Form, as defined in the glossary in one of my film textbooks, is the general system of relationships among the parts of a film. Therefore, story form is the relationships among the parts of a story. The American Oxford Dictionary defines formulas as a fixed form of words especially one used in particular contexts or as a conventional usage; a stock epithet, phrase or line repeated for various effects in literary composition. Genre films usually follow formulas as a rule. Genre films refer to film stories that have been repeated again and again with only slight variations. Formulas can also bleed over from genre to films in a series.
Terminator is one of those film series. As far as what genre it is: science fiction, simply put. The science fiction genre is fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets. However, the distinction here is that each of the series' four installments follows a separate formula independent of the science fiction genre. The plot, characters and thematic elements are virtually identical. Archetypes exist in each installment. Archetypes are typical examples of a certain person or thing. Here, we have four in characters with a fifth in the form of a thematic element. The plot is similar in each because of these five.
The first character is the machine. In this series, this is in the form of two things: three in the form of Terminators and the final in the form of Skynet itself. The T-101 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the first to arrive in the first installment, relentless, but sloppy, unable to integrate into the flow of humanity. Played, unfortunately, to perfection by the actor, but to no less success. Skynet, when it fails, sends another. The T-1000 (Robert Patrick) is sent later and infiltrates much easier and smoother as its liquid metal abilities allow. The third, the T-X, or Terminatrix (Kristanna Loken), is able to infiltrate a bit better than it's predecessor, however, still contains the awkwardness of the T-101. However, it's been built as a response to the past two T-101 protection models, so its sleek and sexy human persona is matched by equally fatal weapons beneath. The last machine is Skynet itself (Helena Bonham Carter.) Because we've joined the past with the present, Skynet cannot be compared with its predecessors as it is, in fact, part of its predecessors. The fact that all fail to do what their objective is, to infiltrate and eliminate or die in the process, clearly reiterates the theme.
Next we have the protector. Their job is to protect the machine's target. They have the same mission as the machine, find a target and eliminate a threat. Only the threat is the machine. They have the same mindset, complete the mission or die in the process. They have, consequently, little humanity or sympathy for their protectant. Half of the protectors cannot help this, while half can. The two T-101 Terminators are the two who cannot. Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is one of them who can, John Connor (Christian Bale) is the other.
The protector is joined by the believer. This is the person who is completely convinced Skynet is real, the threat to the target is real and that the future depends on the success of the protector's mission. They, like the protector are prepared to die for that success. Unlike the protector, their humanity is usually intact. I say usually; half of the believers start hardened and then at a sudden point, their humanity bursts through with a tender moment with the target. The other half have humanity with abundance, their heart is so exposed that they cannot be anything else. Only after confession of his feelings combined with an intimate night with Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton) does Kyle Reese lose his hardened shell...but this night is so important, because it's the night that John Connor is conceived. Sarah Conner, after her experiences with the T-101, losing Kyle, and after a time being her son's drill-sergeant is committed to a psychiatric hospital, turns from loving mother and innocent to a hard, driven soldier. The two who keep their humanity during their term as "believer" are John Connor (Nick Stahl) and Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) who remind the protector and the innocent of the score and the importance humanity plays in the series.
Our final character is the virgin, an innocent to the war with the machines. Usually this person is the target and is the case with three of four of the installments. They're unaware of John Connor and his importance to the human race. They get tied into the war by coming across the believer and/or protector and join in the fight, usually to help protect themselves against the machine's mission. Our first innocent was a target, Sarah Connor. Being the mother of the future messiah of humanity, she takes it upon herself to be prepared for the future and loses her innocence along the way. John Connor (Edward Furlong), in the second installment, really might not count as an innocent. He's been told, by his mother, for his whole life, that he's the future leader of humanity, but it's too much for him and he denies what he's been taught. When he's told by his protector that it's all true, he genuinely reacts with surprise. Kate Brewster Connor (Claire Danes) is the perfect example of the virgin for the series as is Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) although he accepts much faster than she does. Kate denies up until the protector T-101 allows her to shoot him. Marcus, on the other hand is shown by believer Kyle Reese (who's also the target) the moment they meet and he agrees to help the "heroes" side. However, the bigger denial comes from his encounter with Skynet later. Plus, this virgin is not a target, so his survival must come at the hands of John Connor, the protector.
Our final archetype is one of our themes: the danger to John Connor and his family. Each installment of the series has a target. And that target is a member of John Connor's family. Skynet targets his mother, himself, his wife and chief lieutenant, and finally, his father.
The formula for the plot is simple: Skynet sends an assassin to kill a member of John Connor's family in order to reset future events to have an alternate timeline free of the presence of John Connor and his lieutenants, so that Judgement Day is successful and the human race is annihilated.
Formulas are tricky to spot in a series, our minds disengage for formula films, because we're already fans. And because we're already fans, we don't care if the same thing passes from film to film. It works, and that's all.
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Coming Soon -- Terminator: Final Thoughts
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1 comment:
Thanks for the intelligent, thought provoking dissertation so helpful to both the budding and experienced film student alike. Often as only “movie goers” we don’t take the time to digest what the writer of the film clearly considered at length. We simply like or dislike a movie without considering why. Our expectations of “formula” are often the reason.
Formula films make us comfortable because we know what to expect. When they turn the formula around with a twist ending, we can be delighted or enraged by it. I remember when I watched “The Game” with Michael Douglas. I literally couldn’t stop laughing at the end when everything led to a different conclusion than I expected from, what I thought, was the formula.
The Terminator series is one which delivers as expected, but is no less beloved because of it. A successful series with four installments (so far) is no easy feat. Just look at the many disappointing sequels to very popular films, such as “The Matrix.”
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