New Terminator Salvation Movie 2009 (dvd, vs, action, you must see)

[LaoTzuMindFu]

I havent seen the movie but know quite a few friends who saw it and they all say it was a complete disappointment. According to the Rotten Tomatos reviews, its only at 34% which is really bad.

Special effects and the acting were okay, but the story itself was terrible making this movie pale in comparison to the other Terminator movies.

[Ketabcha]

I'm going to give it a try because I like the others so much. However, it won't be the same without Arnie.

I'll post something after I see it.

[anadyr21]

Wow. I mean, it wasn't as good as T2, but it wasn't as bad as T3 either. Great designs on the machines. You could tell which ones were old school vs the more recent models. The machines were designed sufficiently creepily. And the sound effects, especially from the large machines were great.

That said, the story was really more about Marcus than John. I like Christian Bale, but I didn't "feel" for him like I did for Marcus, Kyle Reese, or even the mute kid (who I just wanted hug, feed, and bring home with me). Also, I don't feel like the story really added much to the overall mythos of the Terminator brand. It worked fine as an action movie, with an amazing cast, and decent storytelling, only because you have so much backstory to work with. Maybe that's a testament to how much James Cameron can add to an already established story, like he did with Aliens and T2.

And on a totally shallow note, Helena Bonham Carter does batsh*t crazy a little too well, and Bryce Dallas Howard should keep the baby weight because with the extra weight, I think this is the best she's ever looked.

[Niftybergin]

Originally Posted by anadyr21

Also, I don't feel like the story really added much to the overall mythos of the Terminator brand.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but the main thing I'm interested in (about the movie) is seeing the dynamic begin to develop between John and Kyle. That was something that always fascinated me about the original movie: That John met and cultivated a relationship with Kyle, then sent him back into the past to protect and impregnate Sarah, KNOWING that it would result in John's birth but also in his father's death. That's just...very tragic. It's easy for me to imagine John as a man in his 30s, meeting a teenaged version of his father...KNOWING that it's his father, getting to know him as a person, as a man...perhaps seeing bits of himself in Kyle...but haunted by the knowledge that he's destined to send Kyle back in time where he'll be killed.

On the other hand, they seem to be operating in the SAME timeline. It's hard to believe that John would just go *poof!* if he didn't send Kyle back in time, as he's supposed to in 2029. I mean, he's THERE. How could he just disappear?

Ugh...this is where I begin to bleed out of my ears. My brain just can't handle the whole time-travel / space-time continuum stuff!

[stan4]

Christian Bale is enough to destroy this next volume of a franchise I really loved. Gah, I hate that guy.

[_redbird_]

Originally Posted by DaBeez

I havent seen the movie but know quite a few friends who saw it and they all say it was a complete disappointment. According to the Rotten Tomatos reviews, its only at 34% which is really bad.

Special effects and the acting were okay, but the story itself was terrible making this movie pale in comparison to the other Terminator movies.

I don't let reviews or critics or even friends tell me whether its a good movie, as I am the only one who decides if I enjoyed a movie. That's like asking someone if I am hungry and does this food taste good.

Just got in from seeing the movie. It was heavy duty on the psyche, a little lightweight from a writer's perspective, but overall a good flick for me. Not great, just good.

I was looking forward to it. Throwing the Arnie-esque terminator in there for 20 seconds was just lame IMO. Didn't make sense. The ending was a little like a hatchet job too. I do agree this was a Marcus movie more than anything else. Almost like I Robot/Transformers meets Terminator. I think they should explore Skynet a little more. I think that would be interesting.

I did like the parts where they were in L.A., but how could Reese be the only member in L.A.? And I thought this John Conners was a lot more believable than that dork loser they had in the last one.

Two stars, maybe 2 1/2 for the special affects.

[60-minutes-II]

Was I the only one who thought T3 was better than this one? I liked all the Terminator movies they beat all the LOTR movies and even ALIEN. One thing I did not like was Arnie showing up because how did skynet know that Arnie was the terminator John had a connection with?

[anadyr21]

Originally Posted by 60-minutes-II

Was I the only one who thought T3 was better than this one? I liked all the Terminator movies they beat all the LOTR movies and even ALIEN. One thing I did not like was Arnie showing up because how did skynet know that Arnie was the terminator John had a connection with?

Can't agree with you there. This doesn't hold a candle to the LOTR movies. It's nowhere near as epic. If you mean Alien and not Aliens, it's better as an action movie, but not as a story or in the suspense. Aliens is the prototype; the gold standard on how a sci-fi/action movie should be done. T2 would be next in line.

T3 worked ok as a movie. But I can't say I really gave a crap about any of the characters and don't really feel it contributed much to the brand.

I assumed the Arnie skin/face is just what all the models looked like, not that it was being specific to John.

[graceC]

Save your money and skip this movie. Or if you must see it, rent it instead when it comes out on DVD. I'm sure you'll get some bonus features on the DVD that must be more interesting than the movie. Seriously, the movie sucked big time!! No storyline, only heavy special effects from beginning to end. I also didn't see any good acting worth discussing, really. The only thing that made me sit through the whole movie was due to that Marcus guy's looks

[stan4]

Originally Posted by anadyr21

Can't agree with you there. This doesn't hold a candle to the LOTR movies. .

Meh. I have seen the LOTR movies. I think they are only good and compelling if you were into this story in the first place. I wasn't particularly moved. Snooooooooooze.