By John Lichman
[Terminator Salvation is now playing nationwide. What follows is one of likely many reviews.]
It's almost redundant, but the opening of Terminator Salvation is a harsh reminder that we're not under the watchful hand of James Cameron or even witness to Jonathan Mostow's ham-fisted glory. Thematically, it should be the same: orchestral tones, the slow-burn title sequence and jolting futuristic action. Instead we're given a computer code-inspired sequence littered with colons, dashes and brackets to remind us that we're about to see something involving robots and lasers. Instead of focusing on the actors, like the original, the first thing we're told as an audience: this is "A Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek production." Two minutes later, as the familiar "DA-DA DA, NUH NUH" blares across the THX, it is confirmed: this is "[Directed by McG;]"
If you didn't catch that the first time, there'll be a credits sequence redux after we're introduced to Marcus (Sam Worthington) and Brief Female Cameo (Helena Bonham Carter) with a uniformly creepy bit of foreshadowing ("This is what death tastes like"). The entire credits sequence begins again in the same order, but still takes the time to transition to a completely white screen after Marcus' Christ-like murder to make sure we understand: this film is "directed by McG."
So what exactly does this phrase mean since it's important enough to be brought up twice? It means explosions, Virginia.
A McG film is tough to describe. On one hand, it's argued that he's the forefather of the meta-action films that would inspire such incredible works of art as Crank/Crank High Voltage. Despite this, his two other films ripe for comparison are enigmas: Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a parody and continuation of the action movie as pop culture non sequitur; We Are Marshall is an attempt at "SERIOUS FILMMAKING" to prove to a mainstream audience that he can show Matthew Fox looking serious while discussing serious things like death and how serious death is.
Salvation officially starts when we're looped into current events via text exposition: it's the future, SkyNet became self-aware, killed people, etc. These are all things that should be public knowledge by now. From there, we're given a P.O.V. shot from a missile and then our explod-o-fest is underway. Very quickly, John Connor (Bale) is established as the gruff, whispering soldier that he morphed into by the end of The Dark Knight. He isn't the prophetic leader that inspires humanity yet, but still has unquestionable sway over all troops despite the plot reinforcing that he doesn't. Actually, it seems like a majority of people follow him because to not do so means instant literal death from off-screen missiles, guns or whatever else is floating around in the future.
Sam Worthington also grunts the film's best line ("so, that's what Death tastes like") before grunting other tough guy staples: "I'm going after 'em!"; "If you point a gun at a man, make sure you're ready to fire"; and "I'm a MAN." He also is consistently reverting back to his natural accent, so his name is in fact "MAHR-KYUSS." But it's beyond the point that he's also a quiet bad-ass like Christian Bale.
And what of the action film's other staples: the B-Level names who truly do nothing other than offer plot progressing dialog or filler for Electronic Press Kits, Press Junkets and New Media marketing campaigns for $15.99?
They're fine and shoved to the side to allow the metaphoric ascensions of John Connor and SkyNet to continue. In fact, the most fascinating part of Salvation is that, for the first time in its fictional existence, SkyNet gambles on a cyborg that is the prototype for an android. This is fascinating just as a sci-fi concept, as normally it would be the other way around—the Man-Machine interface has long been a favorite genre subject, as in Johnny Mnemonic or The Matrix. In fact, compared to the first two films, the future is merely dirty instead of streamlined and gunmetal gray. SkyNet's entire design suggests that it intends physical interaction, which is dumb of course, but is full of speculation. And in the end, this is what McG's Terminator thrives on.
The rumors of the original ending involving John Connor becoming a machine were given some speculative credence, but ultimately wind up as nothing more than entertaining press junket quotes. There's even potential for speculation since the gas station that Marcus, Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin, who actually does a noteworthy job) and Mute Child (honestly, too lazy to even acknowledge the real character name or the actor. Could've been a CGI monster for all I care) find themselves at could be the same gas station from the end of The Terminator. And there's an old woman who says little, but cares for the young kids and is responsible for marking the outpost as a Resistance location. By the way, this film doesn't tell you how Sarah Connor dies. So, SPECULATION.
It's lazy to say "if you like dumb action films, turn your brain off and enjoy this!" Because you will enjoy this if you like loud—literally, seats shook in the theater—and faux-grit action films. But god help you the second you start thinking about this film again. You may punch the person next to you in the heart and start screaming until explosions happen.
John Lichman is the online producer for Current.com/Movies and The Rotten Tomatoes Show. He's wandering around the current_movies blog most days, but has also written for Spout, IFC and once co-hosted a podcast about Armond White and drinking.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Not Our Future: Terminator Salvation
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11 comments:
If this is going to be the first of many reviews, I feel honor-bound to promote this NSFW but subject-appropriate short film, even nominating it for clip of the day.
this writer doesnt have a clue he tells us and i quote"by the way it doesnt tell us how sarah connor dies"no because it tells us in terminator 3,she died of cancer.
A better film than T3, but it still serves no purpose in reinventing or reviving the "franchise"(i.e. post T2). Its loud, the script quality is influx given the numerous writers and you can see Mattells (or whoever is the toy distributer) hands all over this project with the numerous robots looking simarily like TRANSFORMERS. But given all that the main problem with the film is a lack of logic. If this is to be a prequel, how could Kyle Reese be 18 and John is almost 40 ? If Connor is already born then isnt Kyle already dead ? This would require the audience to completely negate the original films. Whereas STARTREK could work around such wormholes TERMINATOR storyline is dependent on a set timeline. I would only recommend to see this film for Arnolds cameo which is only two minutes long, for that short amount of time I was back in '92 with Axle blaring in my head, waiting to return to these characters. Then Bale spoke and reality set in quickly. Unlike my childhood love for the characters, two strikes is enough next time I wont be back.
I liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would...but, ultimately, it does feel like a TV pilot in which the goods are supposed to be delivered at some later point in the series. However, it may be written like television but it does have the virtue of being made cinematicaly; there are a couple of impressive "Touch of Evil" sequences that I thought were better than the similar stuff in "Children of Men".
...There's something really bothersome to me about the way even reputed film-critics have embraced the franchise mentality of the Hollywood money men (usually with an air of psuedo-irony)...everytime I read the word franchise, I just think, "Well, let's go all the way with that. Instead of calling them movies, let's start calling them commodities."
John Lichman does have a "clue". If anyone has a clue on sci-fi, anime, Godzilla, cyborgs, pulp pop culture and all its ironic under pinnings, it's John Lichman. Good review.
anonymous 1:
There are so many things picked and chosen from the Terminator timelines that McG could do whatever the hell he wanted.
T3 she dies of Cancer. The TV show she doesn't. Not to mention at the end of T3, John Connor was left in a global communications room--so he left that spot to instead camp out at an Air Force base lit up like Christmas that the machines conveniently don't touch?
But as I said, this sort of speculation is what McG depends on. Without it, this remains EXPLOSIONS AND ROBOTS: THE FOURTH TIME
But given all that the main problem with the film is a lack of logic. If this is to be a prequel, how could Kyle Reese be 18 and John is almost 40 ? If Connor is already born then isnt Kyle already dead ?I'm not even sure how to tackle this. Comprehension of the Terminator story timeline seems to be missing. Or of the whole concept of time travel. John *sends* his father back in time to protect his mother. So OF COURSE Kyle can't be dead when he meets John - John is not going to be sending back a corpse to protect his mother. And their respective ages when they meet have *nothing* to do with anything. John could be 80 years old and decide to send a 20 yr old Kyle back in time to meet his mother. Age doesn't matter, only the fact that Kyle and Sarah copulate and out comes John.
And I also notice how folks don't get that T:Sarah Connor Chronicles was never *finished* so who knows if at the end she does indeed succumb to the big C. There's no violation of the storyline between T3 and T:SCC re: Sarah's ultimate demise.
I seem to be mentally stuck comparing T4 to the other action flicks so far this summer, Wolvie and Star Trek. I found it a notch above both in terms of economic direction, and though it did have its cheesy moments the lack of lens-flare orgasms and poor depth-of-field CGI (ST and Wolvie respectively) I found it hit those marks just right. I even feel their 'transformer' like machines do a much better job of showing the 'heft' and density than the actual Transformers.
All in all a fun flick, and maybe they can do the 2 sequels and wrap it up with Connor sending Reese on his way back to the '80's. Then call it a day. :)
I'm genuinely surprised that no critic reviewing this movie has referenced Godard's Terminator 4 joke in For Ever Mozart.
That is all.
I also did not get it. I especially did not get how advanced the machines were in some ways and down right fake in others. It was soooo weird. At one point I saw a super flying gizmo and then a normal construction truck....who was driving it?
It also looked nothing like the world kyle reese dreamed about...the freedom fighters did not have lasers, the special effects from the 80s were better than todays for god sakes!
Signed,
Disappointed
after Terminator Salvation, i count a total of three choices in the Christian Bale voice arsenal: his normal voice (with a lisp), Broadway singer (Newsies) and hoarse tough guy (Batman and Terminator)
the dreams of kyle reese are from 2027 and terminator salvation is placed in 2018, maybe the laser guns don't exist yet in 2018, use your brains
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