TERMINATOR 0

DESCRIPTION

CAST

REVIEWS

• 

  scottcj

  90/100
  Terminator Fans are Eating So Good For the First Time in Two Decades

  The Terminator franchise as we know it today is a fucking laughing stock in Hollywood. Conceived in 1984 by James Cameron to both critical and financial success, the original Terminator was a heart-pounding blockbuster that managed to meld elements of science fiction and horror practically effortlessly on an insanely tight budget of (at the time) 6.4 MILLION DOLLARS, and James Cameron's directorial genius led to both him and Arnold Schwarzenegger to sky rocket to stardom immediately, and lead to an even more explosive and way higher production sequel known as Terminator 2 Judgement Day, that was somehow even more popular than the first despite being way more action oriented than the prequel.

  And that's just about where Terminator's accolades end, as almost everything afterwards has been flop after flop. Terminator 3 was a pretty big nothing burger and it's only purpose was seemingly to just call back to the first two movies and go "yeah look at how cool these two movies were right guys?", and that's how it would be for the next three movies as well, except Salvation, Genesys, and Dark Fate were even bigger trainwrecks than Terminator 3, and the series' possessiveness over the exploits of the Connor family was so glaringly detrimental that nobody back when Dark Fate aired knew if Terminator could course correct at all or if it was gonna eventually just crash and burn.

  Enter Masashi Kudou, animator for Bleach, and screenwriter Mattson Tomlin. Two people that are (as far as I can tell) completely disconnected from the "line must go up" mindset that seemingly possesses the higher ups at Skydance to continue pumping out Terminator slop over and over throughout the years. Skydance decided movies weren't enough and they wanted a Terminator animated TV series on Netflix (for some fucking reason.) which was a prospect that was almost guaranteed to fail, and they got Production IG to do the animation and Kudou and Tomlin to be director and screenwriter specifically. Tomlin and Kudou were wondering how to properly make a Terminator entry that could stand on its own and thought "What if we just completely cut out the Connor family all together?" and started crafting a narrative around a new family in Tokyo, Japan in 1997 on Judgement Day (when Skynet becomes self aware and annihilates the world in a single day) known as the Lee family.

  Guess what?

  THEY FUCKING DID IT. THEY MADE A GOOD TERMINATOR ENTRY. For the first time in two decades we finally got a good Terminator.

  They went all the way back to the very first movie and did a critical analysis of it, picking it apart on an abstract level, wondering how well the pieces fit together in a modern series, and reconstructed Terminator from the ground up in a way that makes it stand apart from the escapades of the Connor family, while continuing to drill the poignant science fiction horror of the original movie's post-apocalyptic future into our heads, and borrowing the interesting elements from the last three trainwreck movies and incorporating them in ways that weren't complete dogshit, and they did it with such flying colors I forgot there was even any content made between Terminator 2 and Terminator Zero.

  The basic premise of Terminator Zero is that a Terminator (voiced by Yasuhiro Mamiya, Mask de Masculine from Bleach Thousand Year Blood War) is sent back in time to assassinate Malcolm Lee (voiced by Yuya Uchida, Clive Rosfield from Final Fantasy XVI), who began seeing dreams of the future post-Judgement Day, when the world is set aflame by Skynet's nuclear winter. Malcolm Lee, seeing these visions, decides to create his own artificial intelligence, Kokoro (voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki, Frieren from Frieren Beyond Journey's End), capable of protecting Japan from Skynet's impending assault on humankind. Meanwhile, an agent of the resistance named Eiko (voiced by Toa Yukinari, Casca from Berserk the Golden Age) is sent back in time to stop Skynet's Terminator from assassinating Malcolm Lee, and to also prevent Malcolm Lee from bringing his artificial intelligence online, fearing that Kokoro would ally itself with Skynet.

  It's very basic Terminator stuff that we've all grown up on here in the US. We know what's up. What we didn't know until it released is how well it executed the basic principles of a Terminator entry. Kokoro and Malcolm Lee provide very fulfilling philosophical conversation that had been missing from the franchise, giving insight into the series' tendency to go "Robot bad" that Terminator Salvation tried to do with Sam Worthington but failed miserably at. Here it works though, because they actually give Kokoro and Malcolm Lee breathing room to say what they need to say. Skynet, Malcolm argues, didn't gain self-awareness because of humanity being an existential threat, but because Skynet was programmed with the destructive impulses of its creators in the United States military. Meanwhile Kokoro, being programmed with true free will by Malcolm Lee, argues that most of the inventions that humanity has created have been perverted into weapons of destruction anyways, so humanity needs to be pacified with force (note, not exterminated, pacified) so that life can go on on Earth, and sees Skynet's assertion of domination as a reflection of humanity's destructive impulses.

  It isn't thought provoking in any stretch of the imagination, but its legible, and clear, and makes sense as debate material. It's great, a Terminator series that actually fucking says something. It feels so great watching an adaptation of Hollywood movies that use the different medium to have actual conversations about the themes of its source material.

  Speaking of conversations, the conversations between the Lee family are also pretty... okay. Which is still a marked improvement compared to Salvation, Genesys, or Dark Fate, which barely have conversations period, just one liners and exposition dumps.

  Eiko is actually Malcolm Lee's mother, shocker, Malcolm Lee is actually from the future himself! and somehow has a sense of kinship with Malcolm's daughter Reika (voiced by Miyuki Satou from Shinkalion Change the World). Misaki (voiced by Saori Hayami, Miyuki from Irregular at BLEGH) also has a sense of kinship with Malcolm's two sons, Kenta and Hiro (voiced respectively by Hiro Shimono, Connie from Attack on Titan, and Shizuka Ishigami, Stella Vermillion from Chivalry of a Failed Knight), and a lot of their conversations later on in the series revolve around Misaki also being a machine, uh oh! and how Kenta is unable to trust Misaki as a result of this fact, but they end up somewhat reconciling by the end of the series due to Misaki repeatedly affirming how real her emotions are despite being a machine, and that anyone with sentience should be capable of emotion just as she is. Kenta is also faced head on with his own future where apparently he's supposed to be a bridge between humankind and Skynet in another possible future and is capable through the help of Kokoro of overcoming his fear and rejecting that future. There's a lot that went into each and every character in this series, and I really appreciate that considering the past three movies have been nothing but popcorn slop.

  The animation is also pretty good, which shouldn't be surprising considering it's made by Production "King of the Sci-Fi Anime" IG, with the chief animator for Bleach at the helm. If you're a fan of Bleach you'll like the fact that Masashi Kudo is the director (even if you aren't a fan of Bleach you will because he's also a part of Tower of God and Akudama Drive and Code Geass and Mobile Suit Gundam 00). A lot of work was done to make sure every movement in the anime has weight behind it and the sound design also backs it up, every punch of the machine against flesh being incredibly meaty, and the gunfire also sometimes having insane amounts of reverb to it as well. The soundtrack also... god. The married couple that worked on the soundtrack cooked so fucking hard with its droning ambience and heart pumping drums.

  It's honestly a miracle how well this series came together considering the franchise has been owned by Skydance since 2015. The brainworm in the higher ups actually made a good decision for once, giving Production IG complete creative control over the project.

  Skydance finally gets a W, and Production IG continues to keep its crown as the King of Sci-Fi Anime.

  If you have Netflix, watch this. We've never been so back Terminator bros.

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• 

  Kehsihba

  75/100
  Beyond the Skynet: fresh twists, solid setup, and a promising tease that might just win you over

  Kept it Spoiler Free!

  ---

  Ever since the trailer dropped, I have been eager to see if this new installment could deliver something different from its live-action counterparts. Having watched all the episodes, I have to say I honestly liked it. Sure, Episode 1 felt a bit off, mainly due to the way the narration sequence was handled, but that's a minor hiccup—not something that would make me switch it off. The world-building starts to shape from the second half of Episode 3 and by Episode 8, everything connects in a way that makes the twists some of my favorites. They are unexpected and fresh, especially for a Terminator series, giving it an edge that sets it apart.

  From a story direction's perspective, the pacing was handled well. The gradual unfolding of the plot allowed to immerse in the world without feeling overwhelmed. The decision to delay certain revelations until later episodes adds to the overall impact and creates a satisfying payoff. The plot is engaging with balancing action and allowing the story to build naturally over time.

  Kokoro's character is well-presented, and Misaki also plays her role in building the story. I found Malcolm's skepticism about his own creation to be a nice detail—it’s all well-integrated into the story. By Episode 8, he is understood, and I liked his characterization. The kids were just being kids, and I liked how genuine their portrayal was—not the usual artificial stuff you often see. They served their purpose in the story without feeling shoehorned in. Eiko wasn't given much focus, but that’s understandable since this was largely a setup arc.

  A Winning Formula:
  The timeline concepts added a layer of freshness that recent Terminator films have been missing. There is a careful thought that went into ensuring these concepts were both innovative and coherent, preventing too much confusion as the plot advanced. I also liked the portrayal of the Terminator itself—no nonsense, just brutal and effective. While gore can be tricky to convey in animated form, this show pulled it off quite well.

  I think this was a successful project, both in storytelling and execution. If they decide to make a second season, I will definitely be watching it.

  New Dawn for fans and newcomers
  For a Terminator fan who has been disappointed by the recent installment, this is just that refreshing change and a ray of sunshine, you are looking for. And even if you are not a fan, it is still a good pick to make your Friday night fun. However, keep in mind that this show primarily works as a setup arc and not a self-contained story, and while it briefly touches themes like morality and the nature of being, it does not delve into them. The project focuses on rejuvenating interest, provide entertainment value, set up storylines, and in return get expectations from viewers.

  

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• 

  Bretomart

  95/100
  A return to form for one of the greatest franchises that'd lost its way

  I have to say. After Terminator: Dark Fate was released, I thought the franchise done. Even hearing that James Cameron was producing a new title, Terminator movies had become stale, repetitive and nothing like 1 & 2 that had made it the bulwark of the action franchise that spurred countless spinoffs. I'm so glad I was so, so wrong in that assessment.

  Terminator: Zero has to be one of the most nuanced, grounded and greatest return to forms a franchise could have in modern day entertainment. And I might sound like I'm exaggerating or taking this out of proportion, but as someone who grew up watching the Terminator franchise with my dad since I was 8 years old, I'd been saddened by how mistreated this franchise was after James exited the IP. The scoring is top-notch. The soundtrack "It Will Never Be The Same" is probably one of my most played songs on Spotify right now. The use of tense music and build up towards certain climatic moments is honestly amazingly well done. The animation is up to par with one of the strongest showings of animation for a Netflix release - and it translates super well both in dub and in sub. I haven't seen such unforgettable voice acting since Cowboy Bebop, and that's not an easy bar to clear.

  The story itself? Centers itself around a family and builds the Terminator universe around it. Not its antithesis. Where the later movies tried to build cinematics instead of a story, Terminator: Zero took its time in building its family dynamic with an the driving plot narrative being Judgment Day. Best thing too? It actually elevates that concept further then just "everything is over". It uses modern day questions about morality in the face of an advancing technological prowess of our machines, and balances them with the ethics of what makes us human. What makes us feel. What makes us, well, us. In an age where AI is becoming more apart of our daily lives, getting an outlook that tries to deal with that question on a more developed level is truly well done. It doesn't overstay its welcome, nor does the story drag on. Only thing is, it does take its freedom sometimes with the physics of technology. (No Netflix. A CPU doesn't work that way if you remove it from a computer. sigh) It feels like the exact right pace for what it is and what its trying to tell. It's a humble story of a troubled man of a troubled past, rationalizing his present and trying to correct the mistakes of a future he can no longer see. I'd be more then happy to see a Season 2, although I'd be fine with this existing in its current format as a springboard for more similar attempts at masterful writing.

  All in all, this is a return to form for one of the greatest franchises that'd lost its way. A generational movie franchise that never had a chance to flesh out a larger story or got the care it needed to break out. I hope the JC movie releasing soon will have this level of care. The first two Terminator movies still hold a dear place in my heart. And I'm glad that we're finally getting something worthwhile and with clear love for the fans, while exploring the shortcomings of its predecessors. It honestly does a great job of both elevating and breathing new life into a franchise that everyone wrote off 5 years ago. I didn't know much about this series before the Netflix leak. But after seeing the trailer, I'd set myself to give it an honest-to-god try and decide how I felt afterwards. And I'm glad I left satisfied.

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