AS we prepare for Terminator: Dark Fate, the latest instalment in the Terminator franchise, let’s recap the story of time-travelling cyborgs and the humans whom they must either protect or kill, and take a look at how much the story has evolved over time.
If you were among the lucky few who caught the 1984 The Terminator when it first came out in the cinemas, you would understand why it is considered to be the movie by which all other machines-have-taken-over-the-world sci-fi movies are judged.
The titular villain was a cyborg from a post-apocalyptic future where machines created by Skynet Corporation have taken over the world. The role was played by bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger, which catapulted him into super stardom.
The Terminator was sent back in time to kill college student Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) because she was destined to give birth to John Connor, the man who would become a formidable resistance leader in the future.
Sent back to protect Sarah was Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), the man who ends up becoming John’s father. This part got us scratching our heads a bit but, at least, this bizarre twist was addressed in the movie.
For its time, The Terminator had groundbreaking special effects and zingy one-liners. Schwarzengger only uttered 58 words in the movie but his thickly-accented “I’ll be back” became one of the most famous and identifiable lines in cinematic history.
While most sequels seldom live up to the first film, Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) surpassed it.
Skynet sends back a more advanced Terminator, the T-1000 (played by Robert Patrick) to finish the job of killing John, now an edgy teenager played by Edward Furlong.
Future John sends back a reprogrammed Terminator (Schwarzenegger again) to protect his younger self, and Sarah is now a buff warrior woman who will do anything to protect her child.
The special effects for the T-1000 had never been seen onscreen before, and the sight of this formidable villain being blasted to bits, turning into liquid and then being regenerated is still an awesome cinematic moment.
After these two iconic movies, people were looking forward to Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), which brought back Schwarzenegger, and followed an older John (played by Nick Stahl) as he went on the run from a new Terminator model called the T-X, played by Kristanna Loken.
Unfortunately, the story lacked the impact of the original films, and the sight of an aged Terminator confused a lot of viewers.
Considering the lacklustre Rise of the Machines, it was surprising that Terminator Salvation (2009) was made.
The film stars Christian Bale (in-between his Dark Knight films) as John but the main highlight was Anton Yelchin as Kyle, who is now a charming young resistance fighter, who befriends Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington post-Avatar).
Marcus was a death-row prison inmate who had signed away his body in the past, but now wakes up in a desolate future only to realise he is a half-man, half-cyborg.
Finally, we had the dismal Terminator Genisys (2015) which was supposed to be a reboot of the whole franchise, but delivered a twist that made fans furious.
The film saw John (Jason Clarke) sending Kyle (Jai Courtney) back in time to save his mother’s life. However, Kyle lands in an alternate timeline and is rescued by Sarah (Emilia Clarke) who was brought up by an ageing, grizzled and reprogrammed Terminator (Schwarzenegger), and the trio have to battle a new cyborg (Lee Byung-hun), and must also contend with an evil John, who is revealed to be a cyborg himself.
After three disappointing films in a row, you can understand why Terminator fatigue has set in, and fans might be wary about Dark Fate.
However, there might be a glimmer of hope for the new film, as one of its writers is Josh Friedman, the creator of The Sarah Connor Chronicles TV series, renowned as the only production that came close in terms of matching the original film’s riveting storyline.
The 2008 series starred a pre-Game of Thrones Lena Headey as Sarah, and followed her and her young son as they go on the run to escape those who wish them harm.
Helping them is a cyborg called Cameron (named in tribute to the filmmaker who started the franchise, and played by Summer Glau), and Derek Reese (Brian Austin Green), Kyle’s brother, who shows up to help. Sadly, the series only lasted two seasons.
Friedman’s script for Dark Fate is said to be a direct sequel to Judgement Day, and will essentially ignore all other films made in between – what true-blue Terminator fans have been doing for years.
Will it work? Hard to say. The first two films were products of their time, and over the years, film audiences’ tastes have changed drastically.
Perhaps, the nostalgia of seeing the original Terminator (Schwarzenegger) fighting alongside the original Sarah (Hamilton) might draw fans back to the cinema.
