“Fubar” with Arnold Schwarzenegger
The better “True Lies” serial adaptation?
Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in the agent operation.
© 2022 Netflix, Inc.
On May 25th, at the age of 75, Arnold Schwarzenegger goes into series production for the first time. That’s why “Fubar” is the spiritual successor to the cult film “True Lies”.
If you’ve seen “Saving Private Ryan” (1998), the acronym “Fubar” might already mean something. It stands for “Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition” and thus, to put it more flowery, for a really, really miserable situation. Action veteran Arnold Schwarzenegger (75) is shimmying from said dilemma to the next from May 25 in the Netflix series of the same name – at just 75 years of age, the Terminator is celebrating his brutal and comedic debut in the series.
That’s what viewers expect
“Heroes don’t retire – they reload”: CIA agent Luke Brunner (Schwarzenegger) is actually about to take his well-deserved retirement after countless risky missions. But nothing will come of life as an action pensioner. Completely shocked, he has to realize that the CIA has also secretly recruited his daughter Emma (Monica Barbaro, 32). Of course, Luke can’t leave his little girl alone in the crossfire – and so fighting terrorists quickly becomes a family affair.
“Trie Lies” with a slight paradigm shift
The parallels to Arnie’s cult classic “True Lies” from 1994 are of course overwhelming. Instead of with his wife, then embodied by Jamie Lee Curtis (64), the main character now forms an unwilling anti-terrorist alliance with his daughter over eight episodes. But “Fubar” also offers new dynamics: not only hero and villain meet here, but the generations. In addition to his still impressive physical quick-wittedness, Schwarzenegger can once again unpack his humorous punch.
It goes without saying that it remains to be seen how the very slapstick action will be received by the audience. However, due to the star power of the former governor, it already seems clear that “Fubar” should have a better future than the unfortunate “True Lies” series. The series adaptation only started on Disney+ in April of this year.
The characters from the 1990s blockbuster by James Cameron (68) celebrated their comeback. Instead of Curtis and Schwarzenegger, “Shameless” star Steve Howey (45) and “She-Hulk” actress Ginger Gonzaga (40) quarreled – both remained pale. The viewers’ acknowledgment followed less than a month later: due to poor feedback and manageable ratings, the producing US broadcaster CBS decided to discontinue the series after just one season. You would first have to dare to do that with the Terminator.