Netflix Revives Terminator Franchise with New Anime Series "Terminator: Zero"

Netflix's Terminator Zero Anime Is A Welcome Departure From The Franchise's Uninspired Sameness

Like the Alien franchise, the Terminator series has been stuck in a rut since its early days, with its subsequent projects failing to recapture the greatness of its first two films. While Netflix's original anime spin-off, Terminator Zero, doesn't entirely shake the uncanny sameness of its predecessors, it boldly returns to the series long-lost core theme: "No fate but what we make." At first, it seems like Terminator Zero, written by The Batman co-writer Mattson Tomill and animated by Ghost in the Shell studio Production I.G., retreads the same narrative beats of every film from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines to Terminator: Dark Fate: killer robots are going back in time to snuff out humanity. And intially at least, it seems that Terminator Zero is treading that teritory as well, with its time-jumping hero Eiko (played by House of the Dragon's Sonoya Mizuno) tasked with protecting a scientist and his children from a Terminator hellbent on stopping a rival AI program from thwarting Skynet. To make matters worse, she has 24 hours to save them all from Timothy Olyphant's terrifying Terminator before Skynet goes online and kickstarts a nuclear holocaust. But while Terminator Zero's eight episodes are filled with the typical gory killing sprees and callback catchphrases the series is known for, the anime offers a shocking revelation in its sixth episode: all this time traveling isn't changing the existing futures, it's creating separate timelines. Instead of using this twist to deter its hero on the futility of her mission, Terminator Zero weaponizes this revelation to light a fire under Eiko, just like the one that drove Sarah Connor in Terminator 2. In the original Terminator, time-traveling hero Kyle Reese brings Sarah a message from her son John, the leader of humanity's resistance in his grim future, which includes the phrase, "The future is not set." From there, the idea that there is "no fate but what we make" became a refrain in the Terminator films, and though Eiko has learned that she can't change fate for the people she knows because her actions can only create a new branch in time, rather than alter an existing one, she nonetheless decides that a new present and a completely different future are something worth fighting for. Mix that in with some existential debates between an AI and its creator about whether or not humanity is a disease that should be purged, and a Terminator with a retrofitted crossbow attachment to circumvent Japanese gun laws, and you've got a pretty smart anime on your hands. Speaking with IGN, Tomill recounted how he navigated developing a story for a world that already has its own -- albeit uneven -- canon while putting his own emotional spin on its storytelling. "I don't recommend you do what I did, [but] if you get on Reddit for four seconds, you very quickly go, 'Okay, there's a lot of things [fans] don't want. And then there's a lot of things that they do, and then there's kind of this in-between area,'" Tomill said. "And so for me, it's going on a journey of [asking], 'Why does this need to exist in 2024? What is it that I have to say that is real, that is emotional?' He continues: "For me, once I find something emotional and something where [I go], 'Oh, I can use this as the vessel to tell an emotional story that really means something to me,' then it's just a matter of going, 'Okay, what do people expect?' Well, they expect Terminators. I think that they expect a level of time travel. They expect, whether or not they would articulate it this way, a story about families. The first movie is a love story between a man and a woman, and the second one is a mother-son story. And so I think it's about sticking to those tenets and then going, 'Okay, now I've got to just try not to make everybody mad.'" While your mileage may vary with the Netflix anime's surface-level moral quandaries, Terminator Zero boasts the best writing the troubled franchise has had in the last 30 years. Hopefully the series will steer clear of leaning on the crutch of Arnold Swarzenegger's T-800 and Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor, should it get the green light for a second season.

'Terminator Zero' Reinvigorates a Weary Franchise

The Netflix anime series channels familiar themes without feeling like a retread. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" was a megahit in 1991, and every installment of the franchise since has been at least a little disappointing. Until now: The Netflix anime series "Terminator Zero" is a smart take on the lore, channeling familiar themes without feeling like a retread. Developed by Mattson Tomlin, "Terminator Zero," does not focus on Sarah and her son, John Connor, the protagonists of James Cameron's first two movies and many of the follow-ups. (The short lived Fox show "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was actually pretty fun.) Instead, "Terminator Zero" takes place in Japan and centers on a scientist named Malcolm Lee, voiced in the English dub by André Holland, who gives the character the requisite gravitas for his philosophizing. It is 1997, which "Terminator" fans will recognize as a significant year: That's when the so-called "Judgment Day" takes place and the artificial intelligence known as Skynet turns on humanity and launches a nuclear attack. Malcolm knows this is coming and has built a competing A.I. he calls Kokoro, voiced by Rosario Dawson. At the same time, Malcolm's three children and their nanny (Sumalee Montano) are being pursued by two visitors from the future: A Terminator (Timothy Olyphant) -- this one comes with a crossbow arm -- and a resistance fighter (Sonoya Mizuno). Their true target is Malcolm, because of the impact he might have on potential futures. Directed by Masashi Kudō, there is a haunting beauty to "Terminator Zero," particularly when Malcolm consults with Kokoro in his lab. As the A.I. debates the case for humanity's survival with its tormented creator, it is personified by multiple ghostly hovering figures. The score by Michelle Birsky and Kevin Henthorn, a lighter riff on Brad Fiedel's clanging "Terminator Theme," is less abrasive but often even more chilling. Through a mixture of stunning animation, extravagantly bloody action and heady philosophical questions -- What kind of future is worth fighting for? Who is worth sacrificing for the greater good? -- "Terminator Zero" breathes new life into a franchise that has often seemed stuck in a time loop of its own.

Netflix just renewed a legendary science fiction saga with an anime that is captivating fans - Softonic

Terminator Zero is the perfect series for science fiction fans Netflix has once again surprised everyone with a new anime of sublime quality. It's called Terminator Zero, a series that has arrived to make a grand entrance and renew one of the most iconic science fiction sagas. Since its recent release, this new installment has conquered both Terminator fans and anime lovers, positioning itself as one of the best works within the Terminator universe. In fact, with a rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, Terminator Zero has been acclaimed as the second best reception of the saga since Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Created by Mattson Tomlin (The Batman II), the series takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity faces a new threat: Kokoro, an AI that is more advanced and lethal than Skynet. This installment presents a story full of action and drama, with a fresh and deep narrative that explores the origins of the war between machines and humans. The interesting thing is that, instead of focusing on the Connor family, Terminator Zero follows the story of Malcolm Lee, a key scientist in the development of Skynet. Lee, convinced that AI will wipe out humanity, decides to create his own system, Kokoro, in a desperate attempt to change the course of events. But not everything goes as expected. One of the great successes of anime has been its innovative approach to time travel. The series introduces an explanation that redefines the canon of the saga, justifying the multiple timelines as alternative branches. This approach allows for the integration of elements from all previous movies, series, comics, and video games that had been excluded from the official canon, providing coherence to the narrative inconsistencies of the franchise. The voice casting has been another of the most praised aspects, with the performances of actors like André Holland, Rosario Dawson, and Timothy Olyphant, who bring complex and nuanced characters to life. In addition to this, the animation stands out for its stunning visual style, a blend of traditional and modern techniques that manage to capture the dark and futuristic essence of Terminator. But Terminator Zero has not only managed to recover the classic elements of the franchise, but it has also dared to innovate in this regard. Fans have celebrated a change of direction that was necessary since the last movies. In addition, the series follows a trend that is becoming increasingly common of turning big franchises into anime. For now, it seems to be a sensational idea.