Genre: Sci-Fi Action
Director: McG
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard
Running Time: 115 minutes (plus trailers)
The first three Terminator films followed the same basic principal: a humanoid robot (a Terminator) is sent back in time by the evil supercomputer Skynet to kill a young John Connor before he can become the leader of the human resistance in the war against the machines. Terminator Salvation, the fourth and easily worst film in the series, departs dramatically from this formula. Set in the post-apocalyptic future that the previous films only hinted at, Terminator Salvation follows an adult John Connor (played by Christian Bale) as he attempts to fight Skynet and its army of Terminators. However, Connor’s story is secondary to the story of a new character: Marcus Wright (played by Australian actor and “next big thing” Sam Worthington) is a death row inmate in 2003 who wakes up one day in 2018 in what remains of California. Soon afterwards, he is attacked by Terminators and finds himself in the company of a young Kyle Reese (the man who will later be sent back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor, and in the process, father John). As the two men make their way towards the human base, Connor and the other leader’s of the human resistance plan their assault on Skynet. But when the paths of Reese and Connor cross, a terrible secret about one of them is revealed.
Christian Bale as an adult John Connor in Terminator Salvation
Before I get into my review of Terminator Salvation, I thought I should briefly outline my feelings about the previous entries into the franchise. The original film, made in 1984, is a really enjoyable action movie, although a lot of the special effects and music feel extremely dated when viewed today. Terminator 2 (1991) on the other hand is one of my favourite films of all time. Director James Cameron really stepped up and crafted what I think is the greatest action movie ever made. Each sequence is more intense and thrilling than the last, and the special effects still hold up after almost twenty years. What’s more, T2 is one of those few sci-fi actioners that can boast story, character and acting (even from Schwarzenegger) that is on par with its action (I would count The Matrix and Aliens (also directed by Cameron) amongst its peers in this regard). In light of this, Terminator 3 (2003), which was not directed by Cameron, gets a lot of hate. I am actually a defender of T3; sure there were a ton of plot inconsistencies, and yes, the ending did completely contradict the “there is no fate but what we make” motif of the first two films, but I still think it had a lot of great action and added some really interesting concepts to the Terminator series. All in all, I am a big fan of this franchise and the ideas it explores, with T2 especially standing out as a genuinely well made piece of Cinema (with a capital C).
Arnold Schwarzenegger (from T2) in his most inconic role as the T-800
Sadly, Terminator Salvation cannot make the same claims as its predecessors. To be clear, I did actually quite enjoy T4, and will be writing a positive review. But before I can even think about giving it any praise, I have to exorcise my Terminator demons with an angry, bitter, nerdy and completely futile tirade. Because as entertaining as this movie is, it is also a vicious slap in the face of the franchise and all of its loyal fans. This film barely has a brain, and any attempts it makes to explore the themes of fate vs. free will are hollow at best, soon giving way to more footage of robots fighting. Gone are the interesting characters and ideas that the first two films provided; instead we get woeful Paul Haggis-esque dialogue (not surprising since he was one of the screenwriters) a narrative based entirely on a series of preposterous coincidences, and military leaders so stupid that it really makes you hope that computers never launch a nuclear strike against humanity. Because if these guys are in charge, we are absolutely screwed.
John Connor (Bale) and Marcus Wright (Worthington) face off
Now, like most people on the internet, I love blaming other people for my troubles. And in the case of Terminator Salvation, I believe the blame lies entirely with director John “McG” McGinty Nichol. The word “hack” is thrown around a lot these days, but here is just feels so right. From the outset, the man promised that Salvation would be just as good as the previous films, and indeed the early trailers and casting decisions (Bale is a favourite of mine) seemed to back him up. But the director of Charlies Angels soon confirmed his status as a corporate puppet and tool of the studios system. The most publicised example of his flip-flopping came when the film was cut to receive a PG-13 rating, in comparison to the R rating of the previous films. Now the MPAA rating makes no difference to me as an Australian, but the fact that this movie was made to earn a PG-13 in the US means that so much of the mature content of the earlier movies is missing. And sure, loosing a “fuck” here and there might not seem like a big deal, but it really is the principle of the thing. Likewise, while cutting that topless shot of Moon Bloodgood probably didn’t have an effect on the progression of the story…I still would’ve really liked it if they’d it kept in. And not because I’m a sleazy adolescent, but because not having those breasts on display is a symbol of the corruption of the integrity of this once fine series.
Actress Moon Bloodgood as Lt. Blair Williams...ok maybe I'm a little bit sleazy.
To recap, Terminator Salvation features terrible dialogue, a stupid plot, idiotic characters and bears no resemblance to the smart sci-fi of James Cameron’s films. Despite this, I am recommending the thing. The first reason why is a very practical one: Terminator Salvation is never boring. The pacing is excellent and the action is very well done (I’m thinking specifically of the long mototerminator chase sequence about half-way in). Grudgingly, I have to give McG credit where it’s due; the man knows how to shoot an explosion. The other big reason to see this film is the acting. Not all of it; in fact this is probably Christian Bales weakest performance in recent memory. But Anton Yelchin is great as Kyle Reese, and Sam Worthington is perfect as Marcus Wright. This Aussie clearly has a big career ahead of him, with roles in James Cameron’s Avatar (he was recommended for the part in T4 by Cameron) and the remake of Clash of the Titans. He alone makes Salvation worth seeing, and we can look forward to plenty more of this guy in the next few years.
Worthington is easily the best thing about the movie
There are enormous flaws in Terminator Salvation; this should be apparent to even a non-fan of the series. But it is also a totally well made and enjoyable popcorn film, and should keep you satisfied for its entire runtime. I guess my final complaint is that ultimately, this didn’t need to be a Terminator film. As I mentioned, it doesn’t follow the same formula, and so aside from the title and certain key terms, you could watch this movie without ever knowing what came before it. Literally, if they had dropped the words “Terminator”, “John Connor”, “Kyle Reese” and “Skynet”, I don’t think there would have been anything to identify it as part of the series. And it’s not as though this franchise has a patent on the “post apocalyptic future where man fights against machines” concept. If only they had changed those few phrases, I could’ve happily enjoyed Terminator Salvation as the entertaining movie it is. But because I’m a nerd obsessed with canon and continuity, I spent most of the runtime (and many hours afterwards) obsessing over things they’d left out or gotten wrong. Still, if you have no emotional attachment to the franchise, Terminator Salvation should make for a fun trip to the movies. Or even better: stay home and rent Terminator 2.
Terminator Salvation is in cinemas now.
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard
Running Time: 115 minutes (plus trailers)
The first three Terminator films followed the same basic principal: a humanoid robot (a Terminator) is sent back in time by the evil supercomputer Skynet to kill a young John Connor before he can become the leader of the human resistance in the war against the machines. Terminator Salvation, the fourth and easily worst film in the series, departs dramatically from this formula. Set in the post-apocalyptic future that the previous films only hinted at, Terminator Salvation follows an adult John Connor (played by Christian Bale) as he attempts to fight Skynet and its army of Terminators. However, Connor’s story is secondary to the story of a new character: Marcus Wright (played by Australian actor and “next big thing” Sam Worthington) is a death row inmate in 2003 who wakes up one day in 2018 in what remains of California. Soon afterwards, he is attacked by Terminators and finds himself in the company of a young Kyle Reese (the man who will later be sent back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor, and in the process, father John). As the two men make their way towards the human base, Connor and the other leader’s of the human resistance plan their assault on Skynet. But when the paths of Reese and Connor cross, a terrible secret about one of them is revealed.
Christian Bale as an adult John Connor in Terminator SalvationBefore I get into my review of Terminator Salvation, I thought I should briefly outline my feelings about the previous entries into the franchise. The original film, made in 1984, is a really enjoyable action movie, although a lot of the special effects and music feel extremely dated when viewed today. Terminator 2 (1991) on the other hand is one of my favourite films of all time. Director James Cameron really stepped up and crafted what I think is the greatest action movie ever made. Each sequence is more intense and thrilling than the last, and the special effects still hold up after almost twenty years. What’s more, T2 is one of those few sci-fi actioners that can boast story, character and acting (even from Schwarzenegger) that is on par with its action (I would count The Matrix and Aliens (also directed by Cameron) amongst its peers in this regard). In light of this, Terminator 3 (2003), which was not directed by Cameron, gets a lot of hate. I am actually a defender of T3; sure there were a ton of plot inconsistencies, and yes, the ending did completely contradict the “there is no fate but what we make” motif of the first two films, but I still think it had a lot of great action and added some really interesting concepts to the Terminator series. All in all, I am a big fan of this franchise and the ideas it explores, with T2 especially standing out as a genuinely well made piece of Cinema (with a capital C).
Arnold Schwarzenegger (from T2) in his most inconic role as the T-800Sadly, Terminator Salvation cannot make the same claims as its predecessors. To be clear, I did actually quite enjoy T4, and will be writing a positive review. But before I can even think about giving it any praise, I have to exorcise my Terminator demons with an angry, bitter, nerdy and completely futile tirade. Because as entertaining as this movie is, it is also a vicious slap in the face of the franchise and all of its loyal fans. This film barely has a brain, and any attempts it makes to explore the themes of fate vs. free will are hollow at best, soon giving way to more footage of robots fighting. Gone are the interesting characters and ideas that the first two films provided; instead we get woeful Paul Haggis-esque dialogue (not surprising since he was one of the screenwriters) a narrative based entirely on a series of preposterous coincidences, and military leaders so stupid that it really makes you hope that computers never launch a nuclear strike against humanity. Because if these guys are in charge, we are absolutely screwed.
John Connor (Bale) and Marcus Wright (Worthington) face offNow, like most people on the internet, I love blaming other people for my troubles. And in the case of Terminator Salvation, I believe the blame lies entirely with director John “McG” McGinty Nichol. The word “hack” is thrown around a lot these days, but here is just feels so right. From the outset, the man promised that Salvation would be just as good as the previous films, and indeed the early trailers and casting decisions (Bale is a favourite of mine) seemed to back him up. But the director of Charlies Angels soon confirmed his status as a corporate puppet and tool of the studios system. The most publicised example of his flip-flopping came when the film was cut to receive a PG-13 rating, in comparison to the R rating of the previous films. Now the MPAA rating makes no difference to me as an Australian, but the fact that this movie was made to earn a PG-13 in the US means that so much of the mature content of the earlier movies is missing. And sure, loosing a “fuck” here and there might not seem like a big deal, but it really is the principle of the thing. Likewise, while cutting that topless shot of Moon Bloodgood probably didn’t have an effect on the progression of the story…I still would’ve really liked it if they’d it kept in. And not because I’m a sleazy adolescent, but because not having those breasts on display is a symbol of the corruption of the integrity of this once fine series.
Actress Moon Bloodgood as Lt. Blair Williams...ok maybe I'm a little bit sleazy.To recap, Terminator Salvation features terrible dialogue, a stupid plot, idiotic characters and bears no resemblance to the smart sci-fi of James Cameron’s films. Despite this, I am recommending the thing. The first reason why is a very practical one: Terminator Salvation is never boring. The pacing is excellent and the action is very well done (I’m thinking specifically of the long mototerminator chase sequence about half-way in). Grudgingly, I have to give McG credit where it’s due; the man knows how to shoot an explosion. The other big reason to see this film is the acting. Not all of it; in fact this is probably Christian Bales weakest performance in recent memory. But Anton Yelchin is great as Kyle Reese, and Sam Worthington is perfect as Marcus Wright. This Aussie clearly has a big career ahead of him, with roles in James Cameron’s Avatar (he was recommended for the part in T4 by Cameron) and the remake of Clash of the Titans. He alone makes Salvation worth seeing, and we can look forward to plenty more of this guy in the next few years.
Worthington is easily the best thing about the movieTerminator Salvation is in cinemas now.
