The Terminator and Technology (part 1)

I just picked up James Cameron’s 1984 film The Terminator on Blu-ray the other day and I’m glad I did. I’ve always been a fan of the Terminator films and the original is still my favorite. I loathe James Cameron as a person (I think he’s a conceded, egotistical prick) but I can’t deny he makes good films. Ok, so maybe Avatar and Titanic aren’t that great (Titanic is enjoyable, even though it’s overly sentimental) but films like Aliens, the Terminator films, Piranha II: The Spawning, and True Lies are excellent – a prime example of why Cameron is lauded by so many. However, moving back to The Terminator, I’ve always felt this film is a great example of what technology can do when left to its own devices. Neil Postman argues in Technopoly that the makers of a technology aren’t the best candidates for determining its application; The Terminator demonstrates how a technology, which resembles cloud computing and is a form of artificial intelligence, can go awry when implemented by those who create it.

Piranha II: The Spawning

“We want fish. We want fish.”

The film opens on still waters, featuring a buoy and a small boat in the distance. The sounds of intimacy, coupled with the buoy moving slowly back and forth make up the soundtrack. Then two voices appear; voices that sound horribly dubbed, like something from a Fulci zombie film. The scene cuts and features the couple underwater, diving towards a sunken ship. Once inside coitus begins, with a naked woman mounting her partner. Cut in-between their trite passionate display is a first person perspective which eventually leads to a swarm of piranhas attacking the divers. As blood fills the screen the scene cuts to the opening credits and we’re entering Piranha II: The Spawning – possibly one of the corniest movies ever made.