Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles [Blu-ray][Region Free]

The pressure was really on The Sarah Connor Chronicles right from the start. The first spin-off from the extraordinary Terminator franchise, it picks up after the events of the second film, and finds Lena Headey in the title role, who--along with her 15-year old son, John--sets about trying to save the world from the impending threat of Skynet. Along the way too, they encounter Summer Glau (whom there’s a strong chance you’ll know from Firefly), who steps into the shoes of Cameron, a bodyguard Terminator who helps fight off the many threats they face. She’s some piece of work.

Very deliberately paced, and intricately woven to make sure it safely fits within the Terminator universe, The Sarah Connor Chronicles works a great deal better than you’d have any right to expect. Tightly scripted, and with a terrific performance by Headey in the central role, the show packs plenty of action and narrative into the nine episodes of its maiden season, and it certainly whets the appetite for more.

Perhaps the biggest compliment to be paid, though, is that The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a worthy companion and follow-up to the first two Terminator films, and one that genuinely expands and deepens the franchise. It’ll be fascinating to see where the show goes next. --Jon Foster

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles stars British actress Lena Headey (300) as Sarah Connor and picks up two years after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, with Sarah and her 15 year old son John (Thomas Dekker, Heroes) on the run and preparing for a possible future war against the rise of the machines. Sarah and John find themselves alone in a very dangerous and complicated world. As fugitives from the law, they are confronted with the reality that more enemies from the future, and the present, including Skynet, could attack at any moment.

Now focusing all their efforts on stopping the birth of a technological enemy, Sarah and reluctant hero John try and track down the true source of Skynet’s activation and hopefully change the fate of humanity. Pursued by tough talking FBI agent James Ellison who believes Sarah and John are deranged, and aided by Cameron (Summer Glau, The 4400), a fearless new female Terminator who poses as a student at John’s school and whose sole mission is to protect mankind’s future leader. The trio make a time jump from 1998 to modern day Los Angeles 2007, in an effort to help fulfill John’s destiny and save the world from an unstoppable war.

Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau