Terminator Salvation
Entry posted by Kiwi
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Terminator 2 is my personal best movie of all time. I watched this movie multiple of times, and it never seems to get old. The Original terminator had a human vs the machine, while T2 had an obsolete machine against a superior machine. T3 had the same obsolete machine against the overpowered machine. Terminator Salvation ditch that cat and mouse game, instead it's human race vs machine. Now Terminator and Terminator 2 are awesome and they were made by James Cameron. The other 2 lack something that Original Terminator and T2 has. I'm just going to keep those movies separated and James Cameron was wise not to make more sequel past 2nd movie. We can see that John Conner grew up pretty quickly in T2, and in the third movie he's a junkie. However, I'm going to focus on Terminator Salvation in this blog because this movie almost had potential to be good, but manage to disappoint. I am hard of hearing so I couldn't hear some spoken dialogue, therefore some information in the movie itself may be incorrect.
First of all, the movie's rated PG-13. That means that they have to keep it tame right? There isn't anything disturbing about this movie. Avatar's too rated PG-13, but that doesn't stop it from showing a horse being set on fire(Hey they ripped off Parasite Eve!!). Anyway, Terminator Salvation was just way to tamed. Second of all I avoided most of the information and forgotten about the movie trailer when I saw it for the first time. Third, this blog is based what I saw during the movie for the first time from my memory.
In the first scene, where Marcus is in a jail cell with a lady with a clipboard. I couldn't make out any of the word spoken because they were whispering. So I didn't have a clue what was going on. What's the point of whispering, couldn't they speak normally? Were the other prisoner taking a nap or something? Couldn't they speak in another room? Can't they show the audience what is being written on that clipboard?
Oh, They have to show the title of the movie twice, just in case we missed it the first time. I guess someone at the screening fell asleep before the movie start and complained that he didn't see the title screen after the screening. Didn't anybody proof read this movie?
After that scene, John Conner fights off some useless T-600 terminator and takes off into a helicopter to avoid an explosion, which was pretty neat. I was confused how the movie started and how did John get back to command center. Maybe I was concentrating more on the popcorn I was eating and didn't remember much about it.
Then after awhile, John somehow got on board a huge airplane and then jump from the back of the plane and into the ocean. Then the scene quickly transition to the submarine with John on board. How does swimming to a submarine works in an raging ocean? There should be a tween between those scene because it would be interesting to see how John swim to the submarine without being pulled by the massive undertow and fight off the sharks, Batman style. I know this might sounded funny, but I think it would be interesting to see a human overcoming obstacles in the water scene that would be impossible for real human like us, who can't imagine how to swim to a submarine without special swimming gear on. Also, it'll give us viewer some entertainment to watch before we watch the boring the on-board submarine scene.
Marcus!!! He awaken and confused where he is. Shouldn't there a be a scene where he came from and see how he was awaken from a coffin. Instead we see him in the middle of the ruined city. What's the point of that? All the terminator movie had people appear out of nowhere awaken, naked, and had to find clothes. In this movie, there was none of that and I think having Marcus awakening from his slumber would make this movie more interesting and we can get some idea what he look like. I was confused when Marcus was place in a middle of a ruined city. I was thinking he was John Connor or something. They both look alike. Anyway, his mission is to find Kyle Reeves. Marcus approached a terminator-tank and then Marcus get the idea that it wasn't his friend, evaded the machine. A car piano fell on a terminator-tank that can barely aim. Marcus finds Kyle Reeves and we get the Terminator movie throwback that Marcus was the one taught Kyle Reeves the shotgun-trick. I think they used the line, "Come with me if you want to live.", which sounded force. Same with I'll be back line, doesn't really needed to be use.
I don't remember how Blair joined Marcus in the movie so I'm skipping ahead.
I'm going to fast forward a bit to the scene where Marcus and his companions stopped at a gas station in a middle of nowhere. I have no idea that Marcus was a machine at that point. Earlier I can see him taking a breath when he emerge from water during the terminator air battle scene. When they went into the gas station. We get to see new characters, like mute little girl, old lady that looks like a wise sage, and etc. This point is a perfect place for the movie to relax and we can get to know the characters bit better. Marcus turning down carrot is a bit odd, and made me think that he's a machine a bit. Does Marcus know that he's part machine? Anyway, I was hoping to hear the old lady speak about something... so... this movie would give us something to care about. I wanted to know more about the world and etc. Instead, we were interrupted by the huge harvester that dropped from nowhere and Kyle Reeves and the people got kidnapped(OH NOEZ). What the heck!!! The character just was introduce were people like us and we would like to connect them some how. Yet, they got captured. It's just stupid how the movie maker set this scene up. It just kill the mood. Anyway, we'll see that muted girl right? We don't want to see little kid getting killed in this movie. Hopefully, we will see this little girl come along and save the day, right? RIGHT? ...
The scene when Kyle was on the harvestor. Was this scene necessary? Are we going to learn more about the character? Maybe Kyle Reeves can some how incite a riot or something and somehow escape. I really thought he would eventually find a way out of there... Maybe it would make this stupid movie better.
The scene that Marcus and Blair vs the outlaws. I thought that part of the movie was awesome. In the past terminator movie, we get to see a powerful machine fight against the human. It was refreshing to see someone overpowering something in this movie just by fighting. This is the ONLY part movie that I thought is the most interesting.
Now... the climax... well the point that the movie really took a nosedive... The part that just... wrong... Ok, Blair and Marcus walk through a mine field, and a mine flew up and attach itself to Marcus's leg. Scene fades out... Too bad we don't see Marcus blown into bit and pieces. We have to leave that up to our imagination. GOD!!! What is wrong with the people who made this movie! After this part, the mystery of Marcus has ended. It's all down hill from here.
Okok... The part that drives me nut that John Connor have Marcus chained up like Jesus Christ. John is so paranoid, that he doesn't realize that the past 2 terminators save his ass twice. He start interrogate Marcus and shoots him like he's a piece of junk. What's the point of that?! Ok, "You tried to kill my mom" *shoots* "You tried to kill me" *shoot* "You killed my Dog, Woofie, err Max!!! WHY!?!" *Shoot him multiple of times*. I mean, seriously, this is stupid. Instead, he should have just talk to the guy and see what he knows. Marcus doesn't really know he's part machine, I assumed he still has a human brain. He has a beating heart, and bullet can kill that you know Connor. Don't you want to be careful who you kill, that may help you win the war against the machine? Blair is guilty of doing this too!! Doesn't she want him to be OK? Does she really love him? Sigh...
Ok, Marcus escape with the help of Blair, even though she shot him for no apparent reason. This doesn't make Blair any more human. Ugh... Marcus is escaping, with a full army and John Connor on his ass wanting him dead. John Conner comes after him, shooting at him, while Marcus tries to plead with him. If I was Marcus, I would say forget him and go on his merry way. Conner is way too angry, if he was really human, he would have backed off and listen to Marcus. But no, he has to have his anger make the best of him. Anyway, John Conner somehow got into the pond infested with terminator leechs. Marcus saves John. John still not trusting this Marcus, gave him the location of terminator base anyway. Marcus went off his on his way.
Let's take a moment and analyze John Connor in this movie. John Connor isn't the Connor we knew in T2. This movie does not show what Connor did good in the movie. We learned that John Connor is a very angry and unstable man. He couldn't keep his composer and act professional with others. He can't reason with anything. Yet, his speech being heard from a radio suppose to make John Connor a good man? This movie doesn't show that at all. Why should be care about Connor if he lives or not?
Anyway...(I'll just put this out there, because I know it drives people crazy.)
The scene where Kyle Reeves get picked up by the machine from the hoard of human. I'm not sure anybody noticed, I saw Kyle put something up his sleeve!! I swear to god he did!!! I thought, ooo... he must be up to something. This movie would be better if Kyle would somehow use that metal bar to his advantage, like try to escape and stuff. You know, bash the terminator's face in, because they suck at killing human since this movie is PG-13. Avatar doesn't have a problem with Marine shooting the natives, killing them in a few shots. The machine selection arm pick him out of the pack of human like an arm prize grabbing game machine, instead sending the lazy ass terminator in there and take drag Kyle out of the crowd. Sigh... darn, there's goes the fun in this movie. Can't they add a scene that Kyle is talking to a prisoner so we can have more character development so we can learn a bit more about the situation. I just thinking of something that would give us something to care about. Really there is no humanity in this movie. I think no one cares about the humans since we do not know them or care about them. Seriously, I only care about Marcus the most in this movie since he the character that is the most mysterious and I kinda feel sorry for him for being in the middle of this craptastic movie. I was rooting for Marcus for the entire movie because he's opposite what Connor is and he is actually likable in this movie.
The last part of the movie is the worse. Why? Let's just lower our defense and lure John Connor to Kyle Reeves. Brillant!! Last have our one and only new terminator T-800 try killing people because all of other terminators just stand there and knit clothing to wear on their head. Aww, this terminator have Arnold's skin on him, how cute. Seriously, it's a real model not a CG. A model of an object in real life have infinite resolution. Lighting doesn't need to be perfect since it is already being illuminated by it surrounding. Lighting in CG is quite difficult to master. Therefore, this model convince me that it is actually Arnold. It's nice to see something real for a change. Anyway, the skin of the model disappear quite quickly after liquid lava got poured on it. Remember from the older movie, there was a model of arnold walking towards the group of swat police. You can see bits and pieces of skin tearing off. I guess the guy who made the model was to proud of his work, and didn't want the studio destroy it. Why need set a trap to kill Connor? I guess it is too smart to send waves and waves of terminator and try to kill Connor with a rubber bean bags.
One of the thing that bother me the most during the terminator fight between Connor and Marcus, T-800 punching Marcus's heart and knocking him out cold. John Connor revives him by shocking him with electricity. Jees, might as well have the terminator try dusting or something. That heart punch was the stupidest part of the whole movie. That T-800 have the strength and sharp fingers to jab that heart and instantly kill Marcus at whim. Eventually Marcus and John beat the T-800. Hey, there's nukes lying around, how freak'n convenience! Let's blow up robot city!!! Marcus and dying John, since he got shot in the heart(I think), escape. The mute little girl got the remote and robot city blows up.
Sadly, Marcus gave up his heart to revive John Connor and the movie's over; Even though, it was damaged during the T-800 fight. Why? Because they want reason to keep Christain Bale on board for the upcoming sequel I guess. It makes me sad that Marcus gave his life to a jerk I didn't care at all in this movie. In my mind, Marcus wins in this movie.
Overall, this movie this movie had potential to be good, but missed the point entirely. The end of the movie was a disaster rewrite. It should have ended with Marcus since he's neutral since he's both machine and human. Marcus should of been the one keeping the balance between human and machine, good vs evil. Whatever, it's not a terminator movie. It's just a machine movie taking care of a farm. Really!!! The Terminator harvest human to fuel their research on better terminator, which doesn't make sense. Christian Bale wasn't a good cast to play John Connor, and he was way too angry. They should have pick Edward Furlong. Sam Worthington did a great job in this movie. The writing in this movie sucks and some part of the movie should have elaborated and more logical to keep the movie interesting. The special effects and the sound in this movie is the best part of this movie. Humanity should have been explore more in this movie and the world should have been explain a bit more. Why do they have to ruin something that could have been great. They needed better director, writer, and etc to carry on the story in the Terminator universe.
At least it's better than the Phantom Menace, right?
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