The Terminator's greatest hits
Ahead of Terminator Genisys’ attempt to reinvigorate the film franchise, here’s a look back at some of the best parts of this well-oiled cinematic machine.
You know a movie is considered a classic when even after 30 years, there’s still much interest among fans and moviegoers alike.
The Terminator was a groundbreaking event when it opened in 1984.
Not only did the sci-fi thriller kickstart the whole man vs machine theme, it also established the careers of director James Cameron and star Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Opening here June 25, the fifth instalment of the film franchise sees Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising his role as the T-800, the cyborg companion of Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke).
His mission is to protect her from the evil machines sent from the future to kill her - and thus terminate the existence of John Connor, the future human resistance leader who fight against Skynet, a defence network of machines that took control of the world following a nuclear war the machines initiated.
The future John also sends Reese back in time to protect Sarah, but the time travelling goes haywire and John becomes a cyborg himself.
Ahead of Terminator Genisys’ attempt to reinvigorate the film franchise, here’s a look back at some of the best parts of this well-oiled cinematic machine...
THE MAN HIMSELF
Arnie is synonymous with the Terminator movies.
Before being immortalised as the T-800, the former bodybuilder experienced some success with Conan The Barbarian (1982) but it was playing the robot assassin in 1984’s The Terminator that made him a global star.
The T-800 may have been the villain in the first movie, but he turned into the hero in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and beyond.
The 1991 sequel saw is character displaying more human qualities and picking up slang from a teenage John Connor (Edward Furlong).
Remember “Hasta la vista, baby”?
With the exception of 2009’s Terminator Salvation, which Schwarzenegger didn’t star in and didn’t like because “it sucked”, he’s undeniably the face of the franchise, and “I’ll be back” has become his signature line.
WOMAN WARRIOR
Sarah Connor is as iconic as the T-800, all thanks to Linda Hamilton’s unforgettable portrayal in the first two movies.
Transforming from a scared, vulnerable damsel in distress to a gun-toting, buffed-up soldier-in-waiting, she made Connor one of the most brilliant and important feminist heroines in sci-fi and action cinema.
It’ll be really hard for Game Of Thrones’ petite Emilia Clarke to fill Hamilton’s massive shoes.
GOOD TO BE BAD
The T-800 has nothing on Judgment Day’s menacing, shapeshifting newer model T-1000 (Robert Patrick), made of liquid metal that allows it to morph into anything and anyone it touches.
Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003) introduced the T-X, a leather-clad leggy blonde (Kristanna Loken) who also happens to be a lethal killing machine that severely overpowers our dear, outdated T-800.
The T-1000 is back in Genisys, with Korean actor Lee Byung Hun taking over the role from Patrick.
While he’s still a fearsome machine, the biggest threat in Genisys is none other than John Connor (Jason Clarke) himself, who has transformed into a nanotechnological human-cyborg hybrid, the T-3000.
HEARTWARE
While it’s a guns-blazing, hardcore action flick, the Terminator films possess an emotional core.
We sympathised with Sarah Connor’s plight when she was relentlessly pursued by the vicious T-800 in The Terminator, found out about her destiny and became a fugitive.
For all her woes, she also shared a touching albeit brief romance with Resistance soldier from the future Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn).
“I came across time for you Sarah. I love you, I always have” were his memorable words.
What about the emotional farewell at the end of Judgment Day?
And who didn’t feel that lump in the throat when the T-800 developed a strong father-son bond with a young John Connor in Judgment Day, a recurring theme in Genisys, with the T-800 becoming Sarah’s surrogate dad.
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