 Tagline: The End Begins In the aftermath of Judgment Day and the takeover by the machines, John Connor (Christian Bale), the destined leader of the human resistance, must counter Skynet's devastating plan to terminate mankind. As Connor rallies his underground street fighters for a last, desperate battle,Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a mysterious loner from the past, challenges him with an impossible choice that will determine the future of the human race. Storyline: In 2003, in the Longview State Correctional Facility, the criminal Marcus Wright is on death row, and is convinced by the cancerous Dr. Serena Kogan to donate his body to her research and he accepts. In 2018, after an unsuccessful attack to a Skynet facility, only John Connor survives, but he discovers that Skynet is developing the powerful new model T-800. Out of the blue, Marcus appears naked and with amnesia in the location. Marcus befriends the teenager Kyle Reese and the girl Star who help him to survive the lethal machines and they travel together in a Jeep. Meanwhile the resistance discovers a signal that might turn-off the machines and John offers to test it. When Kyle is captured by a machine and brought to the Skynet headquarters, Marcus decides to help the youngster and heads to Skynet; on the way, he saves Blair Williams who suggests to him that he should meet John Connor first. But Marcus steps on a mine and is submitted to surgery, when a secret about his origins is ... Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, November 20, 2009 -- Everybody deserves a second chance. Unlike this summer's mega-blockbuster Star Trek, Terminator Salvation isn't a re-imaging of a fan-favorite series but rather an extension of the established universe and an expansion of the story line that further builds upon Terminator lore. The result is a fast-paced special-effects-extravaganza that also happens to shoulder a logically sound story within the confines of franchise canon and, at its very center, the film proves itself a surprising thematic heavyweight in its exploration of what it means to be human. Though on its third director in four films and the first to break from series norm insofar as the overreaching plot line of the movie is concerned, Terminator Salvation is nevertheless a strong sequel, bettering the admittedly solid Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and taking the series in not only a logical direction away from the norm of future hunter and past prey and instead to the wastelands of the post-apocalyptic world only seen in glimpses in previous films, and also proving that James Cameron's visionary Science Fiction franchise is far from termination. It is the year 2018. Mankind is waging a losing war against SkyNet -- a computer system that years earlier became self-aware and annihilated human targets around the world in a massive nuclear strike known as "Judgment Day" -- and its army of mechanical warriors known as "Terminators." Resistance fighter John Connor's (Christian Bale, The Dark Knight) ability to both fight with courage and foresee future events has him hailed as a savior in some circles and a false prophet in others. On an infiltration mission into a SkyNet research facility, Connor uncovers evidence that proves another of his prophesies correct: plans for the construction of a radically advanced Terminator dubbed the model "T-800." In addition, the discovery of a signal -- in essence representing an "off" switch thought capable of disabling all of SkyNet's defenses -- is viewed by the resistance's General Ashdown (Michael Ironside, Starship Troopers) as the key to mankind's victory. With SkyNet's destruction seemingly imminent, Connor nevertheless finds himself at odds with Ashdown when he learns that mankind's past, present, and future may be destroyed in the coming attack. Meanwhile, a lone wanderer named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington, Avatar), a convicted fellon and death row inmate who signed his body over to SkyNet's creator -- Cyberdyne Systems -- before his execution, finds himself suddenly alive in post-apocalyptic America. He soon meets a young civilian named Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin, Star Trek), an individual whose name appears at the top of recently-unearthed SkyNet "hit list," above even that of John Connor. Since the 1984 debut of James Cameron's The Terminator, fans have been eager to see an expansion of the future war between man and machine as offered only in glimpses through the first three films in the series. Terminator Salvation foregoes those films' tried-and-true time travel angle in favor of a full-on post-apocalyptic future war nightmare extravaganza that smartly weaves together special effects-laden combat with something of an origins story that captures the beginnings of several elements crucial to the Terminator timeline. Terminator Salvation is both sequel and prequel; the series' looping and ever-evolving timeline -- where both past and future are constantly altered through the influences of heroes and villains over the span of decades -- allows for the series to continue on ad infinitum and offer differing perspectives on dates and events both major and minor as they are in a constant state of temporally-influenced flux. Nevertheless, and as played crucial to 2009's Star Trek, there's an air of destiny surrounding events in the Terminator timeline, a theme that heavily influenced the resolution to Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Though dates of historical (or future, as the case may be) events may change, the franchise postulates that there is still the matter of the inevitable, certain events and destines that seem written in stone, even if the world around the stone is malleable and consistently evolving. As such, Terminator Salvation contains both new people, scenarios, and timelines, but at the same time the film implements plenty of historically-grounded happenings that not only recall characters, dialogue, and events in the previous films, but more firmly establish the theme of destiny that defines the series. John Connor is seen on more than one occasion turning to his mother Sarah's tape recordings for guidance, though his answers aren't always to be found as a result of a timeline that's more winding than linear but eventually seems destined to end at the same point. John is also seen coveting the same photograph of his mother taken by a young muchacho at the end The Terminator, and the thick scar that's visible on an elder Connor's face during a future war segment in Terminator 2: Judgment Day sees its origins in Terminator Salvation. Kyle Resse's first words in the film -- "come with me if you want to live" -- not only recall identical lines from the previous films but also embody the entirety of the Terminator mythology. Small touches all, but crucial to not only please longtime Terminator fans but also establish a continuity and, more importantly, reinforce the themes of destiny that guide the events of the series to the inevitable resolution that will ultimately loop back to the events as depicted in The Terminator. Terminator Salvation goes well above and beyond the call of duty not only in its implementation of franchise lore and themes but in its deeper and more dramatic elements that both, again, reinforce series themes but also create this particular film's own identity. The story of series newcomer Marcus Wright represents the film's heart and soul, and in more ways than one. The film's overreaching theme of what it means to be human; what makes mankind better than the machines; and why, then, that mankind must win the war are all embodied in the Marcus character. It's man's soul, his understanding beyond nuts and bolts, bytes and binary, and right and wrong that make him not only the superior species but the one best suited to determine the course of history's unwritten future, his physical and emotional flaws and all. Beyond the deeper elements, however, is a gritty but beautiful Action picture that's exciting and well made. In previous Terminator films, the future war scenes were shown at night and with futuristic weaponry on both sides. In Terminator Salvation, plenty of the action takes place during the daylight hours and with more familiar and conventional weapons -- M4 rifles, Heckler & Koch pistols, and A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft -- that make the plight of the resistance fighters, particularly pitted against both rugged and rubber-skinned T-600 Terminators and their many air, land, and sea-based devices, seem all the more futile. Every action scene is loud, wonderfully executed, and the film makes for an excellent branch between the past and the future. Technically, Terminator Salvation is a knockout of a production. Director McG (We Are Marshall) has crafted a gritty future but injected the film with slick production values, and the juxtaposition works very well. His action scenes are high-octane but grounded in a semblance of reality, and he handles the more delicate thematic elements with a sure-handedness -- particularly the film's crucial closing minutes -- with a heartfelt sincerity. The film's production values and set design are superb; blown-out buildings, ruined cityscapes, and barren plains might not lend to the film much visual pizzazz, but they look stunning in their own right, every one a believable and immersive environment that both captures the look and feel of the post-nuclear world and send chills down the spine as the extent of the despair and devastation becomes more and more obvious with every passing frame. The larger budget and advancements in special effects allow for more seamless environments and new machines that add to franchise lore; both the epic Harvesters and the cruder T-600 Terminators -- the predecessors to the famed model T-800 portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger in each of the previous three films -- are appropriately ragged and crude but obvious precursors to the series' famed cyborg. The special effects are astounding, and the work done to create the film's trademark effect in the final act that truly makes the film complete is positively seamless, one of the best-looking special effects in the history of motion pictures. Last but not least, the cast is excellent. Christian Bale is a natural as John Connor; the elder Connor had never enjoyed more than a few moments of screen time prior to Terminator Salvation, yet Bale creates a full and deep character that's believable as prophet, warrior, leader, and even still a troubled soul coping with the enormous responsibility fate's given to him. Young Anton Yelchin makes for a good Kyle Reese even with a somewhat reduced presence compared to Connor. The character has room to grow in future installments; and Yelchin seems up to the task, and shades of Michael Biehn are already seen. Finally, veteran Michael Ironside delivers a solid performance and both his looks and acting ability make him a natural as a resistance leader. Terminator Salvation is not only a loud, action-packed, and special effects-heavy summer extravaganza, but also a pitch-perfect extension to the series while also offering a somewhat meaningful look at what it means to be human and man's superiority to machine. Terminator Salvation also introduces new characters and technologies but never leaves the confines of established franchise lore, and the result is an exciting visual spectacle that also carries on the series' legacy while simultaneously creating its own identity within the Terminator universe. Warner Brothers' Blu-ray release of Terminator Salvation delivers a stunning 1080p transfer and a deafening reference-quality soundtrack that's among the very best Blu-ray has to offer. All that's missing is a more thorough supplemental package beyond the excellent "Maximum Movie Mode" feature, but Terminator Salvation nevertheless comes highly recommended. Trivia:
[CSW] -3.3- Competently made, but also self-defeating. Some nice action but where's the tone? Where's the mood? Where's the atmosphere?Cast Notes: Christian Bale (John Connor), Sam Worthington (Marcus Wright), Moon Bloodgood (Blair Williams), Helena Bonham Carter (Dr. Serena Kogan), Anton Yelchin (Kyle Reese), Jadagrace (Star [as Jadagrace berry]), Bryce Dallas Howard (Kate Connor), Common (Barnes), Jane Alexander (Virginia), Michael Ironside (General Ashdown), Ivan G'Vera (General Losenko), Chris Browning (Morrison), Dorian Nkono (David), Beth Bailey (Lisa), Victor J. Ho (Mark [as Victor Ho]). IMDb Rating (07/05/15): 6.7/10 from 256,370 users IMDb Rating (11/12/09): 6.9/10 from 64,426 users
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