More than thirty years ago, the unknown James Cameron had a dream.
In the dream, a chrome skeleton emerged from the fire.
Later, this scene became one of the most classic shots in the Terminator series.
In the history of science fiction films, influential series of works are often based on popular culture or literary material.
For example, "Star Trek", which infiltrates American values, "Blade Runner", which explores bionic humans and electronic sheep.
The "Terminator Series" turned out to be a blockbuster.
1984's Terminator, written and directed by Cameron, also co-designed stunts.
The "masterpiece" won $78 million at the global box office with an investment of $6.5 million.
Not only did it attract the world's attention for the 30-year-old Canadian director, but it also made the "Mr. Bodybuilder" who had not yet transformed into a successful "Mr. Bodybuilder" - Arnold Schwarzenegger.
To date, the Terminator series has produced six productions.
Only 1984's Terminator and 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day were directed by Cameron.
The next three films, although still telling the story of John Connor's confrontation with Skynet, have gone all the way down, and the losses are worse than one.
In 2015, the 155 million-dollar "Terminator: Genesis" undertook the heavy responsibility of "restarting the series", but both failed at the box office. Thanks to the good response of the Chinese market, the risk was returned.
As a result, the Terminator series was once again shelved indefinitely.
It wasn't until 2017 that Cameron finally decided to get the rights to this famous work back.
Fans cheered and the lord finally returned.
After thirty-five years, the story of the Terminator has reached its true end.
Why did Cameron's presence have such an impact on the Terminator series?
Why do many fans only consider the first two of "Terminator" to be authentic?
Let's talk about where the "card god" is
Friendly reminder: There will be mild spoilers below
Cameron's positioning of the Terminator series has always been an "R-rated action movie."
The recently released "Terminator: Dark Fate" is also positioned in foreign countries as R-rated N16.
After all, there is only the apocalyptic sense of the rise of machines and the demise of mankind.↓
Flesh and blood against the cruelty of the AI Legion ↓
As well as the visual impact of the machine gun's face-shaking bombardment ↓
It is the visual element of the core of the Terminator.
These images with a "burning smell of flesh and blood" together portray the soul core of the "Terminator".
Cameron's science fiction movies, the biggest feature is
- Strong sense of realism.
Rich detail construction makes the world in the film infinitely close to reality.
Cameron was born into a middle-class family in Ontario.
There is an electronics engineer father and artist mother.
Since he was a child, he has held art exhibitions and written science fiction novels in his hometown, and he also took his friends to make a stone thrower by himself.
These experiences enabled him to calmly control the two forces of "engineering technology" and "artistic aesthetics" in the film in the later stage.
As a director, Cameron has no professional training.
His film special effects techniques were self-taught in the library of the University of Southern California.
His script was written after taking time off school while driving a truck to make money. (Is that why there are always trucks in Terminator?) ）
His first film job was working on stunt models for Carman Studios' 1980 star wars.
Cameron is one of the few directors who came from stunt design.
Therefore, his films not only account for a high proportion of stunt productions, but also always bring about disruptive technological innovations.
For example, "The Abyss", which enlightened the design of underwater stunts, and the unprecedented 3D movie "Avatar".
With cutting-edge special effects technology in hand, the production budget is almost unlimited. Cameron never "deliberately showed off" in movies.
He always believed that stunts existed to shape the realism of movies.
"I want people to forget about technology, just like what you see in a movie theater is not a screen but an image.
The purpose of all technology is to make it disappear on its own. ”
The terminator, positioned in science fiction, tells a story of causal prophecy.
The threshold of understanding of the film is not low, but it can easily make the audience believe and immerse themselves in it.
When the 1984 version of Terminator was filmed, Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to play Kyle, a warrior of justice from the future.
That is, the father of the rebel leader John Connor.
When discussing the script with Cameron, Schwarzenegger argued:
"The person who plays the Terminator must understand that he is a machine. Emotion should not be shown on any occasion. ”
Cameron looked at the governor in front of him, who was as strong as a bulldozer, and asked, "Why don't you play the Terminator?" ”
Schwarzenegger: ???
As a result, the T-800 had no expression on the oppressive sense of killing.
And Schwarzenegger's large pectoral muscles.
Together, they form unforgettable memories for fans.
Whether it's the T-800, the Liquid T-1000, or the REV9 that appeared in Dark Fate.
In the Terminator series, the most terrifying thing about the mechanical killer is not the form or the way it fights, but rather
- Endless.
Since the beginning of human creation of machinery, it has given them the ability to be strong, durable, and stable for a long time.
They are required to serve humanity diligently and sincerely.
When this ability is used in turn to hunt down the Creator, the warning of "technological regurgitation" becomes stronger.
The new generation of Terminator REV9 in Dark Fate.
In the face of non-hunting targets, smile gently and elegantly, and tell you a small meat paragraph every minute.
This makes his mission more stealthy.
In addition to the liquid body, it can also be transformed and transformed.
This makes his fighting style more flexible.
High performance, simple operation, low error rate, REV9 is the standard "ROBOT in the eyes of AI".
Another surprising character in Dark Fate is the overturned Personality.
This "atypical" heroine is 178cm tall.
Flat chest, short hair, square face.
Long hands and feet, a body of tendon flesh, fierce fighting.
Absolutely loyal and indifferent.
She only has the object of the mission in her eyes, and is hostile to sarah Connor, who is with her peers, and even sees death.
Walking on the brink of life and death, there is the consciousness to complete the task at any time.
It doesn't take too many shots to describe how cruel the end times will be.
This cyborg female warrior already contains enough information.
In order to shoot "Dark Fate", Cameron also invited his ex-wife back.
Linda Hamilton, 63, is also the original Sarah Connor.
The scene where she and Schwarzenegger are reunited in front of the wooden house, although they are enemies, I taste a little "a thousand years at a glance".
The pain of losing a child deprived the female warrior of the last remaining softness in her heart.
The unexpected success also allowed the machine T800 to gradually understand human emotions.
They are enemies, but they are also the driving force for each other to survive.
There are a lot of "homage shots" in the film.
Take the phrase "I will be back".
Another example is the red light and sunglasses in the eyes of the T800.
When yesterday reappeared, the same scene, the characters made very different choices.
Cameron used three films to create the arc of the characters of these two characters.
Sarah Connor ↓
T-800↓
Humans and robots, moving in opposite directions from different starting points, spend their entire lives meeting and understanding each other in their later years.
After 35 years, the red light in its eyes has finally become gentle.
The highlight of the movie is actually at the end of the film.
Really, especially tear-jerking.
For the sake of the future of humanity, you and everyone are desperately fighting to protect her.
Only I protect you, and it has always been you.
Each Terminator ends with the disappearance of the T800.
Destroyed as a villain ↓
Self-destructed in the furnace with a crush on John.↓
Only this time.
T-800, finally completed his task.