You can take your pick of how to gush over James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day. One can either recognize it as one of the best ‘90s movies ever, an iconic entry in the sci-fi movie canon or even as one of the best action movies of all time. That’s a pretty lofty position to be in, and part of that is because there are scenes both iconic and terrifying that are still burned into our minds. Now, it looks like the new Netflix anime series, Terminator Zero, is looking to make one of Cameron's biggest T2 moments even more horrific. And believe it or not, I’m strangely super pumped about this entry to the 2024 TV schedule.
The Terminator 2 Scene That Terminator Zero Has Made Even More Horrifying
As Netflix has released a new trailer for the Mattson Tomlin-written series, which will debut on the platform on Terminator Zero's release date of August 29th. So it’s only fitting that on the date earmarked for Judgment Day itself in the timeline of the Terminator movies, we’re going to see a new version of Sarah Connor’s Judgement Day nightmare. For reference, here’s the original sequence from T2:
For a young kid getting an early taste of the apocalypse, that’s possibly the longest two minutes and change ever. And it’s a moment that’s still one of the defining points of what makes a good Terminator movie work.
It's frightening scene get a sort of remake through an apocalyptic vision, this time through the eyes of young computer programmer Malcom Lee (André Holland). That's because of that good old fashioned anime approach. Also, experiencing Malcolm's bespoke hell in his nightmares is already more intense as his two children are standing there with him when it happens. The stakes are much higher with that personal connection in mind, which is why seeing his body slowly disintegrated by a nuclear blast is even more horrific. Of course, the severely gory animation that’s used to get the point across also makes the difference.
Seriously, whomever decided to give us that prolonged close-up of Mr. Lee's eyes, which are the only organic matter left on his person, deserves a raise. Yet I also despise them for all the right reasons, especially when this new spin on an old classic has me even more excited to see what Zero has up its sleeve.
Why This Moment Has Me Oddly Super Pumped About Terminator Zero
So why does the end of humanity, a really gory death and harm to children have me pumped about Terminator Zero? Well, before you get any of the wrong ideas, it’s not merely because those events are happening. Rather, it’s because those are specifically elements that I feel the storied franchise has been missing for quite some time.
As someone who likes half of the cinematic sequels that were made, I can attest to the fact that the danger that once felt ever present in the series has been lacking. Maintaining a harder edge to the story, as well as a '90s-set plot, definitely allows one to hone in on all the classic Terminator vibes fans like myself have been wanting to get back to.
Transferring this saga into the visually striking medium of animation also helps goose up the tension, as we’ve now seen Zero do things to the human body that even CGI may have problems depicting. With a potentially uber brutal playground at work, and the concept of creating another AI to combat Skynet's prophesied war on humanity, it's truly uncharted territory for this landmark sci-fi saga.
It's been known that Terminator Zero is going to get bloody, but all of the unknown variables are what make this chapter so exciting. As is the case with that darkened highway at the end of T2, we truly don't know what's waiting in the darkness. Friend or foe, I'm more than ready to see what's in store, and as soon as humanly possible.
Terminator Zero is going to be both a dream and a nightmare to eager Netflix subscription holders upon its debut. All episodes will be available for streaming on August 29th, a date all of you die hard fans already have engrained in your minds. Meanwhile, you can revisit Judgement Day through various streaming platforms, including Pluto TV, Peacock, and Paramount+, at the time of this publication.
