Terminator: Dark Fate has been acclaimed by many critics as the best sequel to Judgement Day. But, fans who got to watch the movie this weekend realised a shocking truth in the very start, as it begins by bidding farewell to an important character from the franchise. But director Tim Miller explains why it was necessary.
Major spoilers ahead for Terminator: Dark Fate
Dark Fate begins with a prologue scene which shows Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and John Connor (Edward Furlong) taking a break on a beach after the events of T2. Though they manage to save the world from Judgement Day, as Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 surprisingly pops up and kills John shooting twice with a shotgun.
Unexpectedly, it turns out that Connor's death was a key plot point in Dark Fate's storyline. The incident sets up Hamilton's return to the role as her character finds a new purpose in hunting Terminators for living.
During an interview with THR, Miller explained it was decided that John would be killed off in the opening scene so the film could set a platform for a new hero to take the spotlight. As risky it may seem —it was a choice that was made during early development stages.
"You'd think it [killing John off] was probably a controversial decision, but it really wasn't. There was a lot of talk at the really early stages of should this new savior be someone who was connected to the Connors? Should it be John's daughter or something like that? Which I was always against, because I'm just not a fan of the Chosen One sort of movie as much as I am of a hero sort of rising to meet adversity, who could be an everyman or an everywoman. I identify with those people much more than I do with Neo in The Matrix or King Arthur or something like that. So I was all for this being some new person that wasn't connected to the Connors and had been chosen by the hand of fate."
Miller went on to explain that John Connor's death was "rocket fuel for Sarah". It allowed her character to play a significant role even while the franchise swayed away from the previous threat i.e. Skynet and dealt with a new enemy. But in the case of John, it would have stolen the spotlight from another potential character "to be able to have their moment".
Miller along with producer James Cameron and Dark Fate's screenwriters were all onboard with the decision. Even though the director hated including a scene that involves the death of a kid, the decision was made to add the "dramatic fueL" to the story.
Unfortunately, even the rave reviews weren't enough to save Terminator: Dark Fate at the box office. The movie is already expected to face a loss of $130 million and it has led many to believe this could be the nail in the coffin for the franchise.
Terminator: Dark Fate is in theatres worldwide.
