Terminator Salvation
- Thread starter Evan S
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Batutta
Major Contributor
Meh. It wasn't horrible. But I didn't think it wasn't that good either. Since the series took a dive in T3 the fact that this film doesn't measure up to the first two isn't quite as disappointing. The damage has already been done. I'll give them points for breaking from the Terminator formula, but what they replaced it with only works with varying degrees of success. I just about checked out after that horrible first scene in the jail. Terrible dialogue there. Nothing else was quite as bad, but overall they didn't spend enough time making me care about any of these people, except for Kyle Reese. I'll echo what filthrich said, Anton Yelchin totally captured Michael Biehn's essence from the first film, down to the way he talked. Considering he didn't have to really, I commend him for doing a thorough job. Bale did exactly the job you'd expect him to do as John Connor, but the writing didn't give him much to work with. One thing's for sure, after this and Dark Knight he'd better do a romantic comedy before he becomes known as Broody McScreamer. As for all the hulabaloo about Sam Worthington stealing the show, I'm not sold on him yet. He's handsome, and acts reasonably well, but I didn't see anything here that made me say WOW, that guy's a movie star. He did a job I think twenty other guys in Hollywood could have pulled off no problem. The one to watch for me is Anton. I thought Arnie's CGI appearance was laughably bad. He looked like mongoloid Schwarzenegger. The CGI character work seemed like an afterthought and you could tell they were trying to hide it best as they could. Good idea, but badly executed...And what the hell was that damn black kid doing in this movie? I think Boomer the dog had more purpose in Independence Day then that kid. The action scenes were well done, and loud as hell, just wish the quiet scenes made me care more about who was being shot at.
Batutta
Major Contributor
I have an even crazier Cameron story. Back in the early 90's, I was living with my sister and her husband. They were going to art school and he was doing this art project where he was going to project some Super8 footage. I'm sitting there in the living room watching TV, and hear my brother in-law talking to somebody on the phone about how to use his Super8 camera. He knew somebody interning at Digital Domain and called him up. After he hangs up, he turns to me and says, "Who's James Cameron?". I'm like, "...uh, the guy who directed Terminator and Aliens." My brother in-law says, "Oh, that guy! I just talked to him for 20 minutes about how to use my camera!" His friend didn't know anything about cinematogrpahy, so he asked the other guy in the room to talk to him, and that is how my brother in-law got personal filmmaking advice from James freakin' Cameron.
dvpixl
Veteran
SPOILER
ok, for those who've seen it, does it connect to the first movie still? Salvation takes place in 2018, and so in 2029(T1), they send back Kyle Reese because the Skynet has created a time machine. Is that the case?
I know the future changed. And it makes sense seeing all that happened in 1 and 2 and maybe 3.... so would that explain how the Skynet knew about Kyle Reese? - and if that is the case, then they already had the time machine in 2018.... see i get lost there....
I would like to see someone else's take on it.
ok, for those who've seen it, does it connect to the first movie still? Salvation takes place in 2018, and so in 2029(T1), they send back Kyle Reese because the Skynet has created a time machine. Is that the case?
I know the future changed. And it makes sense seeing all that happened in 1 and 2 and maybe 3.... so would that explain how the Skynet knew about Kyle Reese? - and if that is the case, then they already had the time machine in 2018.... see i get lost there....
I would like to see someone else's take on it.
Batutta
Major Contributor
Hmm. Skynet does seem to know about Kyle Reese being John Connor's father in this movie, but it's never made clear how. You are right, the machines would have to know he went back in time and impregnated Sarah Connor, but that means they would already have, or are contemplating time travel...None of the time travel conundrums ever made much sense in Terminator, though. Skynet sent a Terminator back to kill Sarah Connor so John Connor wouldn't be born, but John Connor was only born because they sent Kyle Reese to stop the Terminator. In the first version of history where Skynet didn't send a Terminator, where did John Connor come from? It's possible he was born from a different father, which would make the John Connor in the subsequent films a different John Connor, not THE John Connor that stopped Skynet. However, if skynet DOES now know that Reese is John Connor's father via time travel, wouldn't it make sense to just not invent time travel in the first place. Anyway, I always just suspended my disbelief with those questions. Time travel isn't an aspect of this film however, in any way.
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Brandon Rice
Distributed Producer
Saw it tonight... my fav of the series, behind T1 
Richard J. Johnson
Joystick Member
Batutta
Major Contributor
Saw it tonight... my fav of the series, behind T1
You're high on drugs.
Better than T3 I could understand. But not T2!
Brandon Rice
Distributed Producer
I don't really like T2
Brandon Rice
Distributed Producer
and I'm not high on drugs... I just have a different OPINION.
Batutta
Major Contributor
I know...To each his own. I just can't fathom it. What don't you like about T2? Not that it's perfect or anything.
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Brandon Rice
Distributed Producer
Just found it silly.
Larry Rutledge
Fest Master
I only made it through about 30 minutes of T1, though it was after having seen T2 several times and enjoying it. Finally saw T3 the other night, enjoyed it but not as much as T2.
Looking forward to seeing this new one soon.
Looking forward to seeing this new one soon.
Rick Meyer
Veteran
I'm actually going to a drive-in double feature tonight of Star Trek and Terminator. I'm a little apprehensive. Sounds like Hollywood Blockbuster overload to me but sittin' on beach chairs with friends, blankets and some cold beers...won't be too bad.
Nektonic
Veteran
Wow. :thumbup::thumbup::beer::kali::violent5:
I went in half expecting a turd (or as Mark Harris described the new Star Trek as a "turd burger") and this movie just knocked my socks off.
As you all can see by my avatar, I'm a big terminator fan. I remember seeing the first film many years ago while I was a little runt. I was too young to see it in the raw, so I only had the edited for TV one to watch. Even censored it is a great film. I don't think that I would've gotten interested in filmmaking if it weren't for The Terminator, Alien/Aliens, Predator, Ghostbusters, Blade Runner, Legend, Back to the Future, and Indiana Jones. Those awesome fantastical action and adventure films from the early to mid 80's were the initial sparks that ignited my interest in film, so I am not understating anything when I say that Terminator Salvation had a TON to live up to in my eyes. Especially after Terminator 3, which also had a TON to live up to but didn't. I don't hate it but I just can't really get into it either. Salvation had to climb an even taller hill because after the third film I was even more skeptical and cynical about any more terminator films. I though that maybe it was time to terminate the terminator.
Then there was this McG dude in the director's chair. I'm sorry, but I haven't seen anything he's done besides a minute or so of Charlie's Angels here or there. When one thinks of those films, it seems that the director of such a silly candy colored girls action flick that doesn't even attempt to take itself seriously in any minute fraction would not remotely be capable of doing a dark science fiction piece. When I heard that McG was doing the next terminator film, it seemed like this was Sparta and this was indeed madness! What were they thinking? Will he even remotely be able to recreate the feel of the future war sequences that Cameron created, and for a whole movie to boot? Egads, what the heck were they thinking?
MASSIVE SPOILERS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------MASSIVE SPOILERS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for Salvation, it might not be perfect, but it was a fun and exciting action film as well as an extremely worthy terminator film. The story might not be as nuanced or complex as some action classics like The Matrix or Heat, or even as effective or mythic as the first two Terminator films, however, I felt that the story worked really well and drove forward at a steady but deliberate pace. It didn't feel rushed like Star Trek did, yet wasn't boring either. The action was excellent. The whole ending climax in the Skynet base was worth the price of admission alone. Reminded me of the end of Aliens when Ripley goes into the atmosphere processor and descends to the lower levels and rescues Newt from the alien hive. Also, the ending was a bit like the first two in that it had the factory environment, even down to the shot of the T-800's feet going up the steps after John Connor. Obviously these elements were all a deliberate homage to those films being that they're all Cameron's work. I loved that though since the first two terminators and Aliens are among my favorite films.
I loved the awesome surprise/cameo in the last act... Arnold. He was obviously CGI, but really good CGI. Even if it looked 100% photo real the audience would've still thought CGI since it was the younger Arnold from the first film. However, it looked freaking awesome and I can't really complain since it kinda ties it in with the bad Arnold model and he looked a little old in Terminator 3. I'm glad they went back to the younger look from the first film. Anyways, it was an awesome moment that really took me back all those years to when he emerged from a haze of smoke, stood up, and took in his surroundings after traveling back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor.
end spoilers-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------end spoilers-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christian Bale worked just fine as John Connor. I never even thought of the Bale rant either (I wonder which scene that was?). Same Worthington's Marcus really surprised me. From the previews I didn't think that his character would be as prominent. Anton Yelchin really nailed the character of Kyle Reese, which I was very very worried about. Awesome job. He also was great as Pavel Chekov in Star Trek, so keep your eyes on this kid. I think he has a lot of good roles to look forward to. Hopefully we'll see more of him as Reese in the future, busting up some terminator heads.
So McG did it. While it doesn't look like Cameron himself directed it, McG convinced me that he was the right guy for this by creating a film that felt like an authentic continuation of James Cameron's saga. I can't wait to see what he does if they end up making the rest of this supposed future war against Skynet trilogy. This was an excellent beginning. I want an all out future war film for the sequel, kinda like the flashbacks from the first two films.
I never thought I'd say this, but if there is a sequel/prequel/reboot or whatever you want to call it for the Alien series (no Predators please, keep them separate) I would be excited to see what McG could do with it based on how well he took the terminator universe and balanced James Cameron's aesthetic with his own ideas. Of course, the script has to be mentioned as well, and I thought that the writers of Terminator Salvation really did a fantastic job as well. If there were any inconsistencies with the first three films, I didn't notice them so if there are any they're probably nothing to get your underwear in a twist over.
I went in half expecting a turd (or as Mark Harris described the new Star Trek as a "turd burger") and this movie just knocked my socks off.
As you all can see by my avatar, I'm a big terminator fan. I remember seeing the first film many years ago while I was a little runt. I was too young to see it in the raw, so I only had the edited for TV one to watch. Even censored it is a great film. I don't think that I would've gotten interested in filmmaking if it weren't for The Terminator, Alien/Aliens, Predator, Ghostbusters, Blade Runner, Legend, Back to the Future, and Indiana Jones. Those awesome fantastical action and adventure films from the early to mid 80's were the initial sparks that ignited my interest in film, so I am not understating anything when I say that Terminator Salvation had a TON to live up to in my eyes. Especially after Terminator 3, which also had a TON to live up to but didn't. I don't hate it but I just can't really get into it either. Salvation had to climb an even taller hill because after the third film I was even more skeptical and cynical about any more terminator films. I though that maybe it was time to terminate the terminator.
Then there was this McG dude in the director's chair. I'm sorry, but I haven't seen anything he's done besides a minute or so of Charlie's Angels here or there. When one thinks of those films, it seems that the director of such a silly candy colored girls action flick that doesn't even attempt to take itself seriously in any minute fraction would not remotely be capable of doing a dark science fiction piece. When I heard that McG was doing the next terminator film, it seemed like this was Sparta and this was indeed madness! What were they thinking? Will he even remotely be able to recreate the feel of the future war sequences that Cameron created, and for a whole movie to boot? Egads, what the heck were they thinking?
MASSIVE SPOILERS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------MASSIVE SPOILERS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for Salvation, it might not be perfect, but it was a fun and exciting action film as well as an extremely worthy terminator film. The story might not be as nuanced or complex as some action classics like The Matrix or Heat, or even as effective or mythic as the first two Terminator films, however, I felt that the story worked really well and drove forward at a steady but deliberate pace. It didn't feel rushed like Star Trek did, yet wasn't boring either. The action was excellent. The whole ending climax in the Skynet base was worth the price of admission alone. Reminded me of the end of Aliens when Ripley goes into the atmosphere processor and descends to the lower levels and rescues Newt from the alien hive. Also, the ending was a bit like the first two in that it had the factory environment, even down to the shot of the T-800's feet going up the steps after John Connor. Obviously these elements were all a deliberate homage to those films being that they're all Cameron's work. I loved that though since the first two terminators and Aliens are among my favorite films.
I loved the awesome surprise/cameo in the last act... Arnold. He was obviously CGI, but really good CGI. Even if it looked 100% photo real the audience would've still thought CGI since it was the younger Arnold from the first film. However, it looked freaking awesome and I can't really complain since it kinda ties it in with the bad Arnold model and he looked a little old in Terminator 3. I'm glad they went back to the younger look from the first film. Anyways, it was an awesome moment that really took me back all those years to when he emerged from a haze of smoke, stood up, and took in his surroundings after traveling back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor.
end spoilers-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------end spoilers-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christian Bale worked just fine as John Connor. I never even thought of the Bale rant either (I wonder which scene that was?). Same Worthington's Marcus really surprised me. From the previews I didn't think that his character would be as prominent. Anton Yelchin really nailed the character of Kyle Reese, which I was very very worried about. Awesome job. He also was great as Pavel Chekov in Star Trek, so keep your eyes on this kid. I think he has a lot of good roles to look forward to. Hopefully we'll see more of him as Reese in the future, busting up some terminator heads.
So McG did it. While it doesn't look like Cameron himself directed it, McG convinced me that he was the right guy for this by creating a film that felt like an authentic continuation of James Cameron's saga. I can't wait to see what he does if they end up making the rest of this supposed future war against Skynet trilogy. This was an excellent beginning. I want an all out future war film for the sequel, kinda like the flashbacks from the first two films.
I never thought I'd say this, but if there is a sequel/prequel/reboot or whatever you want to call it for the Alien series (no Predators please, keep them separate) I would be excited to see what McG could do with it based on how well he took the terminator universe and balanced James Cameron's aesthetic with his own ideas. Of course, the script has to be mentioned as well, and I thought that the writers of Terminator Salvation really did a fantastic job as well. If there were any inconsistencies with the first three films, I didn't notice them so if there are any they're probably nothing to get your underwear in a twist over.
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pathfinder
Well-known member
Interesting thoughts. Haven't got the chance to see it. So, I will have to see it for myself. One man's junk food is another man's tasty morsel, I guess...=) Either way, I will go into that theater expecting nothing but just relax and get my brain entertain.
spidey
Shogun Assassin
bing a real terminator fan. T2 I saw when I was a child in theater when my dad worked double jobs as a projectionist, I enjoyed the film. it hand action and cool effects and stuff the only thing missing was story in this one mostly. I hope with the next installment the beef up the story. but i did love the acting in it and the surprises at the end. over good not great. but i enjoy it better than 3 which tries to make it funnier.
spidey
Shogun Assassin
t2 is considered to be the best sequel ever made. what could you not like about it brandon? i think its really brilliant.
also the way i look at it as T1,T2 are complete stories 3 is canon but not alternate universe and salvation is also in alternate universe even though it picks up with 3.
also the way i look at it as T1,T2 are complete stories 3 is canon but not alternate universe and salvation is also in alternate universe even though it picks up with 3.