It may have gotten a mixed reception, but Terminator Zero decidedly is the best Terminator project since the franchise's defining installments, due to it finally moving away from the classic but overdone storylines that were bringing it down. James Cameron's sci-fi, action, and horror series started with The Terminator, depicting an indestructible machine from the future hunting the mother of the unborn rebel leader. The first sequel follows a relatively similar premise, and both movies succeed in rendering brilliant action, resonant characters, and toying with questions of destiny and responsibility.

To this day, The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day remain enshrined as the two Terminator timeline became even more disastrous with different filmmakers attempting to layer additional storylines about the Connors on top of each other. In this way, Terminator Zero stood out from the rest, with a fresh new cast and storyline that took on Terminator's core themes from a modern perspective.

Terminator Zero Moved On From Sarah, John, & The T-800

The Terminator Anime Finally Accepted That The Classic Characters' Stories Were Over

Terminator Zero is the highest-rated Terminator project since T2; it is also the first title in the franchise to not feature of the Connor family or Arnold Schwarzenegger's classic T-800 as one or more of the main characters. Since Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) helped Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) survive the first T-800, the series has looked at the saga of Sarah and her son John from every possible angle, with the original Terminator model appearing in different capacities. Terminator Zero completely moves away from this, taking the story to Tokyo, just before Judgment Day is about to happen.

In the context of a society that is very different from the one wherein the original Terminator movie was produced, in which AI is far more advanced and humanity is grappling with its advantages and potential pitfalls, Terminator Zero tells the poignant story of a single father of three trying to create an AI that can defeat Skynet and prevent Judgment Day, thus saving his family and all of humanity. In addition to the simple relief of this being a new story, Malcolm Lee (Yûya Uchida/André Holland), his children, and their protectors are well-written characters, facing what are realistic challenges of this scenario.

Terminator Not Letting Go Of The Classic Characters Has Been Its Downfall

Terminator Thinks Sarah, John, & The T-800 Are The Only Way For It To Succeed

Sarah, John, and the T-800 are iconic and deeply beloved characters, but largely within the isolation of the first two movies. However, later movies outgrew the original characterizations, which made these figures popular, as different actors stepped into the roles. Emilia Clarke became Sarah in Terminator Genisys, while several actors have played John Connor at different ages. Piling on top of some evident problems with their newer iterations, Terminator wore out Sarah and John, something that would always have been a risk, even if this weren't a story centered on time travel.

The entirety of these movies can't stand on a few valuable moments of exploring the characters' psyches.

John's narrative had a forgone conclusion from the beginning: to defeat Skynet. There are only so many ways for him to get there. However, the movies from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines to Genisys range from trying not to break the canon with a movie that is ultimately redundant or completely disregarding it, and alienating and confusing viewers even more. They looked for whatever spaces they could find in the Connor timeline for new adventures, which simply didn't exist when John had one mission from Judgment Day to the fall of Skynet.

T3 through Genisys are dull at best, cringe-y at worst movies outside the bigger context of the franchise, but they are inextricably linked to what was once a groundbreaking depiction of time travel and their fumbled attempts to do more with the concept. There are some interesting moments of character growth woven in — such as John (Christian Bale's version) meeting a teenage Kyle (Anton Yelchin). However, the entirety of these movies can't stand on a few valuable moments of exploring the characters' psyches; they would have been much more effective as shorts, à la The Animatrix.

Terminator Zero Proves Terminator 7 Can Be A Fresh Start For The Franchise

Terminator 7 Could Also Travel To A New Place & Meet New People In The Terminator World

With the release of Terminator Zero, plans for Terminator Zero season 2. The continuation of both veins of the franchise is not necessarily mutually exclusive. However, Terminator Zero, as well as Terminator: Dark Fate, shows that the best way forward is for Terminator to at long last let go of the Connors and their particular Terminator. This is also shaping up to be a fact of the matter, as Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger will not be returning to their iconic roles.

Things have only been getting worse for Terminator as they try to find a new story to tell about Sarah, John, or the T-800. The world itself is expansive, with Terminator Zero reminding audiences that previous movies hadn't really explored the setting outside the Americas in the wake of Judgment Day. There are other stories to tell within the Terminator universe, and Terminator Zero proved that the next movie could find success by picking up a never-before-seen character and adding depth to the overall saga by showcasing an entirely separate exploration of humanity.

Terminator 7 Can Learn A Lot Of Other Lessons From Terminator Zero

Terminator 7 Can Take More Nuanced Approach To AI, Introduce Great Characters, & Push Visuals

Somewhat miraculously, Terminator Zero accomplishes what the movies had been trying to do for so long which had begun to seem impossible: building upon Terminator's existing discourse about technology and time travel with new scenarios and philosophies. It frees itself from the paradoxes of the movies by simply saying there can be multiple timelines and many time travelers, almost referencing Everything Everywhere All at Once's message of them all mattering to justify its plot. It's not a perfect solution, but it makes it clear what it is treating as the rules of this world in order to tell this new story.

Terminator Zero really digs its claws into this with the of what it really takes for a machine to come to understand love.

Terminator has long posited that there can be good machines, largely through the intervention of humans in how they are programmed. However, Terminator Zero really digs its claws into this with an of what it really takes for a machine to come to understand love, with the results being at least one truly comionate, protective character. Moreover, each character feels like they have their own dilemmas about the situation they are in, despite having the same end goal of survival for themselves and their loved ones.

The change in medium is also a reminder to the Terminator producers that they need to explore new avenues to keep the visuals fresh. Terminator Zero truly reaps the benefits of its animation, with sweeping action that certainly wouldn't look better if it were rendered in CGI. The story also doesn't rely on a "new and improved" Terminator showing up, with it mostly being on paper that it is harder to defeat than the last one. Terminator Zero is a rare accomplishment for a franchise that has gone off the rails but shows Terminator 7 where its strengths may lie.