Terminator Salvation (C or 2/4 stars)
I have a weird relationship with the Terminator movies. The 1st one is just ok, the 2nd one is one of my favorite films ... of all time, & the 3rd one is entertaining fluff. So yeah, I approached 'Terminator Salvation' with some trepidation. And unfortunately, while this film is technically solid, it's emotionally & dramatically vapid. In 2003, at the Longview State Correctional Facility, death row convict Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington, of Avatar) is convinced by the cancerous Dr. Serena Kogan (Helena Bonham Carter) to donate his body to her research. Fast forward to 2018 when a nuclear holocaust destroys most of humanity; and war btwn. man & the machines is raging. And after an unsuccessful attack to a Skynet facility, only John Connor (now Christian Bale) survives.
But in the process of survival, he finds out that Skynet is developing a new model T-800. A big wig - but not the true leader of the human resistance against the machines - John does oversee people, & is the voice of the resistance over the radio. His superiors, led by Gen. Ashdown (Michael Ironside), believe that they've created the ultimate weapon that can dismantle the machines if they're lured in to close range; and John volunteers to test it out. In the midst of doing this, he has another objective - locate the young version of his dad, Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin, of Star Trek), who's been targeted to be killed by the machines! Reese had been hanging out in L.A.'s ruins when he stumbled upon & joined forces with a mysterious "man" (who winds up being none other than Marcus Wright). Marcus, naked & with amnesia, was headed for San Francisco, the heart of the machine empire. But why?
Unfortunately (for all), Reese is captured by the machines & brought to Skynet's headquarters; leaving Marcus with the unenviable job of finding John Connor. Since it's discovered that Marcus is part machine (for all intents & purposes, from that 2003 research program), John doesn't know whether to trust him or not. Together, can they properly prepare for the Terminator's onslaught & mount a rescue operation? Will Marcus' compromised DNA impede them? And worst of all, can they handle Skynet's clandestine plans for human annihilation?
While the pieces of the game are there, this doesn't feel like your typical Terminator movie. There's no time travel component (just a futuristic war plot). There's no maniacal, indestructible villain (a detriment here). And there's no Arnold (except for a brief CGI-rendering). You know, this film includes several well-choreographed action sequences (involving robots, trucks, motorcycles, & other such things). But overall, I just didn't care enough about the characters or their situations; particularly in the 1st 2/3's of the movie. The final segment of the film (& climax) is pretty solid. And there's a heartfelt moment (no pun intended) at the very end which - while doesn't hit a false note - feels inconsequential to the rest of the proceedings.
Director McG does know his audience. And so, he gives us some Terminator-of-Old flourishes. Composer Danny Elfman lends a fairly sterile score (for him), but he inflects portions of the signature Terminator score from the original film(s). At one point, Kyle says 'Come with me if you want to live'. At another point, John Connor says, 'I'll be back'. In one segment, we get to hear Linda Hamilton's voice on a tape recorder. And as mentioned, Arnold makes a welcomed, but too-short, & CGI-ed appearance. Christian Bale is ok as John Connor. Strong, intense, obsessed. That's his M.O. in most films. I enjoyed Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese. But both female characters bring nothing interesting to the proceedings (Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard) - they are no Linda Hamilton.
'Terminator Salvation' is just a subpar movie. It needed a substantial time-travellin' villain. While I liked the late-breaking camaraderie btwn. Connor & Marcus, the screenplay needed more conflict. No one really wants to watch a courteous Terminator movie ... I mean, come on. We want fun, & badass-ness abounding. Unfortunately, there's no fun to be found ANYWHERE. Everything was dark, grimy, muted, uber-serious, & dour -- a real downer of an action movie. 'Terminator Salvation' is competently executed with good action spots, great special effects, & an appropriate atmosphere (post-apocalyptic). But I simply can't recommend it because of its unfocused plot points, as well as it's relentlessly bleak tone.
But in the process of survival, he finds out that Skynet is developing a new model T-800. A big wig - but not the true leader of the human resistance against the machines - John does oversee people, & is the voice of the resistance over the radio. His superiors, led by Gen. Ashdown (Michael Ironside), believe that they've created the ultimate weapon that can dismantle the machines if they're lured in to close range; and John volunteers to test it out. In the midst of doing this, he has another objective - locate the young version of his dad, Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin, of Star Trek), who's been targeted to be killed by the machines! Reese had been hanging out in L.A.'s ruins when he stumbled upon & joined forces with a mysterious "man" (who winds up being none other than Marcus Wright). Marcus, naked & with amnesia, was headed for San Francisco, the heart of the machine empire. But why?
Unfortunately (for all), Reese is captured by the machines & brought to Skynet's headquarters; leaving Marcus with the unenviable job of finding John Connor. Since it's discovered that Marcus is part machine (for all intents & purposes, from that 2003 research program), John doesn't know whether to trust him or not. Together, can they properly prepare for the Terminator's onslaught & mount a rescue operation? Will Marcus' compromised DNA impede them? And worst of all, can they handle Skynet's clandestine plans for human annihilation?
While the pieces of the game are there, this doesn't feel like your typical Terminator movie. There's no time travel component (just a futuristic war plot). There's no maniacal, indestructible villain (a detriment here). And there's no Arnold (except for a brief CGI-rendering). You know, this film includes several well-choreographed action sequences (involving robots, trucks, motorcycles, & other such things). But overall, I just didn't care enough about the characters or their situations; particularly in the 1st 2/3's of the movie. The final segment of the film (& climax) is pretty solid. And there's a heartfelt moment (no pun intended) at the very end which - while doesn't hit a false note - feels inconsequential to the rest of the proceedings.
Director McG does know his audience. And so, he gives us some Terminator-of-Old flourishes. Composer Danny Elfman lends a fairly sterile score (for him), but he inflects portions of the signature Terminator score from the original film(s). At one point, Kyle says 'Come with me if you want to live'. At another point, John Connor says, 'I'll be back'. In one segment, we get to hear Linda Hamilton's voice on a tape recorder. And as mentioned, Arnold makes a welcomed, but too-short, & CGI-ed appearance. Christian Bale is ok as John Connor. Strong, intense, obsessed. That's his M.O. in most films. I enjoyed Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese. But both female characters bring nothing interesting to the proceedings (Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard) - they are no Linda Hamilton.
'Terminator Salvation' is just a subpar movie. It needed a substantial time-travellin' villain. While I liked the late-breaking camaraderie btwn. Connor & Marcus, the screenplay needed more conflict. No one really wants to watch a courteous Terminator movie ... I mean, come on. We want fun, & badass-ness abounding. Unfortunately, there's no fun to be found ANYWHERE. Everything was dark, grimy, muted, uber-serious, & dour -- a real downer of an action movie. 'Terminator Salvation' is competently executed with good action spots, great special effects, & an appropriate atmosphere (post-apocalyptic). But I simply can't recommend it because of its unfocused plot points, as well as it's relentlessly bleak tone.