Sidney Moore HIST334 Nepa 3/01/2018 Terminator Analysis: Going Nuclear Terminator is a 1984 high octane action flick that takes place in the (then) present, but is about a post-apocalyptic future in which robots take over and attempt to eradicate all humans. This film touches on multiple different anxieties that were deeply relevant to the average person of 1980s America, but most specifically takes on the subject of man’s responsibility. Specifically, the film chooses to explore the anxiety that mankind has over their mistakes today and what future ramifications that may come as a result. Skynet (the robotic threat of the future) was created by man, so now Kyle Reese must come back in time to make sure that those wrongs that humans have committed can be fixed. Sarah Connor is one of the most beloved female characters of all time. Much of this comes from the fact that she is, at her core, just a regular person. There is no fake “girl power” narrative that the audience can obviously see is a ploy, but she also isn’t some useless princess in need of rescuing. She is a regular everywoman. Due to her being such a universal character, it’s actually pretty easy for her to be a mouthpiece for what the narrative is pushing; people’s fears. She, on multiple occasions shows a deep concern for the people of the future. It’s very clear by the way that she asks Kyle Reese about her future son and the future of the world that her heart breaks for people. By the end of the film, however, she has grown from being sad and upset about the future to start preparing herself for what lies ahead. She drives in a decked out Jeep, has a Terminator detection dog (so just a dog) and a certain sadness in her eyes. On one hand this may seem like her trying to accept the future, but it’s also clearly showing that she fears what will come next after her already traumatic experience. In much the same way, the people of the time were in many ways just accepting the fact that nuclear power was leading humanity down a path of mutually assured destruction, but it was also an indication of fear that people already had for making the mistake of that nuclear power in the first place. On a similar token, Skynet (the computer system that cranked out the Terminator to destroy Sarah) is the now-autonomous creation of mankind. Though it was created by humans as a means of protection from nuclear war, the creation got out of hand when it was unable to see the difference between its creators and the “bad guys.” Though the viewer may assume that this is because the creation is flawed and broken, but the inclusion of this detail is more likely a very subtle commentary. What even is the difference between the “us” and “them.” Both sides are guilty, both still created a means of world destruction that no human should ever hold power over, both were wildly indulged and ignorant about what evils they could truly unleash. This shows anxiety over knowing that no matter what choice humanity makes, it’s very likely the incorrect choice. In the climax of the film, Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese must face off with the Terminator, now stripped of everything that once made it look human. The robot stalks them into a r greed.[1] Bibliography Boarders, Meredith. "Trading Places: Race, Class, and Pork Futures." Birth. Movies. Death. June 15, 2013. Accessed February 16, 2018. birthmoviesdeath.com. Freedman, Hadley. "My Guilty Pleasure: Trading Places." The Guardian. April 8, 2014. theguardian.com. Maslin, Janet. "Akyroyd in "Trading Places"." The New York Times, June 8, 1983. Accessed February 16, 2018. nytimes.com. Thomas, Lou. "How Eddie Murphy Slayed the 1980s." BFI Film Forever. April 3, 2017. Accessed February 15, 2018. bfi.org.uk. White, Gillian B., and Bourree Lam. "Trading Places: A 1983 Christmas Comedy That's Still Surprisingly Relevant." The Atlantic, December 25, 2015. Accessed February 15, 2018. theatlantic.com. [1] White, Gillian B., and Bourree Lam. "Trading Places: A 1983 Christmas Comedy That's Still Surprisingly Relevant." The Atlantic, December 25, 2015. Accessed February 15, 2018. theatlantic.com.
