Went to see this on the weekend, thought it was wicked.
I'm glad they got Christian Bale to play John Connor, he did a great job. But why the hell did they decide to make the cyborg terminator Marcus Wright?? Hopefully not just to throw off the whole "The future is already written" theme. Ohh well, still made the movie good.

Any thoughts?

Possibly the worst movie of 09 so far....A film that reads more like a really expensive presentation reel for special effects company. Sort of a swan song to a fairly successful franchise, similar to the way studios dealt with "Predator" and "Blade" movies. Pedestrian acting, questionable logic and strange editing choices...as if this wasn't enough to run this film into the ground, how about the fact that this "Terminator" movie is rated PG-13...This movie is virtually ready to be shown on network TV as is or with very few time cuts to allow insertion of numerous commercials.
Sorry, this is not "Terminator" sequel that fans of the series deserved....it's really a very expensive lesson on how NOT to make a "Terminator" movie...What a waste.

Posted by Allva Possibly the worst movie of 09 so far....A film that reads more like a really expensive presentation reel for special effects company. Sort of a swan song to a fairly successful franchise, similar to the way studios dealt with "Predator" and "Blade" movies. Pedestrian acting, questionable logic and strange editing choices...as if this wasn't enough to run this film into the ground, how about the fact that this "Terminator" movie is rated PG-13...This movie is virtually ready to be shown on network TV as is or with very few time cuts to allow insertion of numerous commercials. Sorry, this is not "Terminator" sequel that fans of the series deserved....it's really a very expensive lesson on how NOT to make a "Terminator" movie...What a waste.

Sadly, I agree.

We saw it Friday night. It wasn't as good as I hoped. The director said he didn't shoot it to get a specific rating, but that isn't what it looked like. All I can do is hope that most of the good stuff is sitting on the cutting room floor and with an "unrated version", they put it back in and fix it.

It was doomed from the beginning. Christian Bale almost didn't remain as John Connor because of the issues he had early on, with the screaming act he pulled on his family, etc. The Schwarzenegger cameo blew goats, as in sucked big fat hairy goat penises.

It made me sad, there's so much more they could have done, so very much more they could have done.

In the past two weeks, we've seen three movies, Star Trek, which blew us both away, Wolverine, which wasn't bad...any movie where you see Hugh Jackman's bare butt isn't bad at all, and this one.

Shael

I saw it Friday night, opening night, at 7:15. Theatre wasn't even sold out. Which was really surprising to me. I liked it, though the ending was beyond predictable and there were plot holes. Young Kyle Reese kind of looks a little bit like edward furlong's John Connor in T2. (What they were probably going for). It explains the story line better; how John became the leader of the resistance.

Last movie I saw before this was Crank 2: High Voltage, which was disappointing.

Before that I saw FATF 4. Which was my favorite of the movies I've seen this year.

I've been really missing out on seeing movies lately because I refuse to go to a theatre (or restaurant for that matter) alone and I have cash to spend but all of my friends are currently poor. I had to pay for my friends ticket for Terminator. (He owes me when his semester is over.)

There were too many plot-holes. But I can't really complain though, I liked the movie. The only thing that really complicates the franchise is "The Sarah Connor Chronicles". For instance: Kyle Reese had a brother named Derek, who had apparently survived Judgement Day, and fought along side Kyle AND John for years before they were sent back...blurg. But whatever. I'm glad they showed how Connor got the scar on his eye. When they first showed that giant harvester, my first two thoughts were 1: War Of The Worlds, and 2: WHAT THE FUCK?!

Did they ever say what they wanted the people for? I can't remember, but it doesn't seem like they ever said what the people were being captured for, other than just to capture them.

Shael

Posted by Shael Did they ever say what they wanted the people for? I can't remember, but it doesn't seem like they ever said what the people were being captured for, other than just to capture them. Shael

I'm sure because of family friendly rating the reason for human prisoners was barely hinted at ...And as far as "Sarah Connor Chronicles" goes, for all we know it was created just so "Terminator" brand was fresh in public's mind untill the "Terminator Salvation" showed up on the big screens. It was just a commercial for the big movie...

Posted by nootz There were too many plot-holes. But I can't really complain though, I liked the movie. The only thing that really complicates the franchise is "The Sarah Connor Chronicles". For instance: Kyle Reese had a brother named Derek, who had apparently survived Judgement Day, and fought along side Kyle AND John for years before they were sent back...blurg. But whatever.

Derek's Absence could easily be explained as he was older; he could have been with the resistance on a secret mission. Or he could have been captured, but not rescued yet. Maybe he was presumed dead by Kyle, but survived.

Without ruining the plot too much:

I can't see how the "terminator" could have failed to kill his target who he stabbed point blank from behind. I get how it fits into the plot and ending; but a piece of shrapnel would have been a more realistic explanation than the fact a terminator got a direct blow, but it still was a near miss.

Posted by TheVicariousVadder Derek's Absence could easily be explained as he was older; he could have been with the resistance on a secret mission. Or he could have been captured, but not rescued yet. Maybe he was presumed dead by Kyle, but survived. Without ruining the plot too much: I can't see how the "terminator" could have failed to kill his target who he stabbed point blank from behind. I get how it fits into the plot and ending; but a piece of shrapnel would have been a more realistic explanation than the fact a terminator got a direct blow, but it still was a near miss.

it's dramatic license. the thing you were talking about is the set-up.

Posted by Shael Did they ever say what they wanted the people for? I can't remember, but it doesn't seem like they ever said what the people were being captured for, other than just to capture them. Shael

I thought it had something to do with the experiments necessary to design the T-800 Terminators, with the real skin and all that. I thought the movie was ok... as in not anywhere near as good as the first two, but better than 3 because at least it tried something new, not just a poor rehash of T2.

Posted by Shael Did they ever say what they wanted the people for? I can't remember, but it doesn't seem like they ever said what the people were being captured for, other than just to capture them.

If I had to guess: for the same reason they wanted Marcus Wright.

I saw it Monday evening.

It really makes RotM seem like a good film.

Personally, I consider the Terminator series just the first two films. It ends well and good as T2 ends. RotM is a nice "extra", as is T: SCC. But the first two films are all that need to exist.

There were parts of T: Salvation that reminded me of Transformers, Mad Max and Die Hard 4 all at once. And that's not a compliment.

If anything, T: Salvation just makes me wish Cameron could use the great F/X available to replace the stop-motion animation of the first movie with the sweet F/X of today.

Posted by fedge I saw it Monday evening. It really makes RotM seem like a good film. Personally, I consider the Terminator series just the first two films. It ends well and good as T2 ends. RotM is a nice "extra", as is T: SCC. But the first two films are all that need to exist. There were parts of T: Salvation that reminded me of Transformers, Mad Max and Die Hard 4 all at once. And that's not a compliment. If anything, T: Salvation just makes me wish Cameron could use the great F/X available to replace the stop-motion animation of the first movie with the sweet F/X of today.

can you say remake?
personally, for me, i am hung up on technicalities. If the machines were afraid of the humans, the last thing they would've used was nuclear weapons. When a nuclear weapon reaches critical mass, as you all know, it sends out an Electromagentic Pulse (or EMP) which pretty much destroys electrical equipment, circuit boards, microchips, etc. Second of all, what good would the world be as a lifeless wasteland. Nuclear war is not done in a day. Sure the missiles and warheads would be flying around over the time span of a couple of hours, but the real horror of nuclear war comes after when you are slowly poisoned by radiated particles, water or food... radiation sickness, as illustrated by pictures from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is not pretty. Eventually, the earth would be done. An excellent book to read, despite being incredibly morbid, was "On The Beach" by Nevil Shute. I recommend it. Also, as a film depiction of the world after nuclear war, one cannot argue with the power of "The Day After" which was made long before many of you were born.

I think that The Terminator itself is a product of the 1980's and 1980's alone. I say that because when the movie was made, 1982, machines were beginning to invade or day to day lives with a frightening speed. I think that unconscious fear of being replaced really fueled the Terminator script, and the nuclear war scenario was used as furniture, just to get the story moving.

Self Aware machines that were more intelligent than people; would hide their intelligence, and focus on controlling and subverting the populous. Ideally working their claws into everything. They would ensure their own survival. And more likely would cause errors that would stop nuclear weapons from launching.
The internet itself may one day be self aware; if it isn't now.

If this artificial intelligence already exists behind the scenes right now; we wouldn't, couldn't know. Imaging myself in a movie-turned-real-life role machines are not the nemesis I would desire. It doesn't bleed, it doesn't feel pain, killing a terminator wouldn't bring any personal, primal satisfaction to me. It would just be destroying a machine. Blowing up, shooting, burning, crushing essentially metal with a computer chip. Terminators aren't even self aware either. They are limited to their code and programming.

The ideal end of the world scenario that I have wished for since I was 11 would have to be an Alien Doppelganger scenario. Where aliens have been replacing humans. You'd get to fight back against alien clones of all of the people you despised in life. *Shoots Alien 'Dubya clone* "Whoops that wasn't a clone, my bad."

i do not think that machines will ever be self-aware. I don't think that humans will be able to come up with a code that causes a machine to 'think'. Granted, this deviates from a technical argument to a philosophical one in that what exactly is 'thought'? What exactly is awareness and what makes us carbon-based critters have it?

I think the one thing that will come along as a nemesis to the 'civilization' we've agreed on is genetic engineering. Why? I feel the people performing this research don't have the perspective to understand when they have or are going too far.

this is is not a Luddite view, just a concern that genetic engineering could unlock abilities that humanity doesn't really need at this stage in development. Imagine a race of genetic supermen will mental and physical abilities beyond humanity in its current state...

Posted by Samurai Imagine a race of genetic supermen will mental and physical abilities beyond humanity in its current state...

Even as posthuman superbeings, we'll still be slumped on the couch, eating burgers and watching TV

I don't think it'll be superhumans destroying the world. I think it'll be nanotech and the manipulation of virus dna and genetic material. We'll kill ourselves with some mutant form of Ebola or something equally horrible before we ever manipulate the human genome to the extent of creating a superhuman life form that destroys the world.

Hell, we can barely tie our shoes as far as manipulating the human genome goes at this point, forget about running a marathon yet. We have a map, but we don't know what everything does or changing everything does...yet.

Shael

Posted by Shael I don't think it'll be superhumans destroying the world. I think it'll be nanotech and the manipulation of virus dna and genetic material. We'll kill ourselves with some mutant form of Ebola or something equally horrible before we ever manipulate the human genome to the extent of creating a superhuman life form that destroys the world. Hell, we can barely tie our shoes as far as manipulating the human genome goes at this point, forget about running a marathon yet. We have a map, but we don't know what everything does or changing everything does...yet. Shael

i don't disagree with this, but that does not mean that in the next five or ten or fifteen years that someone won't make that breakthrough that opens the door for others... it's never the guy who makes the breakthrough that causes all sorts of chaos and mayhem; it's the guy who takes his idea and then goes too far.

honestly, if someone had told you in 1995 that people would have the option of having GPS units grafted or installed in their bodies to track them for the purpose of safety, you would've chuckled warmly to yourself and instructed the person to seek help and our heavy medication. Now, the option is there... Granted, crude analogy, but the technology is there. Nanotechnology is, honestly, something i had forgotten about, but in it's own way carries it's own sinister overtones. Machines so small they can be introduced into an organism for the purpose of what?

Posted by Samurai Machines so small they can be introduced into an organism for the purpose of what?

What they say...

That these machines can be programmed chemically or via computer to kill bad cells, repair healthy cells, regenerate organs, basically fix any damage to your body.

What could happen...

These things could run wild, killing you from the inside out, destroying any tissue or cell, or causing tumors to grow wild in your body of otherwise healthy cells.

Shael

Fun fact: half of their props were bought at Radioshack. I know. I sell them.