Jun 16, 2009

Terminator: Salvation


Let’s cut to the chase: is McG to blame for the semi-smoldering wreck that is Terminator Salvation? For whatever it’s worth, not in the eyes of this died-in-the-wool fan of the series—not enough, that is, to warrant making him a scapegoat for the entire mess. Surely this is, at the very least, a problematic film. I’ve half a mind to call it an outright bad one, and I’ll admit bias enough that it might simply be beyond my critical lexicon to put the words “bad” and “Terminator” next to one another in the same sentence. (You see, Cameron’s original is half the reason, if not more, that I am the way I am now, and yes, count me as a fan of Jonathan Mostow’s Rise of the Machines.) Don’t think I’m blind, though—there are parts of Salvation that "bad" would be too good a descriptor for, and some of the sins committed here are unforgivable. But like a rodeo performer up against an angry bull, I find myself tipping my hat to McG for his sheer willingness to take on this wild beast of a movie. He gives it his all, though I can’t imagine anyone’s "all" being nearly enough to repair the damaged goods that went into this production.

3 comments:

  1. I had to love it. The first Terminator demanded it. But, this incarnation was lacking to be sure. Without the Terminator brand I'm not sure I would have stuck it out.

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  2. I felt there are parts of the movie almost worth loving. In hindsight, I wish I'd given some more time to the excellence I saw in the film's art design, but that's almost a given for a film of its budget and McG's visual flair. Oh well. I hope it doesn't hurt his career much, and I certainly hope it isn't the last future war film we're to see. (For instance, they could have me make one - then it'd be good. Am I joking?)

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  3. I'm not against having the setting in the future war I just think they cheapened some of the terrorizing aspects of Terminator.

    When I heard McG lay out the parallels of the original Terminator to this one (robot saving mankind, saving one who will determine the future, etc), I appreciated it a bit more, but some of the heart just wasn't there.

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