Terminator Salvation (2009): Movie Review

Now in the year 2018, adult John Connor must lead people to safety by fighting back against the Machines. Mankind falls not in his hands but in their spirits to arm themselves that is the Resistance. Everything was already prepared for. Total annihilation of Skynet must commence. But something awaits them at the end of the tunnel that is Skynet: captured people for experimentation by the machines. While plagued with opposing tactic as how to best defeat the machines by the men assuming higher power in the Resistance, Marcus Wright came into view shaking Connor's party.

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Review:

This movie delivers straight to action. And young-looking Arnold Schwarzenneger appearing near the end? Simply awesome!

I like the casting of this film. Finally, we no longer have the lousy looks and demeanor of the previous John Connor. Instead, we were offered Christian Bale (Batman, trilogy). Not only is he a good actor, he also got the military looks (and handsome too). He just saved John Connor's character that the previous one ruined.

Sam Worthington is another bonus (with his stint in Wrath of the Titans). He's got the voice, the badass air, the devilish looks and the body to boot. Moreover, Kate Brewster Connor (Bryce Dallas Howard) looks more appealing in this film than the previous one (yeah, I love good-looking people).

 

Well, I'm just weirded that Anton Yelchin was cast to be the teenage Kyle Reese (he plays the Russian, Chekov in the Star Trek francise). I expect someone with the looks since I find the 1984 actor, Michael Biehn to be fine-looking (he's a tall hunk). He might be a good actor but I don't think that he's fit for the role. I know, I'm just a giddy fangirl.

Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange of Harry Potter) plays Dr. Serena Kogan, the inventor of cellular regeneration in humans, supposedly would help wounded soldiers in battle. I don't know but... wherever she goes, whatever role she plays in whatever movie, she always looks so creepy. Even when she acts in this film, she looks so disconcertening despite the fragile bald look in struggle with cancer.

We can see the overall brilliance of the idea in this story. While there's a war between humans and the machines, there's also the experimentation of improving new T-series cyborgs. And I also appreciate that they also focus on giving us the story on how different T-version is produced. Well, I thought that Marcus was supposedly the secret behind the Time Displacement Equipment. I thought that in this film, they will show how the time machine was invented. Afterall, we learned from the first movie that it can only transport something human in skin.

With Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), it was revealed that he was the first human to be experimented with regenerative abilities back in 2003. Forward to 2018, he still looks the same. For that reason I thought that he was transported from the past to the future. Well, maybe there will be a new movie coming and finally, the story will revolve around time travel and how the Time Displacement Equipment came to be.

I didn't feel any kind of drama in this film. And not because it is teeming with action but it just lacked the dramatic appeal. Even with the father and son moment. I wonder how it would have gone different has it been that James Cameron directed this one.

There was that potential with Marcus and Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood) for the drama. It's very typical in movies to have love-making scenes and so I wonder why nothing happened between them. Honestly, I waited for that part that never came! While the answer would be because Marcus has part-human and part-machine brain, I still think having sex would be possible unless his hypothalamus or whatever cortex containing that in his brain has been the one replaced with machinery that he's no longer able to be aroused physiologically. With that I mean the hormones for emotions, the longing to be connected with a woman. He still has his heart! What is the purpose of the heart but to deliver blood to the rest of the body? So he would still be capable of the rushing of blood that would lead to, you know. Having his private part is never part of the question since we've seen in the first movie that the Terminator T-101 has his dangling. Although that part was blurred, it was obvious he has one. Otherwise, the female population wouldn't ogle on him in the second movie. Unless, the filmmakers made a mistake on that part.

I would like that case to rest. But! They should have done it before... ok no spoiler. For the technological part other than my complaint above, I don't have any problem. Sending signal (whether radio or electromagnetic waves) to disrupt or mislead the enemies? Pretty common and normal. Is there anything new here? Any surprise? Uhm, no. While I would salute the makers for the consistency, I would like them to invent something new, something that would make a turn (like Spielberg's Back in Time trilogy despite being old).

Again, I'd never fail to quote from this film. As always, despite differing filmmakers in every sequel, the script is just terrific!

You point a gun at someone... you'd better be ready to pull the trigger.

In times of desperation, people would believe what they want to believe. And so, we gave them what they wanted to believe.