It was fascinating to see the character of Marcus attempting to find redemption throughout the film. In the beginning, he wasn’t looking for salvation or redemption, only to pay his debt for his murders by dying. In an ironic twist, he was “resurrected,” built as a machine-hybrid, a terminator, to deceive and destroy others. John Connor commented, “The Devil’s hands have been busy,” alluding to Marcus being a product of evil. But in the end as John Connor, the supposed savior of humankind, was dying from a battle-wound that left him with a failing heart, Marcus stepped forward, saying, “Take mine,” and offered one of the few human organs he had left – his heart. “Everyone deserves a second chance,” he said, “This is mine.” Marcus’ first death out of guilt for the lives he took was a debt to be paid. Marcus’ second death was a sacrifice to save the life of another that would benefit humanity from which he found redemption. It was his sacrifice that was his “second chance.”
None of us are perfect. None of us our guilt-free. And perhaps all of us in the end either pay the debt we owe and hope that’s enough or adhere to the yearning for redemption and salvation. The theme of redemption is prevalent in films, from science-fiction to romantic comedies. It would seem that at the core of our beings we long for a level of redemption, whether socially, personally and especially eternally. The only question remains, how will we find our redemption? In films and stories, the recurring solution seems to be sacrifice. Perhaps our films reveal we understand something at the base of our humanity — sacrifice is the redemption for humanity, an act that is the core of the gospel of Christ.
Brian See Chan 