‘Terminator Zero’ Reinvigorates a Weary Franchise
The Netflix anime series channels familiar themes without feeling like a retread.“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” was a megahit in 1991, and every installment of the franchise since has been at least a little disappointing. Until now: The Netflix anime series “Terminator Zero” is a smart take on the lore, channeling familiar themes without feeling like a retread.Developed by Mattson Tomlin, “Terminator Zero,” does not focus on Sarah and her son, John Connor, the protagonists of James Cameron’s first two movies and many of the follow-ups. (The short lived Fox show “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” was actually pretty fun.)Instead, “Terminator Zero” takes place in Japan and centers on a scientist named Malcolm Lee, voiced in the English dub by André Holland, who gives the character the requisite gravitas for his philosophizing. It is 1997, which “Terminator” fans will recognize as a significant year: That’s when the so-called “Judgment Day” takes place and the artificial intelligence known as Skynet turns on humanity and launches a nuclear attack. Malcolm knows this is coming and has built a competing A.I. he calls Kokoro, voiced by Rosario Dawson.At the same time, Malcolm’s three children and their nanny (Sumalee Montano) are being pursued by two visitors from the future: A Terminator (Timothy Olyphant) — this one comes with a crossbow arm — and a resistance fighter (Sonoya Mizuno). Their true target is Malcolm, because of the impact he might have on potential futures.Directed by Masashi Kudō, there is a haunting beauty to “Terminator Zero,” particularly when Malcolm consults with Kokoro in his lab. As the A.I. debates the case for humanity’s survival with its tormented creator, it is personified by multiple ghostly hovering figures. The score by Michelle Birsky and Kevin Henthorn, a lighter riff on Brad Fiedel’s clanging “Terminator Theme,” is less abrasive but often even more chilling.Through a mixture of stunning animation, extravagantly bloody action and heady philosophical questions — What kind of future is worth fighting for? Who is worth sacrificing for the greater good? — “Terminator Zero” breathes new life into a franchise that has often seemed stuck in a time loop of its own. More
