This has been a pretty bad year for the American studio system. It seems like everyone from Paramount to Fox is billions of dollars in debt, and churning out countless re-makes of more popular foreign films or sequels to vapid franchises. My top ten list this year has been devoid of American films… until now.
Terminator Salvation was super cool. Not overly well-made or entirely coherent; but still super cool. I’m not a Terminator scholar; I have not been steeped in the rich history of Skynet and the T1000. That being said, even I had problems with how some of the story was supposed to fit into the Terminator world. But plot holes and strange occurrences side, this films is one of the best CG explosion films I have seen in a long time.
Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.
Perhaps the most redeeming factor of this film is the presence of Christian Bale. Bale provides a phenomenal performance as John Connor that falls on a significantly different scale than Edward Furlong.
John Connor is now the man his mother told him he would become. Some see him as the golden child, the one fated to lead the resistance against the machines and free humanity. Others feel that his role in the resistance is not much more than a fairytale, and the war against the machines must be won by any means necessary.
Other high points of the film include:
1. The Terminators make sweet noises. The sound is similar to the groaning and creaking of the Transformers, but decidedly more evil.
2. Arnold makes an appearance in the film. I am not going to say any more, for fear of lessening the surprise, but I will say it was really cool.
3. EXPLOSIONS! So many things explode, get shot up, and catch on fire.
4. Motorcycle Terminators. Enough said.
When it comes down to it, if you are looking for a fun film that requires very little thought, Terminator Salvation is perfect. I genuinely like this film, and as I said in the opening of the review, it has made its way on to my top 10 list this year. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]
Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Rated PG-13
DVD Release Date: 12/1/09
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