‘Terminator Zero’ has certainly been a pleasant surprise. Created and produced by Mattson Tomlin, co-writer of 2022’s ‘The Batman’, and directed by Masashi Kudô, it works perfectly as a standalone, self-contained story in the Terminator universe that doesn’t revolve around the Connors, and doesn’t even require much knowledge of the lore to be enjoyed.
The show consists of only 8 episodes that are 25-ish minutes each, so it can be pretty much binge-watched as a film. It introduces a brand new story and characters, taking place in Japan, switching
back and forth from the present time of 1997, a day before Judgment Day happens, and 2022. It’s action-packed and gory and fun, while it also takes the franchise to interesting new places. The story explores philosophical
themes and raises compelling questions, dabbling in existentialism and at times even in spirituality, in ways not seen in previous installments.
The animation is also gorgeous, the characters are diverse and unique, the way time travel is explored is pretty much what someone would expect from a Terminator story. Another big plus
is that, while the show is brutally violent and features several instances of nudity, it never feels cheaply exploitative or sadistic. It is well-worth a watch, it’s one of the best installments in the franchise,
possibly the best thing to come out since T2.
