IfThe Terminatorseries wants to fully return to its roots, then it has to shed a bad habit many of the sequels fell prey to.The originalTerminatormoviewas a scrappy low-budget action movie, where director James Cameron took the formula for a slasher movie and turbocharged it. Starting with Cameron’s own 1991 sequelJudgment Day, the saga got progressively glossier and more user-friendly, with the menacing grit of the original getting watered down with each passing entry.
TheTerminatorfranchise has suffered through three failed reboots, with even series icon Arnold Schwarzenegger swearing off any future return. While Cameron has teaseda potentialTerminator 7where AI would be the main threat, it feels like audiences have burnt out on the property. The next film will need to do something radically different and inventive to succeed - and it feels like shedding the excess and bloat that comes with a big budget is the first step.
Why Terminator 7 Is Happening: James Cameron’s Surprise New Script Explained
Despite a string of highly-criticized sequels, the Terminator franchise originated by James Cameron refuses to fade out of American cinema.
Terminator 7 Must Go Back To The Franchise’s Low-Budget Roots
It worked well for a little film called The Terminator
A franchise rarely gets fresher or more exciting than its first installment, and that’s certainly true for Cameron’s sci-fi saga.The Terminatoris bursting with ideas and invention, and while the special effects (or fashion styles) may look dated now, it’s still one of Cameron’s best movies. The most recent outings have relied on spectacle to lure audiences in, butwhatTerminator 7must do is embrace its origins and become a modestly budgeted slasher again.
1984
100%
1991
91%
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
2003
70%
2008-2009
85%
2009
33%
2015
26%
2019
2024
92%
The last few entries tried to compensate for their lackluster screenplays with gimmicks and action, butTerminator: Dark Fate’stepid critical and commercial performance proved viewers were no longer buying in. The next film needs to shed the gloss and reconnect to the same basic fears of technology and the unknown that the original did.The Terminatoris a film blessed with a simple, propulsive hook, but with plenty of subtext and deeper themes laid on topat the same time.,
The Terminator has gotten so far away from its roots that it’s hard to believe the original and something like 2015’s vapid Genisys are part of the same story.
There was also a sense of horror the other films never quite managed - even thoughTerminator 2’sT-1000 (Robert Patrick) is also pure nightmare fuel. The series has gotten so far away from its roots that it’s hard to believe the original and something like 2015’s vapidGenisysare part of the same story. The next installment needs to be a hard reset; one that sheds most of the preexisting mythology and characters, while swapping explosions for substance.
The Terminator Is A Reminder That The Franchise Doesn’t Need Expensive Blockbusters
The Terminator is proof that a little can go a long way
Cameron learned his craft working for legendary low-budget producer Roger Corman, and made a name for himself making B-movies likeBattle Beyond the Starslook way more expensive than they were. That’s why Cameron and producer Gale Anne Hurd were able to makeThe Terminatorlook like it cost at least two or three times more than its $6 million production budget.Despite being significantly cheaper to make than outings likeSalvationorDark Fate,The Terminator’ssetpieces are still far more effectivein their execution.
It would be downright bizarre for the next entry to have no action whatsoever, but after a straight run of bad sequels, it’s time to admit that a big budget has become more of a burden than a benefit. The 1984 film put as much focus on character as it did the action, which only made the latter bite harder when it arrived. In contrast,the last fewTerminatorshave favored action in place of plot to cover for their lack of new ideas.
Sting was James Cameron’s first choice for Kyle Reese inThe Terminatorbut the musician swiftly passed on the offer, even sneeringly mocking Cameron’s first filmPirahna 2during their meeting.
Terminator 2 Proves That Budget Isn’t Really The Problem For Terminator
What does The Terminator have to say about the world now?
Fans ofThe Terminatorhave been calling for a return to its modest roots for years now - yet each new chapter gets pricier and pricier. Hopefully, the response toDark Fatewill result in some meaningful changes, but that remains to be seen. For all this talk of how the series has been spoiled by large budgets, that ignores the fact thatTerminator 2was a complete success.
The Terminator’spredictions about AI and future warfare have come eerily true in many ways, but there have been many other movies and shows that since expanded on those same themes.
It was one of the most expensive movies ever made at the time and was fronted by Hollywood’s biggest star.For all its incredible SFX and setpieces,Judgment Daystill had a lot to say about the worldand the future of technology. In short, this shows it was more of a script problem than a budget one that hurt the later sequels.The Terminator’spredictions about AI and future warfare have come eerily true in many ways, but there have been many other movies and shows that since expanded on those same themes.
Terminator 7needs to figure out what the saga has to say about the state of humanity and technologynow. It doesn’t even necessarily need to be a chase story like the other films, but it must have something new to say. That appears to be part of the delay with the next entry, though Netflix’sTerminator Zeroanime - which Cameron had no hand in creatively - proved there were still some fresh areas to uncover within the property. Hopefully,Terminator 7can do the same.
The Terminator
Cast
The Terminator, directed by James Cameron and released in 1984, features a cyborg assassin sent back in time to eliminate Sarah Connor, the mother of a future resistance leader. As the relentless machine pursues its mission, a human warrior is sent to protect her and secure humanity’s survival.
