Terminator Salvation: Review Central

[Solidus]

Figured since reviews will start pouring in this week from critics and users alike we might as well start a thread specifically for this.

Got a poll up. Sorry.

 

[Nivek]

I know a couple people here have seen it.

 

[Caped Crusader]

It's our turn now.

 

[Etienne]

Subscribed to both of the new threads.

 

[FCEEVIPER]

Early Reviews:

Maybe fake...Aintitcool.com
BEWARE SPOILAGE!!

Spoiler

Hey there,
I just went to see a prescreening of Terminator Salvation today. And well, I figured I would tell you a little about it, seeing as I hadn’t seen much about the movie yet as a whole.

I want to say that I went into this movie, not with the biggest expectations, mostly because I didn’t like how the third instalment of this series turned out. But also because, frankly, I wasn’t sure I felt McG was the right person to handle this movie. Maybe because of my low expectations, I actually came out of the cinema quite uplifted and hopeful. This isn’t as convincingly done as the Batman reboot with Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale, but I felt it was a good beginning for this storyline.
First a little spoiler alert, as I will go through a small recap of the movie.

The story of Terminator Salvation starts out with Marcus (Sam Worthington) who after killing his brother and 2 cops are sitting on death row on the day of his execution, in 2003 if I remember correctly.
With him is Serena (Helena Bonham Carter), who is trying to convince him to sign his body over to her research. Apparently some cancer research, but the company on the top of the page he signs is Cyberdyne systems. This plotline is pretty much the one that carries the movie, as Sam Worthington simply put is the actual lead of this movie. He is also the one that I think McG gets the best performance out of.

I was very surprised and quite happy about this character as a whole. The lead on the page is of course John Connor (Christian Bale), which we find in 2018, jumping out of a helicopter in a lead strike on a Skynet facility. Our first perception is that this is the guy in charge, but we find out that he is yet to become head of the resistance at this point. He is in charge of a group of the resistance, but in a secret hideaway sits the actual resistance command structure.

John Connor however is someone that people look up to, as he instills spirit and will to live and go on, by airing his thoughts and knowledge over the radio waves for everyone who will listen. Marcus wakes up in 2018 somewhat frightened at first, but quickly gets his mind into figuring out whats going on. He bumps into teenager Kyle Reese, who is the one sent back in time in Terminator 1 to rescue Sarah Connor, and who becomes the father of John Connor. This in itself is quite a time paradox, so don’t start trying to figure out how all this time travel works, just accept it as a cool storyline. With them is also a young girl called Star.

Marcus ends up taking them with him in their effort to get out of LA. Kyle and Star is captured by Skynet and Marcus wants to go break them out. He manages to come upon Blair, a member of Connors resistance group, and eventually persuades him to help in a rescue attempt at the Skynet main facility, and this is where things start to get heated, as Connor is led into a trap. Basically the movie revolves around Marcus coming to terms with who and what he is, and that is something you need to find out for yourselves by seeing this movie.

I am not saying it is a big whopper of a reveal, but frankly, Id rather tell you about the feeling of the movie and how well it is done instead.
There are a bunch of other castmembers, amongst others Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate Connor, Michael Ironside as General Ashdown, who all help our majors along, but as I mentioned above Sam Worthington carries much of this movie. Theres also cameos in voice by Linda Hamilton and appearance by Schwarzenegger. And for my tastes certainly the latter is a cool moment. I am sure it will be talked about, but it was nice to see him, even for a brief moment.

As for the directing, I find that the action is well executed. However the smaller moments, in which we get to know our characters, isn’t all well done. I believe the best performance is by Sam. The guy playing Kyle Reese, doesn’t do a bad job either. In general the acting is good. I however felt Christian Bales performance to be a little over the top at times. I must say he was propably also the one I had the highest expectations of, and so was the one that would have the biggest job of pulling this off. I cant say if it’s the way John Connor is written or acted, or maybe just the way it all was cut together, but Ive seen better from Bale.

Action is the keyword for this movie, which of course most people who goes to see this franchise will be expecting. I found that it had a little too much action, so that our characters wasn’t told in a way, that we could really bond with them. It lacked some more small moments of quiet interaction. The effects, however, are well done. Theres a bunch of new Terminators, very nice high tech stuff.. It’s a barren world, after the nuclear attacks. It contrasts nicely with the future we see in Terminator 2, where it is all night scenes. In this movie, there are not that many night scenes, and it just feels right, to show the world in this battleworn way, in full daylight.

The last thing I will touch upon, is the music. I usually enjoy soundtracks from all kinds of movies, and I did like the steel on steel sounds that has been with Terminator at least since Terminator 2. I wasn’t expecting great new music I could listen to at any time, but I usually am very fond of Danny Elfmans work, and thought it at times was too loud and big for the movie. Sometimes less is more, and for me, that would have been preferable this time around.

All in all I came out of the cinema with the belief that we may still have great stories from the Terminator universe, and that we at least have a fine piece of action movie, with the potential for a good story arc.
If you choose to use this, you may call me Gandalf The Grey.
​

SHHype's Spyder07
BEWARE SPOILAGE!!

Spoiler

Saw the movie last night.

Likes

- Does not drag on.
- Constant development of the Terminator story(unlike T3)
- Action scenes were entertaining and im not an action scene fan
- Robots are awesome and deserve to be called robots not like the sissy michael bay transformers who dont kill anything(how hard is to kill luis steven and a hot chick?) and are all colorful.
- It's a great reboot cuz the series died with T3
- Young Reese I BELIEVED that kid grew up and became what we saw in T1. Kid has heart. he IS the resistance.
- robocycles were cool.
- Twinkie Cameo can imagine how good a twinkie taste after judgement day.
- Connors Resistance speeches
- Camera work
- Cool sets
- Star at the beginning
-The Resistence

dislikes

- Movie too short(guess I'm just getting used to movies as long as Watchmen)
- This movies seems to be too confined on to its sets. Sometimes didnt believe it was the future but just some movie set. Again the past T-movies had us everywhere all in one scene but then again it is post judgemnet day so theres not many locations to go to.
- Bale yelled a tad bit too much for me. Just kept reminding me of the bale rant.
- That it was Rated pg-13. Could have been much better rated R.
- Intro. Reminding you what happened in type writer form. If your not caught up with the movies than you should not be watching.
- Twinkie wasnt completely eaten.
- Not much charcter development on the new characters.
- EVERYBODY can take a freaking bullet!!
- Star at the end
- Robots cruelness towards humans

Over all the movie was good. Wish i didnt spoil msyeslf so much here though just because the movie was short and pretty much what you saw here was a big chunk of what you saw there. Hope this was just the Batman Begins of terminators and the next one will blow us out of the water or something along those lines. 7.5/10.

showbizcafe.com
BEWARE SPOILAGE!!

Spoiler

'Terminator Salvation' - First Review!

by Jack Rico on 01.12.2009

I just came back from watching an exclusive 20 minute screening of TERMINATOR SALVATION at the Time Warner Center in Manhattan, New York. I love that area, but that's a whole other conversation.

The director of the film McG, yes the same guy who produced the TV series 'O.C' and 'Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious', was there to present and introduce 4 never before seen clips. Before I get to that, I must say, I think the guy gets a bad rap (I'm at fault too). Today he impressed me with his presence, orator skills and humor. Compared to director Zack Snyder, from Watchmen, he's a savant. McG essentially pitched himself to the 40 some-odd film critics as why he is the right guy to direct this film. He was convincing, but even more, the clips he showed had me at hello.



Here's a breakdown of what I saw followed by some commentary (spoilers!):

Scene 1: A snipett of the film that felt more like a :30 second trailer.

Scene 2: All out action. Looks like McG went for the jugular on this one... and he got me. We see actor Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright, I'm still trying to find out what relevance his character has in the film, with Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese, arriving at what seems an abandoned gas station. There they are surprised by several refugees who are aiming guns at them until... a thunderous thud comes roaring through the roof in the form giant robotic claws and... GASP! people are torn to shreds! A truck chase ensues between the gigantic robot and our two heroes. Robot motorcycle drivers are spit out from the legs of the behemoth machine and then... KABOOM! Many of the CGI scenes presented were still unfinished so we couldn't get a full grasp of the clips, yet, it was enough to remind me of T2's action sequences. I was entertained to say the least.

Scene 3: Here we see Bale crashing his helicopter into a lake. Hydrobots come rushing like piranhas to mutilate and dismember what ever they can get their fiber optic wires on, only to be confronted by "B.A.B" (Bad Ass Bale) who plays John Connor. Sam Worthington then comes out of the lake like the Predator and stands toe to toe with Bale. Drama ensues. Fade to black.

Scene 4: This clip looks like an extended theatrical trailer wich lasted like 3-4 minutes. It's essentially a summary of the movie and all the clips that were exhibited.



Here are my thoughts of the presentation and the film:

McG

McG was an appealing and engaging presenter. He hinted at 'The Governator' making a cameo. The director talked about how 'big budget action meets quality acting' will be seen here á la Dark Knight and Iron Man. He loves Sam Worthington and he thinks he's going to be a BIG star. He mentioned that Bale's talent is the reason the movie will be a hit. He also mentioned that 'Bruce Wayne' spends 6-8 hours in the editing room with him to make sure it doesn't turn out campy. It was referred to in the Q&A that there is a part 5 in the mix and it will incorporate the time travel theme. Danny Elfman was picked over Oscar winning Argentinian composer Gustavo Santaolalla from Babel. He chose him because of his delicateness and bravura.

The Scenes

The action scenes we saw are the real deal and I can't wait to see this film in IMAX. I'm gonna flip out! There was so much action compacted into the 10 minute clip that my head almost exploded. That's what a summer action movie is all about. I thought Bale sounded like BATMAN, you know, the hoarse, husky, grating voice I'm talking about. To me that was the single reason The Dark Knight was not perfect. The raspy voice has got to go! I feel that apart from that, there will be enough acting chops from Bale to distinguish this from a contrived, generic action summer flick. From the looks of it, we can count on Terminator Salvation to be an entertaining and frolicking good time at the movies this summer!

 

[Nivek]

VRICH & Lord Blackbolt, you actually see it?

 

[FCEEVIPER]

Another early review, BEWARE SPOILERS!

Well, here we go.

From a Korean website, who say they loved the film. You can see here


And below is what they say we'll see about a certain cameo...

Spoiler

 

[Nivek]

Don't be a *****e, do not vote in the thread poll unless you seen the film!

Can a Mod reset and lock it till the week of the 22nd? Especially since people are too stupid or eager to wait?

 

[Kent]

^ All I see when I visit that site is a bunch of writing in Korean. Is there a translated version?

 

[Nivek]

Bump.

Reviews should be coming in over the day...

 

[#1Batmanfan]

8/10 !

 

[SatEL]

Early Reviews:

Maybe fake...Aintitcool.com
BEWARE SPOILAGE!!

Spoiler

Hey there,
I just went to see a prescreening of Terminator Salvation today. And well, I figured I would tell you a little about it, seeing as I hadn’t seen much about the movie yet as a whole.

I want to say that I went into this movie, not with the biggest expectations, mostly because I didn’t like how the third instalment of this series turned out. But also because, frankly, I wasn’t sure I felt McG was the right person to handle this movie. Maybe because of my low expectations, I actually came out of the cinema quite uplifted and hopeful. This isn’t as convincingly done as the Batman reboot with Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale, but I felt it was a good beginning for this storyline.
First a little spoiler alert, as I will go through a small recap of the movie.

The story of Terminator Salvation starts out with Marcus (Sam Worthington) who after killing his brother and 2 cops are sitting on death row on the day of his execution, in 2003 if I remember correctly.
With him is Serena (Helena Bonham Carter), who is trying to convince him to sign his body over to her research. Apparently some cancer research, but the company on the top of the page he signs is Cyberdyne systems. This plotline is pretty much the one that carries the movie, as Sam Worthington simply put is the actual lead of this movie. He is also the one that I think McG gets the best performance out of.

I was very surprised and quite happy about this character as a whole. The lead on the page is of course John Connor (Christian Bale), which we find in 2018, jumping out of a helicopter in a lead strike on a Skynet facility. Our first perception is that this is the guy in charge, but we find out that he is yet to become head of the resistance at this point. He is in charge of a group of the resistance, but in a secret hideaway sits the actual resistance command structure.

John Connor however is someone that people look up to, as he instills spirit and will to live and go on, by airing his thoughts and knowledge over the radio waves for everyone who will listen. Marcus wakes up in 2018 somewhat frightened at first, but quickly gets his mind into figuring out whats going on. He bumps into teenager Kyle Reese, who is the one sent back in time in Terminator 1 to rescue Sarah Connor, and who becomes the father of John Connor. This in itself is quite a time paradox, so don’t start trying to figure out how all this time travel works, just accept it as a cool storyline. With them is also a young girl called Star.

Marcus ends up taking them with him in their effort to get out of LA. Kyle and Star is captured by Skynet and Marcus wants to go break them out. He manages to come upon Blair, a member of Connors resistance group, and eventually persuades him to help in a rescue attempt at the Skynet main facility, and this is where things start to get heated, as Connor is led into a trap. Basically the movie revolves around Marcus coming to terms with who and what he is, and that is something you need to find out for yourselves by seeing this movie.

I am not saying it is a big whopper of a reveal, but frankly, Id rather tell you about the feeling of the movie and how well it is done instead.
There are a bunch of other castmembers, amongst others Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate Connor, Michael Ironside as General Ashdown, who all help our majors along, but as I mentioned above Sam Worthington carries much of this movie. Theres also cameos in voice by Linda Hamilton and appearance by Schwarzenegger. And for my tastes certainly the latter is a cool moment. I am sure it will be talked about, but it was nice to see him, even for a brief moment.

As for the directing, I find that the action is well executed. However the smaller moments, in which we get to know our characters, isn’t all well done. I believe the best performance is by Sam. The guy playing Kyle Reese, doesn’t do a bad job either. In general the acting is good. I however felt Christian Bales performance to be a little over the top at times. I must say he was propably also the one I had the highest expectations of, and so was the one that would have the biggest job of pulling this off. I cant say if it’s the way John Connor is written or acted, or maybe just the way it all was cut together, but Ive seen better from Bale.

Action is the keyword for this movie, which of course most people who goes to see this franchise will be expecting. I found that it had a little too much action, so that our characters wasn’t told in a way, that we could really bond with them. It lacked some more small moments of quiet interaction. The effects, however, are well done. Theres a bunch of new Terminators, very nice high tech stuff.. It’s a barren world, after the nuclear attacks. It contrasts nicely with the future we see in Terminator 2, where it is all night scenes. In this movie, there are not that many night scenes, and it just feels right, to show the world in this battleworn way, in full daylight.

The last thing I will touch upon, is the music. I usually enjoy soundtracks from all kinds of movies, and I did like the steel on steel sounds that has been with Terminator at least since Terminator 2. I wasn’t expecting great new music I could listen to at any time, but I usually am very fond of Danny Elfmans work, and thought it at times was too loud and big for the movie. Sometimes less is more, and for me, that would have been preferable this time around.

All in all I came out of the cinema with the belief that we may still have great stories from the Terminator universe, and that we at least have a fine piece of action movie, with the potential for a good story arc.
If you choose to use this, you may call me Gandalf The Grey.
​

SHHype's Spyder07
BEWARE SPOILAGE!!

showbizcafe.com
BEWARE SPOILAGE!!

Cant even read those as they contain spoilers.

 

[Carnotaur3]

8/10 !

Tell us more!

 

[WeaponXProject]

Another early review, BEWARE SPOILERS!

Spoiler

*spooge*

That is so awesome!

 

[Kane52630]

Subscribe

 

[Kent]

Tell us more!

Indeed. Like, is the main theme from T1 and T2 in there? Does CG Arnie look convincing? How does it compare to the previous films?

 

[#1Batmanfan]

Indeed. Like, is the main theme from T1 and T2 in there? Does CG Arnie look convincing? How does it compare to the previous films?

i remember the begging of the theme playing when arnold comes out.
the cg arnold looks fine. its not as good as T1 or T2 but its wayyyy better than T3

 

[Carnotaur3]

It's not in the beginning credits?

 

[WVsax27]

a full review http://collegetimes.us/advance-revi...prisingly-decent-action-romp-into-the-future/

Spoiler

Director: McG
Rated: PG-13
*Note: This film releases on May 21st For: Terminator and Sam Worthington fans; Those looking for a good post-apocalyptic action film
Not for: Those seeking innovations and originality in the sci-fi genre


The heavy bass and percussion anthem of Terminator is iconic, stemming from the imagination of James Cameron and his take on the conspiracy theory of machines versus humans. The first two movies in the series were fantastic representations of gritty sci-fi mixed with some good action and drama along with revolutionary special effects. The third, however, was a ho-hum entry that seemed to try and keep the franchise alive along with Schwarzengger’s acting career. Director McG now takes the reins as the series blasts off into the post-apocalyptic future and many had their doubts about how the movie would be, given McG’s past resume. Does the series still fare well even with the time change and nearly complete cast makeover? What may come as a surprise to many is yes, Terminator: Salvation is still a good entry and a marked improvement over its third predecessor that may not exactly set the sci-fi genre ablaze with its effects or plot line but progresses the saga in an interesting direction with good action to boot.

Terminator: Salvation is set in a post-apocalyptic future after Skynet, a huge supercomputer, has literally blown up the world with nuclear weapons and is battling the remaining humans, the Resistance, for complete control. At the spearhead of the operation for the Resistance is John Connor (Christian Bale), who is considered to be both a prophet, mainly because of his knowledge of what is to come, and a hindrance by the leaders of the Resistance, because of his rebellious ways. Assisted by Dr. Serena Kogan (Helena Carter) and his own army, Connor works tirelessly to figure out a way to stop the machines. However, that all changes when a Resistance fighter Moon (Blair Williams) discovers Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a being who shakes up what Connor expected as both sides start to make their decisive moves against each other.


Perhaps the biggest mistakes that McG’s entry makes is based more on lack of innovation and ambition. Terminator: Salvation is definitely big and spectacular as an action sci-fi movie, yet it lacks the punch and complete terror that came with the first two entries. This is exemplified when looking at most of the characters, especially John Connor. Instead of full and featured emotions, most of these people take on with a specific emotion, whether it is being rebellious, fighting against the robots, or staying ambivalent. It is disappointing to see Connor so under fleshed with only a real change of heart by the end of the film as it is a bit nonsensical after all that he has gone through in his life. Even the final surprise villain will feel so intangible because of the lack of understandable emotion from the heroes.



Additionally, the editing and exposition are pretty spotty and all over the board. The introduction is a mess of combining an awkward flashback with a long text overlay, and while never occurring to the same severity, there should have been tighter control over how the narrative is unveiled. The worst hindrance is the fact that important themes that seem readily apparent are never really explored. What does it really mean to be both a prophet and a soldier? What is the significance to being both a robot and human (and wouldn’t you realize it sooner when you couldn’t perform human functions)? How does one live day-to-day in a post-apocalyptic environment with oneself and others in normal relationships? A much better movie was definitely lurking underneath, yet it was never aspired towards.


These seemingly large errors, however, are overshadowed by both the entertainment value and successful progression of the narrative. Terminator: Salvation has a lot of great action sequences that effectively ramp up in the amount of effects and fights seen on screen. Tensions run high when a massive robot starts to take human prisoners or through a one-on-one showdown between human versus robot. It is non-stop and gritty (at least for a PG-13 rating). The biggest and probably unspoken star, though, is the great guerilla-style camera work. There are some great, beautiful long shots as the heroes duck and weave between debris and robots to reach a destination and while it may never be as ambitious as a movie like Children of Men, such good cinematography is always a pleasure to see. On top of this, Industrial Light & Magic continue their reign as a great special effects house as many of the CG and technology is seamless and tangible, save for perhaps a few not-so-great looking robots. Perhaps what also pushes this film into a more memorable direction is the direction the plot takes. Although it may never explore it in detail, the plot makes interesting points as to what happens when past, prophesized information does not exactly match up with the future or how a prisoner of war could change the entire battle. Worthington’s Marcus becomes an integral part of that discussion and although much cannot be talked about without revealing too much, this character is probably the most well-rounded and surprisingly intriguing character that will keep moviegoers interested until the very end, which is a testament to both his acting ability and the good dialogue he is given.
Terminator: Salvation is a competent, summer action movie that, much like all good reboots, pleases the fan base while attracting a wider audience. It does not exactly innovate the Terminator name beyond what is already accomplished as it relies on series old themes and not exactly helped by the dearth of character development for most of the characters, some odd exposition work, lack of cohesive editing, and odd ending sequence, but it does bring up some interesting ideas about where the series could go. Worthington’s Marcus is the unexpected character that really makes the most impact, raising questions about the differences between humans and cyborgs, while ILM creates another spectacular special effects offering that add to the constant tension and fairly slick cinematography. All in all, neither action nor Terminator fans should be displeased with McG’s work. Anyone expecting a genre-defining, science fiction film as explosive as the first two Terminators, though, are going in with too high of expectations.
The Wie muses: *** out of *****
Ratings:
*****: Excellent
**** to ****½: Great
*** to ***½: Good
** to **½: Mediocre
* to *½: Bad
0 to ½: Terrible

 

[Caped Crusader]

i remember the begging of the theme playing when arnold comes out.
the cg arnold looks fine. its not as good as T1 or T2 but its wayyyy better than T3

Wait. what theme plays when Arnold comes out

 

[Solidus]

a full review http://collegetimes.us/advance-review-‘terminator-salvation’-a-surprisingly-decent-action-romp-into-the-future/

Spoiler

Director: McG
Rated: PG-13
*Note: This film releases on May 21st For: Terminator and Sam Worthington fans; Those looking for a good post-apocalyptic action film
Not for: Those seeking innovations and originality in the sci-fi genre


The heavy bass and percussion anthem of Terminator is iconic, stemming from the imagination of James Cameron and his take on the conspiracy theory of machines versus humans. The first two movies in the series were fantastic representations of gritty sci-fi mixed with some good action and drama along with revolutionary special effects. The third, however, was a ho-hum entry that seemed to try and keep the franchise alive along with Schwarzengger’s acting career. Director McG now takes the reins as the series blasts off into the post-apocalyptic future and many had their doubts about how the movie would be, given McG’s past resume. Does the series still fare well even with the time change and nearly complete cast makeover? What may come as a surprise to many is yes, Terminator: Salvation is still a good entry and a marked improvement over its third predecessor that may not exactly set the sci-fi genre ablaze with its effects or plot line but progresses the saga in an interesting direction with good action to boot.

Terminator: Salvation is set in a post-apocalyptic future after Skynet, a huge supercomputer, has literally blown up the world with nuclear weapons and is battling the remaining humans, the Resistance, for complete control. At the spearhead of the operation for the Resistance is John Connor (Christian Bale), who is considered to be both a prophet, mainly because of his knowledge of what is to come, and a hindrance by the leaders of the Resistance, because of his rebellious ways. Assisted by Dr. Serena Kogan (Helena Carter) and his own army, Connor works tirelessly to figure out a way to stop the machines. However, that all changes when a Resistance fighter Moon (Blair Williams) discovers Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a being who shakes up what Connor expected as both sides start to make their decisive moves against each other.


Perhaps the biggest mistakes that McG’s entry makes is based more on lack of innovation and ambition. Terminator: Salvation is definitely big and spectacular as an action sci-fi movie, yet it lacks the punch and complete terror that came with the first two entries. This is exemplified when looking at most of the characters, especially John Connor. Instead of full and featured emotions, most of these people take on with a specific emotion, whether it is being rebellious, fighting against the robots, or staying ambivalent. It is disappointing to see Connor so under fleshed with only a real change of heart by the end of the film as it is a bit nonsensical after all that he has gone through in his life. Even the final surprise villain will feel so intangible because of the lack of understandable emotion from the heroes.



Additionally, the editing and exposition are pretty spotty and all over the board. The introduction is a mess of combining an awkward flashback with a long text overlay, and while never occurring to the same severity, there should have been tighter control over how the narrative is unveiled. The worst hindrance is the fact that important themes that seem readily apparent are never really explored. What does it really mean to be both a prophet and a soldier? What is the significance to being both a robot and human (and wouldn’t you realize it sooner when you couldn’t perform human functions)? How does one live day-to-day in a post-apocalyptic environment with oneself and others in normal relationships? A much better movie was definitely lurking underneath, yet it was never aspired towards.


These seemingly large errors, however, are overshadowed by both the entertainment value and successful progression of the narrative. Terminator: Salvation has a lot of great action sequences that effectively ramp up in the amount of effects and fights seen on screen. Tensions run high when a massive robot starts to take human prisoners or through a one-on-one showdown between human versus robot. It is non-stop and gritty (at least for a PG-13 rating). The biggest and probably unspoken star, though, is the great guerilla-style camera work. There are some great, beautiful long shots as the heroes duck and weave between debris and robots to reach a destination and while it may never be as ambitious as a movie like Children of Men, such good cinematography is always a pleasure to see. On top of this, Industrial Light & Magic continue their reign as a great special effects house as many of the CG and technology is seamless and tangible, save for perhaps a few not-so-great looking robots. Perhaps what also pushes this film into a more memorable direction is the direction the plot takes. Although it may never explore it in detail, the plot makes interesting points as to what happens when past, prophesized information does not exactly match up with the future or how a prisoner of war could change the entire battle. Worthington’s Marcus becomes an integral part of that discussion and although much cannot be talked about without revealing too much, this character is probably the most well-rounded and surprisingly intriguing character that will keep moviegoers interested until the very end, which is a testament to both his acting ability and the good dialogue he is given.
Terminator: Salvation is a competent, summer action movie that, much like all good reboots, pleases the fan base while attracting a wider audience. It does not exactly innovate the Terminator name beyond what is already accomplished as it relies on series old themes and not exactly helped by the dearth of character development for most of the characters, some odd exposition work, lack of cohesive editing, and odd ending sequence, but it does bring up some interesting ideas about where the series could go. Worthington’s Marcus is the unexpected character that really makes the most impact, raising questions about the differences between humans and cyborgs, while ILM creates another spectacular special effects offering that add to the constant tension and fairly slick cinematography. All in all, neither action nor Terminator fans should be displeased with McG’s work. Anyone expecting a genre-defining, science fiction film as explosive as the first two Terminators, though, are going in with too high of expectations.
The Wie muses: *** out of *****
Ratings:
*****: Excellent
**** to ****½: Great
*** to ***½: Good
** to **½: Mediocre
* to *½: Bad
0 to ½: Terrible

Good review. Sounds like they need to put in all that stuff they deleted. And the only two flaws I saw in this persons review. I think it was made clear in the book *who knows of the movie* that Marcus functions like a human, in terms of eating so on and so forth. He does have organs unlike most Terminators.

The only other thing I would say is, there is no such thing as originality anymore people that think there is are in denial lol. There really are only so many stories that can be told. Even Terminator was not a new look on Sci-Fi, they were horror/action movies with depth.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

i remember the begging of the theme playing when arnold comes out.
the cg arnold looks fine. its not as good as T1 or T2 but its wayyyy better than T3

I hope I feel the same way.

 

[Etienne]

Wait. what theme plays when Arnold comes out

I second this.

 

[Nivek]

Nothing yet?

 

[Kent]

I second this.

If I'd guess then a variant of the first 7 seconds of this.