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Welcome to the Dark Future

The future is uncertain and AI as a looming threat doesn’t seem so far-fetched these days, making it the perfect time for a new killer robots story. The live-action movies in the series haven’t been everyone’s cup of tea lately, so why not do it as an anime, set the story in Japan, and let the Connors rest for a while? This is the story of Terminator Zero, a new tale that embraces the past but has created something new, a slightly altered destiny for the franchise. The tone is still terribly bleak, but everything else seems positive. 

The show was originally titled Terminator: The Anime Series, which was much more straightforward as a title and offered a good idea of what to expect, but that’s also less catchy, perhaps. Hopefully, the title change won’t sway anyone, as this seems like required viewing for fans of the franchise, especially those who have been asking for something familiar but new as well (viewers can be contradictory sometimes, and hard to please). Showrunner and writer Mattson Tomlin made a point to note that Zero acknowledges the films, all of them, and attempts to keep them canon, but their own rules may complicate that somewhat. It’s clear the developers of this show appreciate the source material, even down to releasing the program on August 29th, Judgment Day. Much to Netflix’s dismay, all eight episodes made their way onto the internet over two weeks ahead of time in a leak that I’m totally blaming on Skynet. 

What Makes you Believe Humanity is Worth Saving

Along with the fresh setting we are given new characters that may seem annoying at first – what can I say, I’m not a fan of kids – and a few timelines to jump between. A war rages in 2022, and things never look good for the human resistance. Once again a T-800 unit (Timothy Olyphant) is sent back in time to take out a high-value target, and a soldier named Eiko (Sonoya Mizuno) is given the almost impossible task of stopping this killer robot. But in the past, the brilliant Malcolm Lee (André Holland) has trouble being a father because his dreams keep reminding him of impending doom – Judgment Day. He attempts to build an AI that can combat Skynet, a final gamble known as Kokoro (Rosario Dawson), an advanced synthetic intelligence with free will and her own thoughts on humanity’s worth. The kids also have their roles to play, and they aren’t completely helpless, but the deck is stacked against the family and the human species. 

I like the writing for this show, but I’m worried the slow pacing may sour some people on it. We jump between timelines just enough for it to be distracting and there are several exposition dumps and conversations between two characters discussing philosophy or temporal rules that come across as intricate dances rather than natural discussions. The tones and themes are handled well, with everything being depressing and unnecessarily violent. Their friends aren’t just being killed, but mercilessly exterminated, I wouldn’t blame them for all just giving up. 

Tomlin wanted to call back to the horror elements of the first film, not just bringing back the T-800 as the main antagonist, but making sure it seemed exceptionally cold, efficient, and unstoppable. At times, this death machine comes off as flat-out mental, with some of its expressions and voice. Olyphant doesn’t speak much in the eight episodes, but his voice has a vicious sing-song quality when it happens. I wasn’t sure about choosing him at first, but something about the draw and definitive nature of his speech added to the creepiness. 

Comply or Die 

The voice actors do excellent work here, with Olyphant and Dawson both nailing their calculated yet savage personas, but it’s Holland’s performance stands out above the others, having room to show off his emotion and range. The dialog felt awkward at times, reaching to fit certain things in, along with almost unnecessary cursing. These parts that feel less natural are most likely explained by the fact that the show defaults to Japanese with English subtitles. Tomlin’s scripts were written in English before being re-done in Japanese for the animators, then translated once again back to English for the voice actors to better fit the finished product, creating an extra complication. This also meant that a couple of the more iconic lines like, “I’ll be back,” appear in the subtitles, but not directly in the dubbed version. Many of the scenes are backed up by a solid score as well. 

The animation is exceptional with striking lines, dark shading that isn’t overpowering, and these bold accents that are extra thick when they highlight the characters. The backgrounds use a large amount of reds and blues that don’t always align with which characters are on screen, but it’s like signaling whose scene it is or adding extra to the tone. We get to see through the robot’s eyes again, which is always a pleasure, but I wish the text from the Terminator’s scans were a little easier to read, some of it is important to the plot. There are a few excellent perspective shots and angles that add to the action, small moments like the quick transition in the intro or when the Terminator’s head is on fire caught my attention enough to want to see these parts again. The use of motion mixed with the CGI elements translated well, especially when the characters changed states, melting, exploding, or violently shifting out of a dream. 

There is a good bit of action in the show, and although some may not seem realistic, it’s incredibly entertaining. Many have mentioned that the Japanese setting means that there are fewer guns at first, but it makes for some creative moments and improvised weaponry, keeping things intriguing until the shit truly hits the fan. I was pleased to see they managed to fit in another police station massacre that pays homage to the first film. 

Your Future is in Its Hands

I’ll be the first to say that I was hoping for something a little different, maybe a story that takes place completely in the future, during the war, and spares the time travel or uses it in a new and interesting way, but I’m glad that Zero has managed to do its own thing, make a tale that shows how important what these characters are doing is, but when they explain their rules for time travel it takes a little bit of that away. 

Even if these scientific principles may sound more accurate than the series had tried to be in the past, either they are ignoring these notions toward the end or we are supposed to assume that none of this matters except to the people going through time. The way Zero says it, in every instance someone jumps into the past they are creating a new different timeline and there is only a small window in which someone can follow into that specific reality, from then on, whatever changes occur creates something new, but it also seems that nothing is stopping others from just going back in time and trying again, meaning that this war most likely will never end–which adds to that bleak future we keep mentioning. The show essentially says we’re just trading out realities, maybe until humanity finds one that doesn’t suck too much. Some Terminator properties insist that Judgment Day is inevitable in one way or another, so this convoluted ending makes me wonder why they’re even bothering to move forward. This show really makes me sound like I’m just giving up on this whole future thing. 

I enjoyed Terminator Zero, even if the ending left me uncertain. It felt like a series that needed more episodes before I could truly judge it. That works, because Tomlin has ideas for a bunch more, but this is Netflix we are talking about, so I’m not holding my breath on a renewal. I think it managed to be creative and do something somewhat new, while still staying in the old playground for fans who aren’t that into change, but I’m hoping what comes next is even braver, bolder, and ready to embrace a new world post-Jugment Day. This has also convinced me to make myself finish The Sarah Connor Chronicles, so come with me if you want to see more good killer robot stuff. 

Disclaimer: I watched the entire season on Netflix, which I pay for myself.

8Bit/Digi is an independent news outlet that provides insight into the video game and fandom community of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Terminator Zero (Season 1)

7

Good

7.0/10

Pros

• Excellent animation and presentation.
• Small horror elements that work against the depressing future.
• A somewhat new story with familiar beats.
• Wonderful voice acting and sound design.

Cons

• Some odd time travel rules that may not fit neatly.
• A few predictable swerves in the story.