Inside Look @ Terminator 3

by

Mike & Amy Nappa

FAST LOOK:

Nineteen years ago the first Terminator movie released, and the second one, Judgment Day, released in 1991. The Terminator (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) promised, “I’ll be back,” and this summer he’s keeping his word.

INSIDE SCOOP:

Summer is the time when production companies traditionally release their big special effects and action movies. Cars exploding, chase scenes, aliens bombing landmarks, and stunts galore. This summer’s movies will live up to the expectations of our culture, and in July, a release will raise the bar for future summers as a character that’s become a part of our culture returns. The Terminator.

The Terminator, released in 1984, and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as a cyborg sent from the future. His mission was to kill a woman whose son, John Connor, would, years later, become the leader of the human rebellion against the machines that ruled the earth. That Terminator failed in his mission and the woman and her child survived. Years later, in Judgment Day, the Terminator returned as the good guy, programmed to save the now teenaged Connor. This month the Terminator returns again, to fight another cyborg sent to assassinate Connor. This time, however, the baddie cyborg looks like a woman (remember, they’re all machines without true gender) and she’s more intimidating than ever.

Judgment Day cost more than any movie before it, winning Oscars for it’s makeup, sound, and visual effects, and Rise of the Machines, has the biggest budget of any movie to current date so promises even more. Fans of Arnold and this franchise will be delighted with the explosions, grandiose effects, and corny humor associated with these films. The good guys always win, at a cost of course, and in the end there’s hope for humanity and our future.

Yet what do these movies say about our expectations for the future? As with many other futuristic films, the Terminator series show bleak times ahead, filled with obliterating wars, crime, poverty, and the rule of machines. There’s little regard for lost human lives from this perspective, and viewers find themselves cheering for bone-crunching, gut-bashing, gun-toting “heroes.” Is this what we believe lies ahead? Are these the heroes we want to uphold?

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT The Terminator movies

“The movie responds to criticisms of excessive movie violence by tempering the Terminator’s blood lust, but nobody, I think, will complain that it doesn’t have enough action.”

—Roger Ebert (on Judgment Day)

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“After the techno-frenzy of Schwarzenegger’s Total Recall, audiences wondered how anyone could top that film’s special effects and epic body count. Now you’ve gotta be afraid of the movie that tries to outdo Terminator 2.”

—The Washington Post

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“It is a machine, two machines fighting, but visually, it makes it interesting because it is visually a man fighting against a woman. Then the woman actually ends up becoming extremely sophisticated and strong because her abilities of fighting are much greater than mine. I’m a model that still works well, but is definitely an outdated model versus her being the new model.”

—Arnold Schwarzenegger

LOOKING INSIDE…:      

Use these questions to spark family discussion about The Terminator:

---In real life, Arnold Schwarzenegger is an upstanding citizen, involved in politics, married for many years, and an active father. How do you think he reconciles his violent roles with his daily life? If you were in his position, would you choose these roles? Why or why not?

---Why do you think we hold such a dim view of the future? What do you think the world will be like in 20 years? How can you personally work to make a brighter future for yourself and others in the world?

--- In the movies, John Connor comes to love the Terminator even though it’s really just a machine. Why do you think he becomes so attached to something that’s not even a human? Could this happen to you? Why or why not?

[SIDEBAR]

If members of your family like The Terminator movies then you may want to check out:

---Mars Diaries by Sigmund Brouwer (Tyndale).

This sci-fi series for kids follows the adventures of 14-year-old Tyce Sanders who lives under a special dome on Mars in the year 2040. Tyce is confined to a wheelchair, but this doesn’t stop him from having grand and exciting adventures. After all, robotics and other futuristic inventions are available to assist him, and nothing can get in the way of this boy’s curiosity and determination. Brouwer is an excellent author who weaves Christianity into his story without hitting readers over the head with it.

---Operation Firebrand by Jefferson Scott (Promise Press)

Operation Firebrand isn’t as much a futuristic thriller as it is a book for Schwarzenegger fans. It tells the story of Jason Kromer, a Christian and a Navy SEAL, who’s involved in a covert mission to save orphans in a war-torn land. Filled with suspense, military tension, and daring exploits, it’s a book teens and adults will find gripping. Scott has written a number of action-packed books, so if you enjoy this one, check out his other titles.

---Galaxy Quest (Universal/MCA)

For a lighter look at the future, rent Galaxy Quest. Great for fans of Star Trek or any other sci-fi adventures, this funny and sometimes sweet movie encourages teamwork and honors friendship.

[END]

[BIO LINE] Mike & Amy Nappa are renowned cultural commentators, best-selling and award-winning authors, and creators of the Internet magazine for families, www.FamilyFans.com