Terminator Salvation

Just about every review of Terminator Salvation (including my own) said the exact same thing: super cool action scenes, but poor character development, pacing, acting, direction, etc. etc. etc.

The unanimous response to this film got me thinking… Because the truth is, I’m somewhat conflicted when it comes to a movie like Terminator Salvation and its subsequent treatment by critics and audiences.

On the one hand, I’m the biggest proponent of treating “blockbusters” and “popcorn flicks” as legitimate works of art. God’s honest truth (and I say this as a somewhat serious film scholar) is that I don’t see much of a distinction between Die Hard and Citizen Kane. In my eyes, John McLane’s battles say just as much about society and the human condition as Orson Welles ever did. A good movie is a good movie – genre shouldn’t get in the way. So, that being the case, I hold blockbusters to a higher standard. When I go to see a sci-fi/action/fantasy/sex comedy/western/whatever, I expect to see some deep stuff and be moved on one level or another.

But on the other hand… When did we start needing more from our action movies? It seems like nowadays even the most average of filmgoers expect deep philosophy and explorations of existential conundrums in movies about time traveling robots. (And obviously I’m including myself in that category.) The guys who made Terminator Salvation told us they were going to make a movie about robots who blow stuff up. And that’s exactly what they gave us. But for some reason this wasn’t enough.

There was a time (not all that long ago…) when cool special effects and exploding gas stations wrapped around a story of good vs. evil would have been enough for me. Case in point: 1997’s Air Force One. The Harrison-Ford-is-an-ass-kicking-president flick was my idea of a perfect movie when it came out. The premise was simple: Mr. Ford’s family is taken hostage, so he shoots up an airplane until he gets them back. I loved it! But ten years later, when they decided to make the exact same movie – 2006’s Firewall, where Ford’s family is taken hostage so he shoots up a room full of supercomputers until he gets them back – I kinda hated it. I was bored, I thought it was dumb, and I wondered why I was wasting my time when I could have been reading a book or doing a Sudoku or anything else that would make me seem like a cultured, intelligent member of society.

Now, there are several reasons why one might enjoy Air Force One more than Firewall (Gary Oldman is a way better villain than Paul Bettany, Wolfgang Petersen is a more talented director than Joe Forte, thriller movies are always better on a plane…), but I seriously think that our tastes in the popular have been warped by high concept genre movies like The Matrix, The Dark Knight, and The Bourne Ultimatum.

In other words, the times they are a changin’, and 90s rehash like the Terminator no longer holds sway over our collective imagination.

This probably all sounds completely negative, but it’s really just my roundabout way of saying that Terminator Salvation may be the last great action movie.

Seriously. Hear me out.

When the world’s major superpower is stuck in the middle of an ethically questionable war, and the rest of us are dealing with economic meltdown, and pigs are bringing about the apocalypse, we tend to lean towards stories about morally-complex antiheroes plunging headfirst into unwinnable conflicts and tragic last stands. So I guess we no longer have time for old fashioned stories where the good guys ride to victory as the bad guys retreat to their fortress to plot their revenge for the sequel. Which is precisely the kind of movie Terminator Salvation is. It’s an old school action flick of the kind they don’t make anymore. So while I was busy searching for answers to the deep questions of life, I fear I might have missed a wicked genre movie.

Are we a generation of intellectually-superior super-cynics, or have the kids who grew up with Terminator and Predator finally reached adulthood? I don’t know… But I will say this: I will never stop searching for the great mind-bending, life-altering action movie, but that’s no reason to ignore the McGs of the world. Sometimes a little escapism is a good thing.

In other words, I’ll be waiting for T5.

jakeb get psyched

Still haven’t had your fill of Terminator goodness? Still need more killer robot action to tide you over until the DVD comes out?

Well then you might want to check out Timothy Zahn’s prequel novel Terminator Salvation: From the Ashes.

As a stuffy English major, I usually have nothing but disdain for movie tie-in books, for the simple reason that they’re rarely any good.

But two things set From the Ashes apart from your standard movie novel. For starters, this is not the regular novelization of Terminator Salvation that just rehashes what you saw on screen. Rather, this is a legitimate prequel that details the events leading up to the opening minutes of the film, meaning that this is brand spanking new content that you will not see in theatres.

But the real reason I decided to check out From the Ashes was because it was written by none other than Timothy Zahn. Zahn’s name may be unfamiliar to the layman, but he’s nothing short of a hero to Star Wars fans. In the early 90s, Zahn penned a trilogy of much-loved novels that continued the Star Wars saga following the events of Return of the Jedi. Any Star Wars nerd worth his salt will tell you that Zahn’s trilogy is way better than anything George Lucas has produced in the last twenty years. These books (along with several other Star Wars novels) played a big part in my childhood and (unfortunately?) influenced my taste in literature for years to come.

So obviously I had to pick up Zahn’s Terminator novel.

Now, I should say right away that From the Ashes is a far cry from Zahn’s best work. If you’re expecting another Heir to the Empire, you’re in the wrong place. In fact, From the Ashes betrays many of the trademark weaknesses of movie novelizations. It’s fairly evident that Zahn was working on a deadline, and there are several awkward points in the novel that feel rushed.

But none of these weaknesses stop From the Ashes from being an incredibly fun ride. Not only do you get plenty of high-flying action sequences, but the novel also includes much of the character development missing from the film. John Connor and Kyle Reese take center stage, and both men get the chance to tell their own story. Furthermore, background characters like Bryce Dallas Howard’s Kate Connor and Common’s Barnes, who were largely ignored in the film, get their chance to shine in Zahn’s novel.

So pick up From the Ashes. It’s not about to win the Pulitzer, but it’s tailor made for Terminator fans who want to delve a little further into the war against the machines.

jakeb get psyched

It’s review time!

Considering my wildly enthusiastic rants over the past few weeks, I suppose it’s a forgone conclusion that I liked this movie.

And I abso-freaking-lutely did.

But I have plenty to say about it, so here goes…

Terminator Salvation is easily the second best Terminator movie ever made. Way better than Terminator 3, even better than Cameron’s initial Terminator 1, but just shy of beating out the indomitable Terminator 2 for the top spot. And that’s okay. In my books it would take a filmmaking act of God to surpass that movie.

So what makes Terminator Salvation work?

Well for starters, McG has perfected his trademark stylized action sequences. In Charlie’s Angels 1 and 2, McG experimented with very detailed, long-take action scenes that often relied heavily on computer-generated effects and came off looking slightly cartoony. In Terminator Salvation, McG has erased any of the silliness that plagued his earlier work to create some of the most suspenseful, hyper-realistic one-take action scenes ever captured on film. It reminded me of Children of Men… but, you know, with robots. Truly some of the most amazingly choreographed sequences I’ve seen in a long time. There’s a particularly notable scene at a gas station that’s orchestrated so well it’s downright uncomfortable to watch.

Furthermore, the movie is led by a very strong cast. Right off the bat, I should mention that Anton Yelchin really surprised me, and I suppose I owe him an apology for doubting him. He nails the headstrong teenage attitude of young Kyle Reese without coming off as annoying, which is no easy feat (I’m looking at you, cast of Harry Potter). Sam Worthington also knocks one out of the park as the deeply confused robo-human with a shady past. The guy’s got enough chutzpah to share the screen with Christian Bale, but he’s also got the chops to play the romantic lead. That being said, if Mr. Worthington wants to continue acting in Hollywood, he needs to work on his American accent.

And of course Christian Bale is Christian Bale. If you’ve seen the new Batman movies, you know what to expect. The man is the 21st century action hero.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Terminator Salvation is not without its share of flaws.

For one, I was slightly irked that we didn’t really see anything we haven’t seen before. As I’ve been saying for weeks, I’ve been waiting to see the future war against the machines since I was 15, but what we see in Terminator Salvation doesn’t really advance the master plot in any significant way. John is still waiting to take the reigns as leader of the Resistance, and Skynet is still years away from facing any serious threat from the puny humans. Of course the ride we get is incredibly fun, but I was hoping to head a little further into uncharted territory. That being said, they sure have set things up for an exciting new wave of sequels.

There are also some other picky film critic things that I would be remiss if I didn’t point out. For example, the dialogue is a tad awkward in points (try not to laugh at Marcus Wright’s opening exchange), which shouldn’t be a problem for a Terminator movie, but I guess I was expecting more considering the caliber of writers who worked on the script. There were also some sci-fi nerd issues I had regarding Skynet’s actions… How did it know certain things about the Connor family? Why did it dillydally with Kyle Reese? The answers are all there, I suppose, but it would have been nice to see things spelled out more clearly.

All in all, though, Terminator Salvation is a Terminator fan’s movie. Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is just another reboot. Far from it, in fact, Terminator Salvation achieves the seemingly impossible goal of creating a movie that’s deeply entrenched in continuity and fan-service, but also manages to create a jumping-on point for new audiences. Furthermore, McG is a man who loves movies. Listening to him in an interview yesterday, it was clear that this is not a guy who’s trying to make the next great art flick. The man has no pretentions. He knows he’s making popcorn blockbusters and he loves it, and that’s why this movie is so darn entertaining, despite some obvious problems. If I had to sum it up, I’d say this: the man put a Great Escape reference in a Terminator movie, and that should only happen in my dreams.

So go check out Terminator Salvation. It lacks some of the depth of T2, but it’s got more than enough to make up for it, and you won’t be disappointed.

jakeb get psyched

I was lucky enough to sit in on a conference call with McG this morning, and the surprisingly friendly director shed a little light on what it was like to bring the Terminator series back to life.

As he said repeatedly throughout the interview, the man behind T4 was most concerned with staying true to the feeling of Terminator 1 and 2 and honoring what James Cameron had built. McG, who is no stranger to CGI, described how he tried his best to use as many non-computer-generated effects as possible in order to maintain the look and intensity of the earlier films. The director joked that the cast and crew had lost their eyebrows as a result of how many real explosions they staged.

But staying true to the spirit of the original movies didn’t come easy. In fact, McG said that was the hardest part of making this film, especially considering the turn the series took with Terminator 3, but he hopes that Terminator Salvation will accomplish what The Dark Knight did for Batman and Casino Royale did for James Bond.

McG also talked at length about the developments we’d be seeing in John Connor, citing Neo from The Matrix and Spider-Man as inspirations for a character dealing with a destiny and responsibility that have been thrust upon him. And, true to Terminator 1 and 2, we’ll be seeing clashes between John Connor and the authority. Apparently John’s going to have to earn his spot as savior of mankind.

The director also said to keep your eyes peeled for an extended R-rated edition of Terminator Salvation that will be coming out on DVD. This cut will feature longer, bloodier fight sequences (he described a particularly brutal scene that he called a “hillbilly fight” with Sam Worthington) as well as a tasteful, elegant topless scene featuring Moon Bloodgold that he assured us was not a “gratuitous boob shot.”

And finally McG talked about the future of the series, saying that he hoped to make more Terminator films (and that contracts had already been inked) but that the decision as to whether or not to go forward would depend on audience reaction. He did say, though, to keep an eye out for Common, as he could be a vital player in any future movies.

Oh, and he also mentioned how John Connor might go traveling through time to protect the future.

Awesome.

AND A REMINDER!!!

Tonight we’re holding a special preview screening of Terminator Salvation, and you have a chance to win tickets. If you show up at Dundas Square (at the corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto) at 6:30 PM dressed up as one of John Connor’s Resistance fighters, you have a chance to win VIP seating to a 7:00 screening at the Yonge and Dundas AMC theatre, as well as the chance to win a bunch of cool Terminator swag! Get creative: come dressed in army fatigues, covered in robot bits, or whatever you think a Resistance soldier should look like.

jakeb get psyched

It’s opening week, Skynetters.

And that being the case, it’s about time I talk about the one mystery still surrounding this movie: the fate of Mr. Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

With just four days to go, it amazes me that no one seems to know whether or not the Man himself will be appearing in T4. Usually a cameo this fantastic would either be all over youtube, or would have been dismissed as rumour in the message boards. But apparently no one has a clue about his involvement. Some say he’s in it for a couple of minutes, others say his face has been CGI’d into the background, and others still are adamant that he’s not involved in any way. In other words, we’re going to be surprised. Kudos to WB for playing this one so close to the chest.

I, like everyone else, can’t comment on Schwarzenegger’s presence (for the simple fact that I don’t actually know…) but I am in an excellent position to make broad speculations and share my personal opinions.

So let’s start with a nice big hyperbole:

At no point in the long history of Hollywood has any actor been as synonymous with a single role as Schwarzenegger is with the Terminator. Not Clint Eastwood as the Man With No Name, not Sean Connery as Bond, not even James Earl Jones as Vader. Schwarzenegger’s entire career (at least as an actor…) has revolved around the fact that he is the Terminator. Plain and simple.

And, on the flip side of that equation, the Terminator franchise has survived on the fact that it’s the one true place to see Schwarzenegger playing his definitive role. Even James Cameron, the creator of Terminator, had to admit that Schwarzenegger was just as responsible for the character as he was. In short, the Schwarzenegger Terminator is one of the greatest, most recognizable pop culture images of all time.

So it seems almost cruel to make another Terminator movie with Mr. S.

Because - if we’re all being honest - it needs to be said that Schwarzenegger is not a great actor. In fact, there’s a strong argument to be made that Schwarzenegger is a terrible actor (not an argument that I’d support, mind you, but I’ll admit that the evidence is there).

But, it’s undeniable that the man knows how to play the Terminator.

The one thing Schwarzenegger does really, really well is playing emotionally devoid killing machines. He does it better than anyone else. It’s why God put him on Earth. And we love watching him do it! It’s legitimately and unapologetically entertaining. He manages to play the role convincingly while also bringing a subtle (yes, I said subtle) humour to it. I challenge any other actor to walk that line as well as Schwarzenegger does. He’s a master at this one, small role, and why should he be denied the chance to flaunt his mastery?

Now, obviously it should be noted that such a cameo could potentially derail T4. McG has worked really hard to create a serious, gritty movie, and the presence of Schwarzenegger (who has become a gigantic punch line in recent years) could undo all that. On the other hand, the cameo seems almost necessary to authenticate Salvation as a member of the Terminator family.

Personally, I really do hope they gave him a shot in T4. Schwarzenegger and the Terminator are like Simon and Garfunkel – we love seeing the reunion. Plus, what other movie would ever be able to boast the current Governor of California playing a robot?

As always, let us know what you think in the comments below!!

AND A REMINDER!!!

On Tuesday, May 19th we’re holding a special preview screening of Terminator Salvation, and you have a chance to win tickets. If you show up at Dundas Square (at the corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto) at 6:30 PM dressed up as one of John Connor’s Resistance fighters, you have a chance to win VIP seating to a 7:00 screening at the Yonge and Dundas AMC theatre, as well as the chance to win a bunch of cool Terminator swag! Get creative: come dressed in army fatigues, covered in robot bits, or whatever you think a Resistance soldier should look like.

jakeb characters, get psyched

Do you want to join the Resistance?

Do you want to save the world from evil robots?

DO YOU WANT FREE TICKETS TO AN ADVANCE SCREENING OF TERMINATOR SALVATION?!

Then come on down!

On Tuesday, May 19th we’re holding a special preview screening of Terminator Salvation, and you have a chance to win tickets. If you show up at Dundas Square (at the corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto) at 6:30 PM dressed up as one of John Connor’s Resistance fighters, you have a chance to win VIP seating to a 7:00 screening at the Yonge and Dundas AMC theatre, as well as the chance to win a bunch of cool Terminator swag! Get creative: come dressed in army fatigues, covered in robot bits, or whatever you think a Resistance soldier should look like.

Remember, if you’re reading this, you are the resistance!

DATE: Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

TIME: 6:30 PM

LOCATION:
Dundas Square
Yonge and Dundas
Toronto, ON

jakeb get psyched

Last night, while surfing the net instead of doing the serious-people work that’s been piling up on my desk, I was pleasantly surprised to find a special new Terminator preview that’s a whopping four minutes long. I love a good trailer, so I double love a trailer that’s twice as big. (To see what I’m talking about, head over to www.apple.com/trailers)

Some immediate observations that I feel I need to share:

• John Connor owns a custom tank-motorcycle? Awesome.
• Dogfights between HKs and fighter jets? Even more awesome.
• Christian Bale really does look quite crazy… like, terrifyingly crazy… like, crazier than he does in American Psycho
• I’ll give Anton Yelchin points for his perfect delivery of the “come with me if you want to live” line
• And speaking of custom tank-motorcycles, did anyone catch that wicked Great Escape homage?
• Exploding gas stations are always a good sign

But there were two big things from this trailer that really got me pumped

One: Something has shaken John Connor’s faith. As a kid, he was told that he will lead the humans to victory, but now he’s not so sure. In the trailer, it looks like Connor has reason to believe that he’s somehow altered the future, no longer guaranteeing certain victory, and heading into uncharted waters. Not only does this make for far better storytelling (what with Connor’s identity being called into question) but it also raises all kinds of amazing science fiction questions about alternate history. Good call, McG. Good call.

Two: For the first time I get the feeling of a family dynamic in Connor’s army. This is a must. Terminator 1, 2, 3, and the TV series all have one thing in common: the unbreakable relationships that join the humans in defiance against Skynet. Each film has featured a close team in one way or another, and I’m glad to see that they’re following up on this in Salvation, only this time with John as the father figure.

Oh! Also… three days ago I totally nailed it when I predicted that Michael Ironside’s presence would mean some old-school military shouting matches between John and his boss. I know D-list character actors better than anyone.

And I’ll end on that high note as we head into the weekend. As always, check back tomorrow and Sunday for links and other cool Terminator info.

jakeb get psyched, stuff that goes boom, the story

As I’ve said countless times before, I’ve been dying to see the future war between John Connor and Skynet ever since I first saw Terminator.

At the very beginning of T2, and sporadically throughout T1, we were teased with brief glimpses of life after Armageddon. As far as 1991 visions of the apocalypse go, it was pretty cool. It was always night, there were lasers everywhere, and every flat surface was covered in human skulls. It was like a death metal album cover come to life. How could angst-ridden teenagers not want to live to see this future?

But upon rewatching Terminator 1 and 2, certain aspects of Cameron’s nightmarish future seemed a little outdated to me. For starters, the Resistance wears matching, ironed uniforms (complete with little grey baseball caps). They look like they’re about to paint a house, not wage war against the machines. Secondly, they use these little go-kart things that look oddly childish and out of place in the middle of a battlefield. Finally, it’s always night. When I was fifteen, setting a scene at nighttime was more than enough to convey an apocalyptic tone, but now I need something more…

Which is why I was pleased to see that McG has gone in a fairly different direction as far as drawing the landscape for John Connor’s ruined world. Visually, the world of Terminator Salvation is pretty far removed from what we saw in T1 and T2.

For starters, we can see remnants of society everywhere the characters go. Abandoned gas stations, half-demolished buildings, 20th century trucks and helicopters and planes. All in all, this world looks more like what I’d expect if we were to be nuked today: a patchwork collection of scraps and fragments of what was left behind. As cool as it may be, I just don’t think we’d be able to design and manufacture matching uniforms while on the run from Skynet.

Furthermore, the world of Terminator Salvation seems hot. It looks like Southern California: dry, dusty, and painfully warm. Cameron’s apocalypse, on the other hand, was cold and damp. Now, in all fairness, I don’t know which climate would be more realistic following a nuclear attack, but for some reason this just seems more appropriate to me. Maybe I’ve seen Planet of the Apes one too many times.

But most importantly to me, McG has said in interviews that he modeled his nuclear wasteland on Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. I mentioned this book a few weeks back in my “Required Reading” post, where I argued that The Road is one of the best portrayals of life after global destruction. As far as bleak, gritty, ugly, lifeless environments go, there ain’t none better than The Road. And true to his word, parts of McG’s universe do look surprisingly like the picture McCarthy paints. Most notably, the scenes on the abandoned highway (obviously…) are highly reminiscent of the eponymous Road. McCarthy really tapped into something with his use of road imagery (the hope, the endlessness, the progression, the regression, all that complex end of the world stuff), so I’m glad that McG shamelessly stole paid homage to it.

jakeb get psyched

1. The Real Cyberdyne Systems.

This is not a viral site, nor is this a joke. This is the website for an actual Japanese corporation called Cyberdyne that is currently developing “cyborg-type” technology. I spent a good thirty minutes staring at this site before I was ready to believe it wasn’t an elaborate hoax. Judgment Day is coming!

2. Some more glory shots of the T-600

Check out the National Post’s coverage of the T-600’s stay in Toronto. Their report on the event is less than enthusiastic. Apparently the serious journalist really badly wanted to see a Terminator that could actually kill people. See what he has to say here.

3. Interviews with the stars

Check out ign.com’s coverage of Terminator Salvation, complete with interviews from a “roadshow” event a few months back. See it here.

4. Check out the video game

Head over to the official site for the Terminator Salvation video game. Even if you’re not a big fan of movie tie-in games, you should give this one a chance. It’s a hard premise to get wrong: kill robots. Learn more here.

jakeb get psyched, links

A couple of days ago I get an e-mail asking if I want to come hang out with the T-600 as it spends the day in Toronto.

Obviously, I say yes.

So at 6:30 in the morning two guys dressed in full army camo pull up in a u-haul and park in front of Bloor Station, the busiest subway stop in the city. As the paramilitary-looking troops start unloading unmarked crates from the sketchy-looking van, the studio guy visiting from L.A. remarks that anywhere else in the world, a sight like this would cause mass panic and shut down the subway system. You gotta love Canada.

We then spend the next half hour lugging the behemoth robot down into the station and we get set up just as rush hour kicks in. As we assemble the T-600 and get everything turned on, the sculptor who actually built this thing informs me that this is the model seen in the trailer (the one that John Connor shoots in the head after crushing it with a helicopter) and I get unreasonably excited.

In some stroke of insane marketing luck, the trains get delayed and the subway is packed with people who have nothing better to do than stare in awe at the seven foot cybernetic organism with glowing red eyes. Some stray observations about crowds and robots:

• It’s amazing how many people carry cameras around with them. It’s like everyone needs to be prepared just in case they pass something worth photographing on their way to work. We truly are a city of artists.
• The more barricades you put up, the more people try to touch stuff.
• If you let me past the barricades, I will touch stuff.

Rush hour comes and goes, so we pack up this bad boy and head down to the Edge 102.1 studio on Yonge Street. We set up in the window and then spend the next few hours spreading the Terminator love to passersby and swapping Schwarzenegger impressions. Some observations on downtown Toronto at 2 PM on a Friday:

• Apparently most of my fellow nerds in the city are busy obsessing over some movie called Star Trek. And Hugh Jackman has another flick out?
• If you invite a bunch of guys in their 20s to work at an event like this, they will use the Terminator to pick up women.
• William Shatner’s cover of Common People is incredible.

Eventually the day comes to a close, and the Terminator gets boxed up and shipped out to the next group of people lucky enough to bask in its apocalyptic glow, and I smile in satisfaction, feeling very much like a young John Connor as I watch my robot buddy disappear. Escapism is awesome.

jakeb get psyched