With the Predator and Alien franchises both making major comebacks in the last few years, it’s even more befuddling that Terminator still seems lost in creative limbo. James Cameron’s first two films (The Terminator, T2: Judgement Day) were more than action-horror spectacles: they also were dark ruminations on the flashpoint in technological development that was happening in the late 1980s and 1990s, and how it could spell doom for the future. But now the future that Terminator warned about is upon us, and suddenly, those films don’t feel so fictional anymore.
Videos by ComicBook.com
James Cameron is out doing press for the upcoming release of Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third film in the director’s groundbreaking 3D sci-fi action-adventure saga. Naturally, the question of Terminator has been raised in interviews with Cameron. The filmmaker hasn’t been shy about addressing the big problem with making more Terminator movies – but that also doesn’t mean that he’s right.
In recent months, Cameron has revealed that he’s been working on a new story set within the Terminator universe, if only habitually. Speaking with i09, Cameron admitted that when it comes to writing another Terminator movie, “It’s difficult, I have to tell you.” He then validated fan theories, stating that “Science fiction has caught up and is actually overwhelming us at this point. We’re living in a science fiction world, and we’re literally having to deal with problems that in the past only existed in science fiction books and movies. Now we’re living it for real.”
Cameron didn’t just blame the state of the word for making the ideas and themes of Terminator seem outdated: he also faulted his own age for making it hard to envision where of technology will go next, and what dire threats humanity may face. “I’ll never be as prescient as I was back in 1984 of imagining this one because I don’t think anybody knows what’s going to be happening a year or two years from now. But I at least want to future-proof myself by being a couple years out.”
Thre’s deifnitely truth to the statement that it’s currently impossible to know what the state of the world will be a year or tow from now. Part of the issue is that many moviegoers already feel like we’re living on the precepice of Judgement Day, and disaster could strike any day. Others feel like humanity has already turned itself over to machines and digital lives willingly, and that Terminator looks almost ironically funny now.
Terminator‘s Biggest Problem Isn’t Being Outdated
While Cameron is somewhat correct about the changed state of the world affecting Terminator‘s story and themes, he’s not necessarily tuning into what made the franchise lose its way after T2.
If anything, later Terminator movies moved away from the original themes and instead became ensnared in their own mythology. T3: Rise of the Machines completely reversed course on Cameron’s “No Fate” stance regarding man vs. technology and fatalism vs. causality, painting Judgement Day and John Connor’s future as a human resistance leader as an unavoidable “destiny.” Terminator Salvation tried to reboot the series by focusing on the Future War setting and changes to the timeline that could open the door to new technological concepts. Genisys and Dark Fate both tried to use time travel hijinks to explore the multiverse theory and splinter timelines, via drastic shifts in the main John Connor story arc that still allowed legacy actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton to return. None of that convoluted lore, headier sci-fi concepts, or nostalgia stunt castings have resonated with moviegoers – nor should they. Terminator is what it is because it was a blessedly simple horror-thriller experience that just so happened to toss a few good sci-fi concepts and considerations at a popcorn audience.
The Terminator franchise has shown signs of hope: Netflix’s anime miniseries Terminator Zero leaned fully into the sci-fi aspect of the series, creating a new lane of story that sees time travellers come back from the future and create a secondary A.I. supercomputer that ultimately chooses to defend humanity against Skynet. While definitely aimed at a more niche audience of sci-fi/anime fans, Terminator Zero at least proved that the franchise could be refitted for a modern context. So maybe Cameron just needs to expand his considerations beyond the original “technology equals doom” idea. Who better suited for it than the guy making the Avatar movies?
You can stream Terminator films on various streaming platforms. Or join our discussion “What Should Modern Terminator Movies Be About?” on the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
a PlayStation 2 console and controller over a field of game box art. -
Image Courtesy of Netflix
