Terminator: Will's Version

We've designed our blockbuster assault on Skynet, let's talk character.

Obviously the main character is John Connor. We see him as a scrappy, battle-hardened general, not an action hero. 

That Ohio Class missile boat we talked about? Well, it was on patrol during Judgment Day and has its original crew. Now they're old men who've spent the last 30 years surviving at sea. They're pirates bent on revenge.

The hacker team is lead by an old Google exec who has gathered a band of young hackers around him. This is personal as he feels partially responsible.

The tunnel rats are a bunch of West Virginia coal miners who gradually made their way to LA. This allows us to reference the devastation they saw on their trek.

We'll need some young guys who've grown up in the rubble and are intrigued by the pre-Judgment Day life the old-timers describe.

Not bad.

Terminator Week Day 5

In The Terminator James Cameron had a great idea. In Terminator-2 James Cameron took a great idea and made it even better. He smartly stopped the saga right there. 

He even more smartly axed this scene:

It's as bad as George Lucas CGIing Hayden Christiansen into the end of Return of the Jedi, only Cameron left it out.

Now, if you were going to go back into the Terminator universe what should you do?

Go back. Forget Rise of the Machines, which takes place after Judgement Day, dumbfucks. Make The Rise of John Connor.

One of the smart things about T-2 is the opening military scene looked and felt like the military scenes in The Terminator. Make it look that. And show the final assault on Skynet.

And layoff the time travel crap.

Terminator Week Day 3: T-2

Here's what Siskel and Ebert said about Terminator-2: Judgment Day:

Everything Gene and Roger say is 99 and 44/100 percent true.

Remember, younger reader(s), those special effects were revolutionary. Also, it was understood that the T-1000 (Arnold) was the good guy.

Thinking back to 1991, and boy does T-2 feel like 1991*, we recall hearing that a Terminator sequel was in the works and thought, no, just no. I literally can't even.** Then we thought, why? Then we thought, how? Then we heard how. Then we thought, now that's kinda of interesting.

The opening battle scene hooked and reeled us in. The humans are on the attack. One soldier even shoots down a wounded Terminator as they advance. That alone was stunning after The Terminator.

T-2 works because underneath all that awesomeness there is an intense emotional core. Motherhood, friendship, duty, fear, doom, renewal. 'Now I know why you cry, John.' We cried too, and so did you. We're typing this with one hand because we're triumphantly raising our arm and giving a thumbs up.

Note, we watched the fisrt half of The Terminator last night and will review tomorrow.

*Jesus Jones and EMF, bitches!
**Just kidding. Nobody said that back then.