Summary
Terminator Zero’s trailer has been released, and it looks much better than theTerminatorsaga’s previous four movies.Terminatorhas sadly become one of thefranchises with more bad than good movies. After a strong start with two highly successful films,theTerminatorfranchisewould struggle for over two decades with critical and financial disappointments. There have been fourTerminatormovies sinceTerminator2: Judgment Day, widely considered the best entry in the franchise, but none of them were well-received enough to get an immediate sequel.
Terminator Zerois a Netflix original anime from Skydance and Production I.G., the last of which worked on movies such asGhost in the Shelland series such asGhost in the Shell: Standalone Complex. ATerminatoranime seriesfrom the studio behind iconic works of science fiction sounded incredibly exciting by itself. However, after so many poorly receivedTerminatormovies, it remained to be seen whether the first look atTerminator Zerowas going to live up to the expectations.
Terminator Zero Already Looks Better Than The Franchise’s Previous Movies
Terminator Zero’s first trailer is very promising.
Thefirst trailer forTerminator Zerooffers the best look yet at the upcoming Netflix anime, teasing an exciting new take on the franchise that also respects the saga’s tone and aesthetic. Although the premise ofTerminator Zeroseems to be that of a classicTerminatorstory –a soldier from a doomed future goes back in time to save someone whose fate is tied to Skynet– the series seems to be doing something different with it. There is a level of horror and suspense in the trailer, not to mention the great visuals.
Terminatorhas struggled to find its identity between reboots and new timelines, butTerminator Zerocould be a “return to basics" for the series.
While the first trailer’s release may be too soon to judge a new series,Terminator Zerolooks incredible and sounds more exciting than the franchise’s previous movies. The last fourTerminatorfilms were all deeply disappointing and failed to connect with audiences and critics alike. FromTerminator3: Rise of the Machines toTerminator:Dark Fate,all ofTerminator’s attempts to reignite the franchise in the past 20 years have failed.Terminatorhas struggled to find its identity between reboots and new timelines, butTerminator Zerocould be a “return to basics" for the series.
Terminator Zero’s Trailer Has The Exact Tone The Movies Were Missing
Terminator Zero looks like a “horror meets sci-fi” anime.
Terminator Zero’s trailer makes it seem like it will be a sci-fi horror series with a lot of action, which is exactly whatTerminatorshould be. Part of the reason whyTheTerminatorwas so successful is that James Cameron took what could have been just yet another slasher and turned it on its head by adding a sci-fi twist to it – the “Terminator.”Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 almost feels like a horror movie creature in the first film, which is something that very few otherTerminatormodels in the series failed to recapture.
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Likewise,Terminator 2: Judgment Dayraised the bar for action movies by combining practical effects with innovative VFX techniques to create some of the most memorable sequences of all time. This includes almost every moment in which the T-1000 was on screen. None of the otherTerminatorfilms were able to play with genres that well, resulting in forgettable sequels that could not live up to the James Cameron movies.Terminator Zero, despite the different media and format, seems closer toTheTerminatorandTerminator2thanRise of the Machines,Salvation,Genisys, andDark Fateever were.
Terminator Animated Series’ Judgment Day Connection Makes The Upcoming Netflix Show Even More Exciting
Netflix’s Terminator Zero has a promising connection to Terminator 2: Judgment Day that makes the upcoming animated series even more exciting.
Terminator Zero Can Give The Terminator Franchise A New Future After Genisys & Dark Fate
Terminator Zero’s fresh take on the franchise can inspire future movies.
TerminatorGenisysmarked the franchise’s return to the big screen for the first time since 2009 and was meant to be the beginning of a new franchise. Despite the multiple callbacks to previous films and the return of Schwarzenegger,Genisystook place in its own timeline and tried to reinvent the saga for a new generation. However,TerminatorGenisys’ box office and critical receptionwere not strong enough to justify a sequel. A newTerminatormovie was released in 2019,Terminator:Dark Fate, with James Cameron serving as a producer.
Terminator Zero’s release date, August 29., is a reference to the Judgment Day date fromT2.
Dark Fateimproved uponGenisysin many ways but also left a lot to be desired in other aspects. Additionally, it was a box office bomb that put thestatus ofTerminator7in check. The strange creative decisions inGenisysandDark Fate, including making John Connor a Terminator or killing him off, made it clear thatTerminatorneeded something new and fresh. Hopefully, this is whatTerminator Zerowill deliver. If it succeeds, the Netflix anime can perhaps inspire futureTerminatorfilms and even lead to more animated shows set in this universe.
Terminator Zero
Cast
Set in an alternate 2022, Terminator Zero is an anime action/sci-fi series that sees a scientist named Malcolm Lee trying to create a counter AI to stop Skynet from wiping out humanity. Now a target of Skynet from the future, a soldier from the same time returns to try to save him.
