Terminator: Salvation
PG-13
1 Hour, 56 minutes
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, and Helena Bonham Carter.
Maybe the title suggests that the producers are trying to save, what appeared to be, a dead franchise. It’s a shame too. I love the Terminator franchise. Rather than saving it, they beat it senseless with a shovel. Although the action sequences are neat, the story is unfocused and lack luster. The film struggles between focusing on John Connor, Marcus Wright, and Kyle Reese. However, in splitting the focus they fail to fully develop any one character. It has its moments, yes. However, the moments are so few and far between to really maintain a good pace for the film.
Christian Bale (as John Connor), who I thought could do no wrong, fails to show up to the party. He’s there yes, being a badass, but not really a good performance. Sam Worthington (as Marcus Wright) bored me to no end. I couldn’t be less interested in his character if I tried.
Then there is Anton Yelchin (as Kyle Reese) who was the most interesting person to watch. For those of you who are paying attention, Yelchin turns in a beautiful performance for his portrayal of Chekov in the latest Star Trek installment. If you didn’t love him in that film, you may not have a heart beating in your chest.
Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese
The major flaw of this film is that it is not a Terminator movie. Just because you put Terminator in the title and have John Connor running around, doesn’t make it a part of the franchise. Although there are many bad things that can be said about the third installment, Terminator: Rise of the Machines, at least this films stays true to the theme of the series.
The basic premise of the series follows machines that come from the future to hunt down the soon-to-be leader of the resistance. However, I think there is more to it than that.
What these movies are really about are reluctant and (sometimes) unwilling heroes coming to terms with their own destiny. Sarah Connor takes this journey in Terminator, John Connor goes through it in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and finally Kate Brewster copes in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. In Terminator: Salvation, there isn’t one character who deals or struggles with their own destiny in the same way.
What I would’ve liked to see was a broken down John Connor. The guy has fought to stay alive so that he could fight a war. Now he’s living the war, thing aren’t getting better, so was it really worth him getting to this point? Then when he realizes that Kyle Reese is on the hit list, John remembers that there is still part of his destiny that has yet to be fulfilled. Now you follow Kyle Reese, a teenager, watching him come into his own and fight to stay alive to fulfill his own destiny of traveling to the past to protect Sarah Connor.
The whole back-story of Marcus Wright was boring. Who cares? Marcus’ big secret was painfully obvious from the beginning. The fact that they wasted as much time as they did on him and his past was a complete waste of story space. At the end of the day, these stories need to be about the Connor’s.
There were only two points where I enjoyed the film; the chase at the gas station and the end.
Overall, Terminator: Salvation showed a lack of understanding for the franchise and story as a whole.
Making sequels is a tricky business. At the end of the day, the failed ventures are usually a result of a misunderstanding of the source material. Nothing ever seems to beat the original. The irony of is, the Terminator franchise is the exception to this rule. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a sequel that out did the original in every way possible. I guess you can’t capture the magic every time. C+
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One of the most whimsical shows ever to grace the small screen is back for its second season. Too bad this is the last of it.
Uncategorized | The Maggie | 
August 13, 2009 11:14 am | 
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