The Terminator franchise is a series of films featuring killer cyborgs going back in time to change the future. The original movie states that in the near future the world will be consumed by nuclear war. Out of the ashes robotic machines called Terminators begin attacking the survivors. Eventually the humans rise up and defeat them. They are led by a soldier called John Connor who teaches the humans how to destroy the Terminators.
The first film was released in 1984 and directed by James Cameron. In it Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a Terminator who looks just like a regular human. He is sent back in time to the 1980’s in order to hunt down John Connor’s mother, Sarah. He needs to kill Sarah before she even gives birth to John. However the humans send back their own soldier in order to save her.
This was followed by a significantly successful sequel, Terminator 2: Judgement Day. One of the most emotional lines is “I know now why you kry but it is something I can never do.” There is a role reversal situation in this movie. Schwarzenegger returns as the Terminator but this time he plays the hero. He is tasked with saving the life of John Connor who is now a boy. He is being hunted by an even more advanced Terminator which can melt itself down and reform as any shape. The sequel has since become known as one of the greatest action films ever made.
The second film ended perfectly and so there was no demand for a third. However, in the 2000’s trilogies became popular and studio heads decided to produce Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. It came out in 2003 and followed a now adult John who is being once again pursued by a time travelling cyborg. This time the Terminator is played by a woman and can control other machines. The story takes place just before the nuclear bombs drop and features the original Terminator trying to save the world. It was not as critically successful as the first two movies.
In 2009 a fourth entry was produced. Terminator Salvation abandons the formula of time travel and instead focuses on the war being raged in the future between machines and humans. It stars Christian Bale as the resistance leader John, who has grown into a battle hardened saviour of mankind. Critics stated that this was an improvement over the third. Unfortunately the trailer gave away the important plot twists. Since the release of the fourth entry there has been a fifth called Terminator Genisys with a sixth one in production. However none of these films have been as lauded by the public as the first two in the series.