Four Horseman Of The Apocalypse

“3 billion human lives ended on August 29th, 1997. The survivors of the nuclear fire called the war Judgment Day. They lived only to face a new nightmare, the war against the Machines...” The movie begins with scenes of normal, modern-day life—people walking around the city, Los Angeles automobile traffic, and children playing at a park. A bright flash from a nuclear explosion ends this reality as the warm sunset colors that reflect the waning human spirit cuts to a cold shade of blue and a darker future is exposed. The once lively playground has become a wasteland filled with destruction and lined with the skulls of those who perished. During the opening credits, four burning horses are used to symbolize the four horseman of the apocalypse.

How does human differ from machine? Can a machine become human? Can a human become a machine? What are the characteristics that define each of them? As the movie is setup, the viewer is initially unaware whether the T-800, a cyborg with living tissue over metal endoskeleton, or the T-1000, an advanced terminator made of liquid metal and able to take many forms, is the antagonist sent to kill John Connor. It is not until the mall scene, where John Connor is caught between the two machines that we discover that the T-800 is actually the protector sent by the resistance. In this mirroring of the terminators, the T-800 casts the image of a powerful tank, while the T-1000 evokes a sleeker and more menacing image. Both bear an uncanny resemblance to humans but it is obvious that both lack human qualities apart from their physical appearance—displaying no emotion. During the initial interactions between the young John and his protector, the terminator continues to exhibit the cold, calculating characteristics of a machine. After John learns that the T-1000 is on its way to the mental hospital to “copy” his mother in order to morph into her physical shape, the T-800 coldly responds, “Typically the subject being copied is terminated.” When John exclaims that they should leave immediately to go save his mother, the Terminator responds, “Negative, it is not a mission priority.” After a brief commotion stemming from John becoming upset with the T-800’s inhumanity to the situation, John learns that the Terminator is programmed to follow his orders and subsequently tests the machine’s loyalty on two civilians who heard the commotion and came to help the young John. Although he only means to intimidate the now angry good Samaritans, the T-800 takes the situation to the extreme and attempts to