Action films and the science fiction genre have gone hand in hand for years. Often times when there is one, there are elements of the other. When a talented filmmaker perfectly mixes the two and then adds a dash of horror, The Terminator is born. This franchise is one of the best known in all of pop culture. These are the movies that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a household name, and turned the phrase “I’ll be back” into a common saying. The first film was an expertly crafted thriller that pushed the boundaries of special effects.
The sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, changed cinema forever, and quickly became known as one of the best action films of all time. As the years waned on, the franchise began to release more sequels that were gradually more spread out. With each film, it seemed like fewer people cared. The one-time juggernaut of motion picture triumph seems to have become more of a box office punchline. The question has to be asked: what exactly happened? Why is it that the announcement of a new Terminator movie or the future of the franchise is met with as many groans as cheers, if not more so?
Simple Beginnings
With the tone the franchise quickly took, one may be surprised to see just how different the original movie is from the rest. The Terminator is more of a sci-fi horror movie than an action flick. Think of a slasher movie where the villain is a time-traveling robot. The movie deals with conceptual elements that could frighten viewers, including fate, while in other films, fate is shown to be something that one must conquer. It is treated as a necessity. In the original film, it is a terrifying concept, a kind of fatalistic and inescapable determinism hunting each person down (not quite unlike the Terminator itself).
Sarah Connor lives a normal, maybe even dull life. In the blink of an eye, she is thrust into a deadly battle and must deal with the fact that not only will she have a son, but he is to lead the humans in a future war. Sarah must run not only from the titular Terminator but also from her own fate. This was never dealt with since the first movie, at least not in this way. The movie ends not on a cliffhanger, but with the somber tone that fate is coming, whether one likes it or not, and there is nothing to be done. While the film does hint at things to come with an open ending of sorts, it technically didn’t need a sequel. It did receive one, however, and things were never quite the same.
Plenty has been said about Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and for good reason. The movie is an action spectacle that grabs the audience and refuses to let go until the very end. The terrifying idea of fate comes to a head, and with it comes an even deadlier Terminator. This film has little to no horror in it, and instead focuses on the breathtaking action. This film laid the groundwork for the rest of the series which, in fact, is where the franchise’s first problems lie.
Unlike the first movie, T2 has a closed ending. In fact, it is known as one of the best movie endings of all time. The sacrifice shown in this movie has rarely been topped. Perfection is the only real word to describe this film’s climax, and yet sequels soon followed. The first glaring issue is the fact that the franchise technically ended with the second movie, and yet there are six entries. These movies deal with time travel primarily, meaning no end is truly definitive. While this may be the case, many fans’ complaints come from a simple thing that follows each movie.
More Of The Same
Looking at the basic plot of each film save for the fourth, one may notice they are the same movie. The second one added in the twist of a good Terminator, but the other ones did essentially the same thing. Taking a look at the reviews for these sequels, it is clear audiences grew tired of the same thing happening over and over. The fourth movie hung it up by being set in the future after the films’ evil corporation Skynet took over. Even the fifth film’s marketing had the triumphant return of Arnold going for it.
However, this still doesn’t hold the audience’s interest enough because, again, the series already had a definitive ending. Fans don’t cheer as much when a new entry is released because, in all probability, they have already seen it. There are only so many times audiences can see a member of the Connor family being hunted by a time-traveling machine before they become exhausted. Terminator remains a well-known name when it comes to top franchises, so there is still a chance to come back. But how?
The series tried to tackle new territory with Terminator Salvation, but it didn’t reach the heights filmmakers had hoped for. Critics felt it was a generic action movie with some unique ideas. The film’s main character was the fabled John Connor, now an adult and fulfilling his destiny. And this is where the core issue could very well be. Every movie, right from the beginning, had a Connor at the core of the story. Maybe the way to save the series is by moving away from the Connors.
What Next?
It is time to accept that everything that can be done with the Connor family has been done. They have been shown as heroes, and villains, and have even died onscreen. The franchise still has some fight left in it, and moving away from the family is the best option. A story could involve a Terminator being sent back in time just to cause destruction, or perhaps target another member of the Resistance that has no connection to John; a Terminator film could even focus heavily on Skynet itself, telling a story within the corporation.
Or perhaps another film that takes place in the future could work. A straight-up war film featuring a team of soldiers at the center could be the breath of fresh air the series needs, with no John or even Arnold in sight; on his own, Arnold Schwarzenegger can’t save the franchise, as proven by the failed Terminator films banking on his name for their success, and moving away from him might be smart. Another element that could be added is the horror angle. We live in an era of excessive horror legacy sequels, so making a sequel of sorts to the original film’s horror elements would be smart.
Each film in the franchise might have something to enjoy, but as a whole, the franchise is a mess. All it takes is one original movie to set things back on track. Terminator was once one of the biggest names in cinema. Now, it is known as a relic of the past. Perhaps, this is the best way to save the franchise — leave it in the past. Big-name franchises rarely permanently disappear, thanks to money, and fans of the series don’t want to live in a world where no new entries will be made. But maybe, like Michael Myers in Halloween Ends, it is time for the franchise to rest.
Regardless of what happens next, the series has left a legacy that few others can. One can say whatever they want about the movies themselves, but nobody can deny the incredible magnitude of the series as a whole. There are loyal Terminator fans all over, and as long as they are around the series will never truly die.
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2022-05-24 21:58:00