Terminator Zero Review - An Uneven, Engaging Return To Form

The Terminator franchise has become synonymous with mediocrity. Outside of a few notable exceptions, it's composed of multiple bad films and an unfinished television show. Even Terminator: Dark Fate, though decent enough, failed to match the grimy, cyberpunk vibe of the original or the action-packed moments of T2: Judgment Day. So, it should come to no surprise that our expectations for Netflix's Terminator Zero--another potentially lackluster iteration of a once-popular franchise--weren't exactly high. As it turns out, this solid animated series not only respects the franchise's legacy but also offers up a unique take on its established lore.

Despite being set in '90s Japan, as opposed to the US, Terminator Zero still begins in the typical fashion. A Terminator is sent back in time to assassinate the scientist Malcolm Lee (voiced by Yuuya Uchida in Japanese and Andre Holland in English) before he can deploy Kokoro (Atsumi Tanezaki/Rosario Dawson). This rival to Skynet--the rogue AI system that's all but wiped-out humanity in the year 2022--is scheduled to beat its global launch in 1997. Following suit is a tough-as-nails soldier named Eiko (Toa Yukinari/Sonoya Mizuno), who's sent to the past in hopes of protecting Lee long enough to convince him that his plans will do more harm than good. It's essentially what fans would expect from anything Terminator related; for better or worse, series creator Mattson Tomlin made sure Terminator Zero followed in its predecessors' metallic footprints.

Terminator Zero's first few episodes are somewhat formulaic. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for the show to venture into new territory. This is the first time, for instance, that the notion of multiple timelines has been officially addressed--Terminator Genisys makes mention of a single, altered timeline but not about it splintering into different threads. What's interesting about this is that it doesn't negate prior events. Rather, Zero alludes to the events that caused the franchise's time paradoxes in a way that respects whatever impact they may have had on Terminator lore. It's a clever bit of writing that helps to elevate the show's canonical relevance while adding weight to Eiko's initial plight. Her choice to venture back to the past, after learning that she'll never return to the present, is as heartbreaking as it is commendable.