Hollywood retrograde

Milan 2021-10-18 19:50:44

The first two "Terminators" have ambiguities in their theme expressions. The first one has caused time and space paradoxes, which is somewhat fatalistic, but it also makes the protagonist say, "The future is not yet determined, and the destiny does not exist. "Creating by yourself" is a chicken-blood line; the second part is even more obvious: on the surface it is about avoiding excessive development of technology to trigger "judgment day", but using this black technology to prevent judgment day, is it vigilant technology or What about technology?

There is no such contradiction in the expression of the theme in the third part. The narrative logic follows the first part, which is to traverse can form a causal cycle, but cannot change the established future. At the same time, it discards the so-called "individuals create their own destiny" in the first two parts. Optimism magnifies fatalistic views. The theme of this film is very clear, that is, people cannot create (change) their own destiny, and what is destined to happen will happen.

There are two plot designs that best reflect the theme: First, in the second part, John Connor was with his future wife the day before he met T-800, and then he met T-800, which prevented the outbreak of nuclear war. But because of this, he and his future wife were dismantled, so that he could not warn the military in advance, and eventually a nuclear war broke out. Second, T-850 told John Connor that the nuclear war broke out in two hours. He knew a safe place to hide, but John Connor gave a big hand. That’s why we are a Hollywood blockbuster. How can we be a tortoise? We must save all mankind. In the end, we will store the Skynet host. The cave found that Skynet was decentralized and there was no host at all, and then watched the world was destroyed by nuclear war, and this cave was the place where T-850 first let them hide.

The film was shot shortly after 9/11. It was this special environment that made this film a rare anti-theme, pessimistic, and reflective commercial blockbuster in Hollywood. At the end, the cave where John Conner escaped from nuclear war was actually a temporary refuge for the US government, but until the end of the movie, there was no image of a high-level government (the subtext is that the entire army was annihilated). The director used this ending to wake up the high-level: Don’t Thinking about being a world hero, first think about how to protect yourself. Dare to export such negative values ​​in a blockbuster investment of hundreds of millions of dollars, the ending really ruined the world by nuclear war, the value of this film is absolutely underestimated.

View more about Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines reviews

Extended Reading

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 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 victory. It hasn't happened, no bombs fell, computers didn't take control, we stopped Judgment Day. I should feel safe, but I don't, so I live off the grid - no phone, no address, no one and nothing can find me. I've erased all connections to the past, but as hard as I try I can't erase my dreams, my nightmares.

  • Kate Brewster: Next time bring a clue, not a paintball gun.