‘Terminator Zero’ Episode One Review
It’s been a while since we’ve had a new entry in the Terminator franchise, and the latest inclusion is a bit different. ‘Terminator: Zero’ is an eight-episode anime released on Netflix, and it takes a new look at the franchise.
The first episode opens in 2022, where Eiko, a young resistance fighter, is battling against a Terminator that’s killed most of her comrades. Fortunately, she manages to survive and returns to her base with some important intelligence that proves SKynet is planning to travel back in time, though for what reason is unclear.
There are two concurrent storylines running through the show, the first in 2022, the second in 1997, where Malcolm Lee, a computer scientist, is working on a powerful artificial intelligence named Kokoro. He’s been having visions of a future where Skynet has taken over the world’s computer systems, triggering a nuclear holocaust, and waging war against the surviving humans with Terminators.
The Terminator franchise is one of those IPs that has suffered quite a bit during its forty-year lifetime, with a constant stream of low-quality entries. The first two movies are legendary pieces, but all subsequent entries have just rearranged the furniture here and there, often for the worst, reusing the same characters and events without bringing anything new to the table, and helping to destroy the franchise’s legacy while they’re at it. It’s not clear from the first episode exactly what effect ‘Terminator Zero’ will have here. It doesn’t look like it’s going to take the franchise to a whole new level. There are a lot of familiar set pieces, but it’s not working with anything that’s already established. All its characters are original, and there’s not even a mention of the likes of Sarah Connor, Kyle Reese, or John Connor. So far, though, it hasn’t done anything remarkable to set itself apart from previous works.
One place where it does excel is in the visuals. The dark, noir feel of the first ‘Terminaotr’ movie is on full display here, and it’s a franchise that fits perfectly into the anime genre, with plenty of over-stylized action that looks great, and a huge amount of gore, more than any of the live-action films.
It also plays with several themes and imagery that makes it stand out. There are some great shots, and it has a striking color palette that gives it a distinct look and feel, with constant use of red lighting to mirror the Terminator’s red-eye vision. There’s also a lot of talk about humanity’s over-reliance on technology, even though it’s set in 1997, with robots being used to perform mundane everyday tasks, though they are cold and impersonal, and prone to frequent faults.
All of this makes it an entertaining show, with a good story, a few good hooks to make you want to keep watching, and plenty of big questions needing answers. The only real challenge it has ahead of it is proving itself worthy of inclusion in such a well-regarded property. The next seven episodes will be the proof.