So, with that in mind, I want to return to the topic of Terminator, and also to horror and action flicks (and shows) in general. Anybody who knows me probably knows that I absolutely love the new TV show, especially the new season. It got to a bit of a rocky start, but the portrayal of the characters is totally dead-on.
What I really love about the show is that it isn't an action show. Sure, there are robots beating each other up, but that's not what it's about. It's about people who are launched from their orderly universe into something completely unexpected, terrifying, and dangerous. And it's actually realistic about the consequences. Let's face it: running from killer robots is going to give you PTSD, or at least serious social disorders. However, it's not whiny, it's about people dealing with it and moving on. And the ones that don't usually last long. It doesn't hurt that it's got Summer Glau and Shirley Manson. Seriously, that's a catfight I can't WAIT to see.
In fact, this show has gotten me thinking about horror and action movies in general. They actually have very similar premises: people are thrown into extraordinary and dangerous situations. For the most part, the actual details don't matter much: what matters is how each character responds. This is how franchises like Terminator and Alien can be so successful: they can, at turns, be horror or action, or both. What matters is the reaction to the terrifying other: fear and resignation, or anger and determination. In most horror movies, there is a specific turning point where the protagonist switches between these two viewpoints, and that is the point where the plot becomes one of action. One may even say that the only true horror movies are ones where nobody survives aside from by blind luck or the capriciousness of the villain. The only specific example I can think of right now is The Strangers, in which (spoiler alert) both of the protagonists die. There was actually one specific instant where I saw each of their reactions to the situation and decided that they were doomed. Oddly enough, this resignation on my part completely removed my fear and the film almost became pornographic in nature because all I saw was the promise and carrying out of violence.
Well, I got kind of sidetracked there. Anyway, I love Terminator. As I mentioned before, I think it's pretty awesome that the franchise can have such range. The first movie was pure horror, the second was a feel-good action movie with a dark undertone, and the third was a pure campy romp. The TV show embraces the action, and to some extent the camp, but its focus is really the psychological impact of the situation and the relationship between all of the characters. I'm actually really nervous about the new movie because it doesn't take place in a contemporary world: it's after the machine apocalypse. The strength of the story is the fact that the vast majority of the world is completely oblivious of the threat, that the Connors have to run for their lives in a world that simply sees them as crazy, that nobody can help them because they have no idea of the scope of the threat. If they play their cards right, it could be an amazing movie, but I just have no idea how it'll end up. If they follow the path of the third movie, I'm afraid that it's going to be a flop, but if they concentrate on the human aspect instead of the action, I think that it could be an excellent continuation of the Terminator story.
hmm, maybe I should be working on my essay...
1 comment:
I completely agree with your assessment of all things Terminator (and related movies). In fact, I really noticed that this season started improving after that one episode when they went to family therapy. It was nice to have the fact that they've been through some horrific experiences actually acknowledged. It's only gone up from there.
In fact, I think this is one of the reasons that genre TV gets such rabid fans. The more people can relate to the characters, the more hardcore the fanbase will be, especially because of the crazy story arcs and plotlines. If you can manage to keep people relating even when most of the characters are, like, aliens in space, you know you have a hit. I mean, I know it works with me.
And the Terminator series (what I've seen at least--the first two movies and TV show) is a real hit. While I'm not sure where the next movie will fit in the timeline, I am somehow hopeful that it will be like T2. Don't ask me why exactly. It just looks like it might be good.
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