A cybernetic warrior from a post-apocalyptic future travels back in time to protect a 25-year old drifter and his future wife from a most advanced robotic assassin and to ensure they both survive a nuclear attack.
In 2018, a mysterious new weapon in the war against the machines, half-human and half-machine, comes to John Connor on the eve of a resistance attack on Skynet. But whose side is he on, and can he be trusted?
Director:
McG
Stars:
Christian Bale,
Sam Worthington,
Anton Yelchin
When John Connor, leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline.
Director:
Alan Taylor
Stars:
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Jason Clarke,
Emilia Clarke
A seemingly indestructible android is sent from 2029 to 1984 to assassinate a waitress, whose unborn son will lead humanity in a war against the machines, while a soldier from that war is sent to protect her at all costs.
Director:
James Cameron
Stars:
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Linda Hamilton,
Michael Biehn
A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her teenage son, John Connor, from a more advanced and powerful cyborg.
Director:
James Cameron
Stars:
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Linda Hamilton,
Edward Furlong
Following the events of The Matrix (1999), Neo and the rebel leaders estimate they have 72 hours until 250,000 probes discover Zion and destroy it and its inhabitants. Neo must decide how he can save Trinity from a dark fate in his dreams.
The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.
When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or does he?
Director:
Paul Verhoeven
Stars:
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Sharon Stone,
Michael Ironside
A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.
Director:
James Cameron
Stars:
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Jamie Lee Curtis,
Tom Arnold
More than 10 years after 'Terminator 2', John Connor now exists only as a drifter - living 'off the grid', so no more Terminators from the future can hunt him down. Unfortunately, SkyNet does send another one back - and this one is called the T-X, even more powerful & advanced than the dreaded T-1000. However, another CSM-101 Terminator is also sent back to protect John against the T-X. Now, Skynet is patiently assuming control of civilian computer systems, under the guise of a computer virus. John has also met his future wife, Kate Brewster, whose father - a U.S. Air Force General - is in charge of the military computer systems & is leery of up linking SkyNet. However, when the SkyNet virus infects the U.S military computers & leaves the country open to attack, the machines begin their horrific takeover. Soon a nuclear war will result - and the war against the machines will begin. Can the outdated CSM-101 Terminator eliminate the highly advanced T-X - or will a darker future await ...Written by
Derek O'Cain
This was intended to be the first of the two back-to-back Terminator movies developed by Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna back in 1999. It was to be originally written by Tedi Sarafian, while the second-half, codenamed Project Angel by Warner Bros (eventually became Terminator Salvation (2009)) was to be written by David C. Wilson due for a 2003 release which is to take place immediately after the events of this film. Had there been no script revisions, the film could have been released in 2001. After the film's release, actors work commitments, including Arnold Schwarzenegger's term as Governor of California prompted the Project Angel script to be rewritten again from scratch- including moving the time setting by writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris under Jonathan Mostow's supervision. However, by 2006, Kassar and Vajna decided to end their business relationship and sold their rights to Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson. The original idea for the fourth film was ultimately scrapped. See more »
Goofs
The T-X fires her weapon through a hole in the windscreen during the crane chase, but where did the hole come from? (She punched a hole through it but it was deleted from the film.) See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
John Connor:
[voiceover]
The future has not been written. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. I wish I could believe that. My name is John Connor, they tried to murder me before I was born, when I was 13 they tried again. Machines from the future. Terminators. All my life my mother told me the storm was coming, Judgment Day, the beginning of the war between man and machines. Three billion lives would vanish in an instant, and I would lead what was left of the human race to ultimate ...
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Crazy Credits
Jay Acovone is credited as Jay Acavone. See more »
I didn't go to see this movie with very high expectations, because it has gotten such varied and sometimes disparaging reviews this forum. However, since I am an aspiring screenwriter and true cinema fan rather than simply a moviegoer, I decided to give this movie the benefit of the doubt. At the very least, I could end up writing a scathing attack on it.
Instead, I have found that I enjoyed the movie as I watched it, saw some flaws, but have discovered that the more I think about it, the more I want to give it a higher rating than I initially did (7). The film's two major dramatic flaws, in my opinion, are: (1) An over-the-top chase scene that comes way too early in the script without sufficient build-up in suspense leading up to it; (2) A little too much campy humor recycled from the first two Terminator movies.
The good outweighs the bad by a large margin. (1) The screenplay has some intriguing plot subtleties that grow on me after awhile, the most notable of which is the actual nature of the safe place. It could be the way it is for several possible reasons, some strategically favoring SkyNet, some the humans. Any of them could be spun into a major plot element for a sequel. The rest you'll just have to find yourself. (2) The character development of both John Connor and Kate Brewster is elegant, believable and moving, and also opens possibilities for future character development. (3) The plot is an interesting variation of the "Reluctant Hero" theme, which is a classic in literature and drama and always will be. John Connor is a hero who is almost an anti-hero. True, they could have sharpened his ambivalence a little (sacrificing some chase footage for it would have been an excellent trade, in my opinion). (4) The Terminatrix is a very good villain: She's young, she's sexy, and she's chillingly soulless. She is actually too smoothly sexy and physically perfect, but that makes sense when you consider that she has been created and programmed by other machines who, lacking the real-world experience of humans, can only base her appearance and humanoid behavior on their knowledge of human stereotypes.
That last leads me to some thoughts about Arnie's character. He is clearly getting a little too old for a reprise of his customary youthful, physically perfect role in any sequel. If he is brought back in a sequel - and I hope he is - a good, imaginative screenwriter could really work with his advancing age and loss of physical perfection. Since he is programmed by humans with real human experience, he could be brought back as a deceptively older and less physically powerful character, but more psychologically sophisticated (more like a true human with a soul), and his deceptive physical appearance combined with his greater psychological sophistication could be his aces in the hole when his strength and nonhuman cyborg qualities are insufficient. In other words, he could be shaped into an amazing supporting hero in any sequel. Maybe I could write his role!
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I didn't go to see this movie with very high expectations, because it has gotten such varied and sometimes disparaging reviews this forum. However, since I am an aspiring screenwriter and true cinema fan rather than simply a moviegoer, I decided to give this movie the benefit of the doubt. At the very least, I could end up writing a scathing attack on it.
Instead, I have found that I enjoyed the movie as I watched it, saw some flaws, but have discovered that the more I think about it, the more I want to give it a higher rating than I initially did (7). The film's two major dramatic flaws, in my opinion, are: (1) An over-the-top chase scene that comes way too early in the script without sufficient build-up in suspense leading up to it; (2) A little too much campy humor recycled from the first two Terminator movies.
The good outweighs the bad by a large margin. (1) The screenplay has some intriguing plot subtleties that grow on me after awhile, the most notable of which is the actual nature of the safe place. It could be the way it is for several possible reasons, some strategically favoring SkyNet, some the humans. Any of them could be spun into a major plot element for a sequel. The rest you'll just have to find yourself. (2) The character development of both John Connor and Kate Brewster is elegant, believable and moving, and also opens possibilities for future character development. (3) The plot is an interesting variation of the "Reluctant Hero" theme, which is a classic in literature and drama and always will be. John Connor is a hero who is almost an anti-hero. True, they could have sharpened his ambivalence a little (sacrificing some chase footage for it would have been an excellent trade, in my opinion). (4) The Terminatrix is a very good villain: She's young, she's sexy, and she's chillingly soulless. She is actually too smoothly sexy and physically perfect, but that makes sense when you consider that she has been created and programmed by other machines who, lacking the real-world experience of humans, can only base her appearance and humanoid behavior on their knowledge of human stereotypes.
That last leads me to some thoughts about Arnie's character. He is clearly getting a little too old for a reprise of his customary youthful, physically perfect role in any sequel. If he is brought back in a sequel - and I hope he is - a good, imaginative screenwriter could really work with his advancing age and loss of physical perfection. Since he is programmed by humans with real human experience, he could be brought back as a deceptively older and less physically powerful character, but more psychologically sophisticated (more like a true human with a soul), and his deceptive physical appearance combined with his greater psychological sophistication could be his aces in the hole when his strength and nonhuman cyborg qualities are insufficient. In other words, he could be shaped into an amazing supporting hero in any sequel. Maybe I could write his role!