As the hype continues to build for Terminator Zero, Netflix’s new anime take on the franchise, the streamer has released a new clip that had my jaw on the floor. The new sneak peek follows the release of some gorgeous first-look images and an incredible trailer, and confirms that this might just be the best installment in the Terminator saga since the sequel, which we ranked as the best Terminator movie.
The Terminator franchise has been a mixed bag in the past. Since James Cameron introduced the world to Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 in the 1984 classic, only his own 1991 follow-up has received universal acclaim from fans, with Jonathan Mostow turning in a semi-worthwhile third film in 2003 and a trilogy of failed trilogy starters since then. The TV spin-off, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, starring Game of Thrones’ Lena Heady as the titular character, was just finding its stride when it was axed back in 2009. But Terminator Zero looks to overshadow them all with its visually stunning reworking of the saga, transplanting the action to Tokyo without a Connor in sight.
What can we expect from Terminator Zero?
Starring Timothy Olyphant, Rosario Dawson and André Holland, Terminator Zero will be familiar to fans, but also refreshingly new. Netflix’ synopsis reads: "Caught between the future and this past is a soldier sent back in time to change the fate of humanity. She arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee who works to launch a new AI system designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he’s hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future, which forever alters the fate of his three children."
And the new sneak-peek gives us a glimpse of just what Malcom might need protecting from. Echoing the original Terminator 2: Judgment Day teaser, the clip shows an automated factory assembling one of the deadly machines, before human-like skin is applied and the new Terminator enters a time machine, assumes the iconic pose and is sent back to Japan circa 1997. During the assembly process, gorgeous abstract visuals show how the machine is assigned its target before it passes through a corridor showing hundreds of completed Terminators in stasis, ready for their own missions.
Ahead of its release on August 29 (Judgment Day, as per the Cameron films) Terminator Zero has been one of many animated projects to be leaked in its entirety as a result of a huge data breach at Netflix earlier in the month. The breach saw a number of shows, including Arcane and Heartstopper, have episodes leaked potentially months before they were due to be released. The streamer didn’t hold back in it’s response, telling The Wrap: “One of our post-production partners has been compromised and footage from several of our titles has unfortunately leaked online. Our team is aggressively taking action to have it taken down.”
Judgment Day is almost upon us and when it arrives, not only could we be in store for one of the best Netflix shows and best Netflix anime but also the Terminator story that fans have been waiting for.
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