasses of container ships and submarines, is spectacular. When he floats through the ruined world in his bubble ship, the special effects are crisp and clean and blend seamlessly with the frame. They’re so good you don’t notice them. 

The entire film reminds you of those IMAX movies you saw as a kid, where a helicopter-mounted camera sweeps around the rim of an active volcano or dives into the Grand Canyon. It’s amazing. 

Why Oblivion Failed

Oblivion looks like a huge hit. It wasn’t. 

It opened at number one in North America, then faded fast, finishing with about $89 million domestic and $286 million worldwide. That made it respectable, especially overseas, where Cruise still had serious drawing power. But respectable was the ceiling. 

Oblivion earned enough to avoid embarrassment, but not enough to be remembered. The movie was forgotten almost the second it left theaters.

Critics were mixed. Reviewers kept circling around the same complaint: Oblivion looked like a major event, but underneath all that polished design it felt assembled from better science fiction movies.

I’m not sure that’s fair. The big twists in the plot may have been done before, but they’re executed in a totally unique way. Oblivion has interesting ideas, interesting ideas worth exploring. 

In the end, that was not enough. Oblivion was caught in the worst possible middle ground. It was too expensive and polished to feel like a scrappy original discovery, but too familiar to feel like the next great science fiction event. 

The trailers sold mystery, Tom Cruise, and beautiful ruined-Earth imagery, but they never gave audiences a simple emotional hook beyond “Tom Cruise in another futuristic movie.”  That mattered because Oblivion arrived only eight years after War of the Worlds and two years after Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, with Cruise still viewed by many casual moviegoers more as a brand than a character actor. 

The movie also arrived when people were kind of burnt out on last man on Earth stories. They’d already seen WALL-E, Moon, The Matrix, and others. 

Oblivion was good-looking, competent, and easy to admire, but it did not give people enough reason to insist everyone else see it.

Overshadowed By Edge Of Tomorrow

A year later, Tom Cruise would release another mid-level, ambitious sci-fi movie called Edge of Tomorrow. Unlike Oblivion, that film gained massive critical acclaim and immediate cult status. 

Edge of Tomorrow love was, and is, so strong that it completely overshadowed people’s memory of Oblivion, and now, while everyone still talks about Edge of Tomorrow, it’s as if Oblivion never existed. That’s a shame, because Oblivion was a good, big-screen experience. The look of the movie is like nothing else you’ve ever seen, and while it’s still worth watching at home on television, there was something special about the way it looked, projected on a screen in a darkened theater.

Oblivion is a worthwhile sci-fi movie. If it were released today, it might get the credit it deserved, but back then, when moviegoers didn’t know how good they had it, Oblivion was easy to relegate to, well, oblivion.

Devout Big Brother superfan and Unlocked cohost Jerry O’Connell has a lot of opinions about Rome Seymour and Lyric Medeiros’ romance following the pickleball coach’s recent eviction.

“These two were together for hours, and they were already dropping love bombs,” O’Connell, 52, exclusively tells Us ahead of the new episode of Big Brother: Unlocked on Friday, July 24. “This guy was dropping an L-bomb. I think 12 hours into their relationship.”

In addition to Rome and Lyric quickly developing strong feelings for each other, O’Connell was enthralled by the couple’s intimate conversations — and cuddles — that took place on the Have-Not bed, which is a circular wooden plank that rotates. (Each week multiple Big Brother houseguests become have-nots where they must endure tougher living arrangements including eating slop, taking cold showers and sleeping in a room that lacks traditional beds.)

“He said on a wooden rotating bed, ‘I want to make babies with you.’ … I mean, that is the power of the Big Brother house,” O’Connell quips. “That is why Big Brother is the best unscripted show on TV … other shows aren’t saying, ‘I want to make babies with you’ on a wooden rotating bed.”

Rome was ultimately evicted by his fellow houseguests — which included his own girlfriend — on Thursday, July 23. While O’Connell can’t fathom how Rome and Lyric got so close in two weeks, the TV host confesses that he was “very bummed” to see Rome leave.

“I really thought Rome, who for your readers if they don’t know, was sort of this alpha guy who was sort of gathering a few troops,” he says of Rome’s gameplay. “He was a newbie. He wasn’t one of the icons from Survivor. I really felt he was the only one who could really go for the king and queen, being Dee [Valladares] and [Rick] Devens from Survivor. He just had a showman. I think that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.”

The actor adds that being part of the season’s first showmance also didn’t help lower Rome’s threat level.

While O’Connell is always tuned in to Big Brother every summer, this season is extra special as he was named a cohost to the series’ companion show, Unlocked. O’Connell joins former winners Taylor Hale and Derrick Levasseur to discuss season 28 and give the audience sneak peaks of what’s in store for the houseguests.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Advertisement

O’Connell shares that the Friday episode of Unlocked will feature “some super exclusive secret content” that involves the players.

“I am the one who personally [breaks] the news. I am brave enough to go into the Big Brother house and I extract. I’m like Odysseus in the Odyssey. I extract information out of the Big Brother house,” he teases. “It is huge news. It will affect the rest of the season.”

Big Brother: Unlocked airs on CBS on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET while Big Brother proper airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.

By Charlene Badasie
| Published 20 seconds ago

Edge of Tomorrow is one of the best sci-fi action films of the 2010s, blending explosive alien warfare with a clever time loop premise that keeps raising the stakes. Directed by Doug Liman and based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill, the 2014 film stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, with Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson in supporting roles.

A Spokesman Turned Soldier Stuck In A Time Loop

Edge of Tomorrow is set in a future where Earth is invaded by an alien race called Mimics. The story follows Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), a military spokesman with no combat experience, who finds himself thrust into the front lines of a futuristic war against the aliens.

The Mimics are highly intelligent and quickly overpower human forces in devastating attacks.

Cage, unprepared for actual combat, is killed within minutes during a military operation.

However, instead of dying, he wakes up and finds himself back at the beginning of the day, reliving the events leading up to his death. Cage soon realizes that he is caught in a time loop, destined to repeat the same day over and over again, setting the stage for Edge of Tomorrow.

Meeting The Angel Of Verdun

At the beginning of each time loop, Cage realizes he has gained new combat skills and knowledge of the Mimics’ strategies. During one of the loops, Cage meets Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a skilled soldier known as the “Angel of Verdun.” Rita had previously experienced a similar time loop during a battle and emerged victorious, becoming a symbol of hope for humanity.

Recognizing Cage’s unique situation, she decides to help him harness his newfound abilities to find and destroy the Mimic hive mind, known as the Omega, which controls the alien forces. As Cage and Rita work together, they face various challenges and setbacks, each time refining their strategy to get closer to the heart of the Mimic threat.

A Critical Hit And A Modern Classic

Edge of Tomorrow expertly blends sci-fi with war film themes, creating a compelling and unique storyline. There are also moments of humor and camaraderie between the characters, which provide some much-needed levity. The evolving relationship between Cage and Rita becomes a central focus as they attempt to break the cycle and save humanity from the Mimic invasion.

Edge of Tomorrow received widespread critical acclaim for its inventive concept and strong performances. Critics praised the film’s unique take on the time loop trope, impressive visual effects, and the chemistry between Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. The humor infused into the narrative and the well-executed action sequences were also highlights.

While the film performed moderately well at the box office, earning $381 million against its reported production budget of $178 million, Edge of Tomorrow gained a dedicated fan base over time, especially after its home entertainment release. Word of mouth and positive reviews contributed to its popularity, and it eventually became a cult favorite within the science fiction genre.

The film’s original title, All You Need Is Kill, which it shared with the source material, was changed to Edge of Tomorrow for the theatrical release. Later, the home entertainment release was titled Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow to emphasize the time loop aspect.

As of this writing, Edge of Tomorrow can be rented or purchased on-demand through YouTube, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and Fandango.

Recent years have proven that TV shows based on video games are here to stay, with undeniable examples like Fallout, The Last of Us, The Witcher, and many more. However, even as this trend grows, some of the best video games haven’t received the adaptation they deserve. Among these is the 2020 game Hades, a roguelike action role-playing game with a lot of potential. Supergiant Games’ masterpiece gained considerable attention following its release, and even got a sequel game in 2025, Hades II. Together, these two games tell an epic story that could easily be turned into a thrilling TV series perfect for the ever-growing fantasy genre.

Known for its unique comic-book-like animation and story-driven narrative, the Hades series has a lot to offer. One thing that sets it apart is a Greek-mythology-based story, making the game especially notable because these legends remain popular. In fact, with The Odyssey‘s recent release, Greek mythology is more relevant than ever, with Odysseus even being a character you can interact with in Hades II. This connection makes it the perfect time to adapt the beloved game and give fans what they’ve been asking for.

What Are the ‘Hades’ Games About?

Hades became a smash hit in 2020 because there was nothing quite like it. The story is based on Greek mythology, specifically on the relationship between Hades and his wife, Persephone, but Hades takes its own path, instead creating a unique version of these characters as the players uncover the story. The story follows Zagreus, the son of Hades, who hopes to escape his father’s realm and discover the truth about his absent mother, Persephone. In his journey, Zagreus seeks help from Nyx, the goddess of night, and several other Olympian gods. However, to do so, he must face all the monsters of the Underworld. This creates a cycle as each time Zagreus is slain, he reappears in the Underworld to try again.

While Hades II tells a different story, it utilizes this same roguelike concept. The sequel is about Zagreus’ sister, Melinoë, who is the only member of her family to be saved from Chronos, the Titan of Time. While Melinoë fights for revenge, Chronos’ powers make her victories impermanent, forcing her to become caught in a cycle similar to her brother. Her mission becomes an epic adventure as she seeks blessings from various Olympians and interacts with figures from the myths, ranging from Achilles to Circe. These two games explore an exciting world full of dangers, complex character dynamics, and familiar mythological figures while constantly surprising the audience, no matter how familiar they may be with the legendary characters.

‘Hades’ Would Make the Perfect TV Series

Realistically, not every video game is right for an adaptation, but Hades and Hades II are ideal options to make it to the screen. Not only does the interpretation of the gods allow for nuanced characters as the games explore the Olympians and their relationship with the Cthonic gods, but the modern twist on beloved myths adds a unique flair that hasn’t existed before. These elements would translate beautifully to a show, keeping the audience engaged, as would the story structure. Most game adaptations must overcome the challenge of the game format, which allows players to die and restart, creating especially challenging enemies, but the Hades franchise is structured to allow this. The game relies on a repetitive cycle that a TV series can lean into, with Zagreus and Melinoë learning more about their missions after each “death.” The other element of these games that a TV show can take advantage of is the award-winning art style. Hades lends itself to an animated adaptation, which works well for video games, as seen by Arcane and Castlevania.

With The Odyssey becoming the summer’s biggest movie, bringing Hades‘ stories to the forefront of pop culture can shine a light on a side of mythology not often explored. An adaptation like this could also benefit from the fact that quite a few characters from The Odyssey appear within the story. This is especially true of Hades II, where Melinoë must face many of the same enemies Odysseus (Matt Damon) encounters in The Odyssey, including Scylla (accompanied by the sirens), Charybdis, Polyphemus, and Circe. The popularity of The Odyssey proves that there is room for unique retellings of Greek mythology in fantasy stories, and an adaptation of Hades should be the next adaptation we get.

Xzibit has opened up about how he has managed to keep his beloved feline companion, Thunder Cat, alive for the past 20 years.

The former “Pimp My Ride” host insisted the biggest secret is simply the love and care he gives his pet, adding that she mostly sticks to a dry food diet while receiving ongoing treatment for age-related health issues.

On the home front, Xzibit revealed back in April that despite earning a five-figure monthly income, he was buried under roughly $1.3 million in tax debt as his divorce from estranged wife Krista continued.

Xzibit has gone viral across social media after sharing how he has managed to keep Thunder Cat alive for the past 20 years.

The rapper, whose real name is Alvin Joiner, has had his beloved feline companion since his days on “Pimp My Ride,” seemingly proving that the bond they share is worth emulating. He didn’t hold back from revealing his secret to fellow cat lovers.

“I had no idea you guys liked cats that much, but Thunder Cat has been in my life for a long time. She’s seen it all,” he said in a video posted earlier this week. “Everybody’s asking how I kept her alive for, you know, this long. Well, first of all, I love my cat. I take care of her, and I look out for her.”

Xzibit Credits Vets For Thunder Cat’s Longevity

3

Keeping a cat healthy into her twenties takes serious dedication, especially when it comes to diet and medical care. Xzibit acknowledged that Thunder Cat primarily sticks to a dry food diet, although he occasionally rewards her with junk food for good behavior.

After surviving a thyroid condition that caused significant weight loss, Thunder Cat later developed kidney problems. Xzibit credited her veterinarians, who regularly administer IV fluids to help manage her kidney health.

“People have loved my cat as much as I have for a long time, so people send me sh-t all the time associated with my cat,” he continued. “The fact that this is going crazy is beyond me. But this is the kind of sh-t I get.”

Thunder Cat’s Viral Popularity Stuns Xzibit

The viral spotlight surrounding Thunder Cat has left the “Get Your Walk On” rapper pleasantly surprised.

Fans have been sending him cat-themed gifts for years, including custom-painted portraits and a sweatshirt emblazoned with Thunder Cat’s face, which Xzibit confirmed he has worn.

The elderly feline has become so popular that Xzibit created an Instagram account for her, and within days, she had amassed tens of thousands of followers.

“People love Thunder Cat. I love Thunder Cat,” Xzibit said with a smile while showing off some of the fan art. “I’m glad you guys like her as much as I do.”

Xzibit Revealed $1.3 Million Tax Debt

3

On the personal front, the hip-hop veteran has endured a difficult few years, particularly amid his ongoing divorce from estranged wife Krista.

Back in April, he revealed that although he earns a comfortable five-figure monthly income, he is buried under more than $1 million in back taxes, placing his finances under scrutiny during the divorce proceedings.

According to TMZ, court records showed he earns approximately $66,500 per month, but that income is overshadowed by roughly $1.3 million in tax debt.

At the time, records indicated he owed more than $400,000 to the state of California and another $900,000 to the IRS. Court filings also listed more than $1.4 million in personal liabilities, roughly $2 million in business-related debt, and baseline monthly living expenses exceeding $23,000.

Inside Xzibit And Krista’s Divorce Dispute

3

Xzibit sought to end the temporary spousal support payments he had been making to Krista following their 2021 separation after seven years of marriage.

He argued that much of the income he earned in 2025 came from touring and promoting a new album and was unlikely to continue at the same level.

Krista’s monthly income was listed at just over $12,500, while Xzibit continued paying approximately $5,000 per month in child support. He argued that, given his financial situation, he should not be required to make additional support payments once the divorce is finalized.

The estranged couple shares joint custody of their son, Gatlyn, whom they welcomed in 2010. In April, they were both restored to the status of single persons before the case was adjourned.

Xzibit’s filing came after Krista sought to increase her spousal support to more than $21,000 per month and child support to over $9,000. According to TMZ, she argued that she had been forced to evacuate their home because she could no longer afford the $10,000 monthly rent and other lifestyle expenses, including designer clothing.

She also requested that Xzibit cover approximately $300,000 in attorney fees.