I have been a fan of the Terminator franchise since I was a little kid. I will never forget the circumstances with which I saw the first one. My brother and I were at the video store with our father, who always allowed us to get whatever we wanted regardless of the the content. At no other time could an 8 and 13 year old casually select any R-rated movie they wanted. If our mother had been there, we would have had to settle for The Muppets Take Manhattan or Lady and the Tramp.
Of course our father was too exhausted from his work to stay up with us that evening so we were free to relish in the offensive language, lurid sex scene, and gratuitous violence that is Jim Cameron’s classic science fiction film. The Terminator is one of the early Schwarzenegger blockbusters that would later establish him as the quintessential action/adventure hero. But in his role, he is the ultimate villain: cold, calculating, precise and ruthless.
Roughly seven years later, the entire world was blown away by Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Without question, it remains one of the best sequels ever created. Where as Cameron and the late-great make-up innovator Stan Winston were responsible for giving The original Terminator it’s visionary look and feel, the effects team at Industrial Light and Magic created cinema history with the T-1000 nemesis.
Audiences had trouble comprehending liquid metal, but Robert Patrick, who probably has less than 40 words of dialogue throughout the film played the advanced prototype perfectly. Though much smaller than Schwarzenegger, Patrick showed that the newer model was equally sadistic and twice as deadly.
The third installment Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was a decent film but could in could in no way compete with the two installments written and directed by James Cameron. With Jonathan Mostow directing,(Fright Show, U-571, Breakdown) it may be the last time we see Arnold Schwarzenegger act in the series, but it did succeed in opening the door for many more Terminator films to be created, as we find out that Judgment Day – when civilization is destroyed by nuclear war - was inevitable.
One could see that the series had taken a different direction with Rise of the Machines. While entertaining, it lacked the edge, dash and over the top realism of the earlier films. The storyline was greatly altered, and without Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, the ultimate survivor, there was an obvious void.
And that lands us to the most recent installment, Terminator Salvation, directed by McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol). We are now thrust into the future, 2018, where man lives underground in the aftermath of the nuclear holocaust that took place at the very end of Terminator 3.
John Connor has fulfilled his destiny and is now leading the human resistance against Skynet, the electronic intelligence system that is spearheading the initiative to eradicate all human beings from existence. John Connor is now all grown up, with a pregnant wife played by Bryce Dallas Howard, (The Village, The Lady in the Water, Spider Man 3) and a baby on the way. He is the spokesperson and most visible figure in an underground network of resistance fighters, hell bent on defeating Skynet and preserving the human race.
Christian Bale, (American Psycho, The Dark Knight, Newsies) plays Connor with a passion and fervor. He is the quintessential, “Never Give Up” guy, and his performance comes through with an abundance of screaming and motivational speeches that would characterize any crazed military leader.
The film is a good action flick but die hard Terminator fans will be let down for a number of reasons; (1) James Cameron did not direct (2) the film is rated PG-13 – The first installment ever to receive anything less than an R-rating (3) There are a number of holes in the plot line and story that leave true enthusiasts shaking their heads in disbelief.
For one, Terminators aren’t as hard core as they once were. We have been led to believe from the three earlier installments that if one of these machines got within five feet of you, than you were as good as dead. Now, human beings can fight toe-to-toe with a much stronger and deadlier cyborg and still walk away. It just does not add up.
What made a Terminator such a menacing and lethal character was how cold blooded and deadly they were. Their main objective was to terminate. The terminators in Salvation have been dumbed down and should be dressed in pink tutus and bobby socks – they just are not efficient killers when compared with the earlier versions. Instead they choose to throw their prey around and toy with them, which is completely contrary to their behavior in the first two films.
In Salvation, we see sunlight, which is unheard of compared with scenes of the future in the other films. One would think that after a nuclear war, the sun would be blotted out from the elimination of the o-zone layer, but Los Angeles looks like a cool, dry place, much like it is right now, in the real world.
Probably the biggest change in this new installment is the philosophy of the people and the attitude of the times. There was an uncertainty in the earlier films, a question of whether the human race was even going to make it. With Terminator Salvation, that morbid hope of survival falls by the way side. There is never a doubt that the good guys will triumph, there is only a question of how bruised the bad guys will be, and how long will it take them to be at full strength again.
I can remember talking for days with friends and anyone who would listen about the outcome of T2 just after I saw it.The only real question that remains after you leave Salvation is, how many more of these lackluster films will follow before James Cameron attempts to rescue his beloved creation and get it back on track with what the fans have known and loved all these years.
I had a feeling this newest episode would be pretty tame. I was particularly disheartened when I saw that a prime time television show was created. I have heard that people enjoy The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but I can’t bring myself to watch any of it. My love for the films and their premise is too great to have it relegated to an hour long TV show.
Terminator Salvation does have some startling and eye-catching images. The T-600 Terminator is an early model of the Schwarzenegger T-101. The T-600 is somewhere in between the skinless exo-skeleton and the more refined model which Schwarzenegger made famous. In short, the T-600 looks like Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. With his poor skin job and bulky movements, it may be an obsolete model but it is pretty scary and haunting just the same.
The shots inside Skynet of human prisoners being led through the processing plant like cattle have an eerie, Auschwitz-like feel to it. I have always wondered what the computer genius and its headquarters would look like. It’s a thrill to be taken inside, but it is a little unbelievable as well.
Helena Bonham Carter (Big Fish, Fight Club, Sweeney Todd) plays a multiple roles but she is more effective at the end of the film, within the walls of enemy. Her strong chin, intent eyes and powerful voice throw a twist in the story that I was not expecting.
I was amazed at how easily John Connor and his small militia are able to break into the hornet’s nest and get out unscathed. One would think it would be impenetrable, but Hollywood is calling the shots in this movie and it’s sad that only one Terminator comes out to fight in the big showdown. It could have been an impressive and gritty battle between man and machine if it opened up more.
The entire film reeks of falsehood, as do most of the sets and hideouts. In Cameron’s future, soldiers were covered with soot, scars and grime from a lifetime of fighting. They slept in ditches and showers were a thing of the past.
In McG’s vision, people have straight teeth, expose cleavage and can even ride around in ballistic submarines. Their lives don’t seem so bad and one would think that the worst thing that these people have to deal with, other than the roaming death machines, is a lack of television and takeout food.
It should be noted that there is an impressive truck, motorcycle and plane chase scene. Terminators are actually installed on motorcycles which can maneuver in ways humans never thought possible. It makes for an exciting pursuit, unlike anything I have ever seen before. In the same sequence we also get to see the H.K (hunter-killer) planes round up humans for Skynet and take on the resistance’s meager air force.
Sam Worthington (Hart’s War, Dirty Deeds, Rogue) is a lesser known Australian actor who plays a hybrid Terminator with a conscience. He makes a nice addition to the series and I am surprised that this film is the first I have ever heard of him. Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a brief cameo as his younger self, but his name is not listed in the end credits so I can only assume it is not him but a CGI representation.
The real scene stealer in the film is Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Hearts in Atlantis, Alpha Dog). Playing Kyle Reese, the protector from the first Terminator, we see him as a young man fighting the well equiped enemy on his own. He gives a powerful performance that does justice to Michael Biehn’s first portrayal.
For someone like me who enrolled in the Terminator fan club as a young lad, Terminator Salvation is the parsley on the great buffet table. In essence, it is a shadow of the earlier greatness. It gets a thumbs up for being a futuristic adventure film, worth the price of admission. But it comes with a big yawn and question mark from movie geeks like me who have followed the story, studied the films, and hoped for continued brilliance.
I am still shocked at the direction the series has moved in and wonder what I will find to take its place. There may never be a replacement for what I feel is the most famed science fiction icon of the last thirty years.
I don’t think the Transformers are anything to get excited about, but I would not rule out a Terminator vs. Robocop spin-off in the future. Let’s hope its leaps and bounds ahead of the Alien vs. Predator films.
Two out of five stars. Hasta la vista baby.
