Unfortunately for McG and Company, the more I think about Terminator Salvation, the lower its grade plummets.
I was ready to give it a C right after watching it, even WITH the killer headache it gave me. Now that I’ve had time to think about, it has dropped two letter grades.While I was watching the film, I was adequately entertained – not blown away or anything, but not falling asleep either. At the same time, it could have ended at any time, and I wouldn’t have cared. Not a good sign.
So, here’s the disappointing report card.
** SPOILERS **
Christian Bale as John Connor: B
Anton Yelchin (Chekov) as Kyle Reese: B-
** SPOILERS **
Christian Bale as John Connor: B
Anton Yelchin (Chekov) as Kyle Reese: B-
Characters the audience can relate to and care about: D
Bale and Yelchin had nothing to work with, so it’s hard to grade their performances. Bale didn’t have to do much but glower and shoot at stuff. He’s good at doing those things, so I guess he earned his paycheck.
It was extremely hard to believe that Yelchin’s Reese was going to eventually become Michael Biehn’s Reese, but the character was so underdeveloped in the script, who could really say?
The most interesting character was Sam Worthington’s Marcus Wright, but the screenwriters let him down as well. While his pretty face and charisma caught my attention every time he was on screen, his character was never defined properly – the decisions he made didn’t match the person the writers wanted me to believe he was.
Bale and Yelchin had nothing to work with, so it’s hard to grade their performances. Bale didn’t have to do much but glower and shoot at stuff. He’s good at doing those things, so I guess he earned his paycheck.
It was extremely hard to believe that Yelchin’s Reese was going to eventually become Michael Biehn’s Reese, but the character was so underdeveloped in the script, who could really say?
The most interesting character was Sam Worthington’s Marcus Wright, but the screenwriters let him down as well. While his pretty face and charisma caught my attention every time he was on screen, his character was never defined properly – the decisions he made didn’t match the person the writers wanted me to believe he was.
Actions define characters, and his were all wrong. There was a distinct disconnect between the person the writers apparently wanted the audience to see and the person he actually was.
Ultimately, I felt nothing for any of the characters; I honestly didn’t care who survived and who didn’t, so the climactic battle and following “touching sacrifice” elicited no emotion from me whatsoever.
Badass Terminators doing badass stuff: A, I guess
Ultimately, I felt nothing for any of the characters; I honestly didn’t care who survived and who didn’t, so the climactic battle and following “touching sacrifice” elicited no emotion from me whatsoever.
Badass Terminators doing badass stuff: A, I guess
Post-apocalyptic world: A for being well rendered, I guess
Action and explosions: A, if "lots" is considered good
So, yeah. The art direction was good. The special effects were presumably exactly what the filmmakers were going for. The Terminators were terminatey. So ... mission accomplished, I suppose.
Intriguing or formidable opposition: D
Resistance military commanders: F for "find an original storyline!"
Appearance of Arnold Terminator: C – cool, but too late in the film
In the first two films, though (I don’t count number 3 – as far as I’m concerned, it never happened), the characters had to fight an identifiable Terminator – a single adversary that the audience could latch onto and fear.
In this film, there is no ‘face’ to the opposition, and the movie suffers because of it. The enemy is just a bunch of nameless, faceless (most of the time) machines. When a Terminator with a recognizable face finally appears in the end, it is far too late, and rather than being a terrifying reveal, it’s actually funny.
Oh, also there's the stereotypical military commander who makes all the wrong decisions and relieves Connor of duty just before the final battle because Connor objects to his (wrong) strategy (yes, really). Ugh.
Other objections:
People running around suffering NO signs of radiation sickness, even while mushroom clouds are filling the sky every few scenes: F
People running around suffering NO signs of radiation sickness, even though they’re destroying numerous Terminators, who are apparently fueled by nuclear cores: F
Explanation regarding what the machine was planning to do with all the human captives: F
Explanation regarding Marcus Wright’s horrible past: F
Explanation regarding how Connor found and got onto a submarine by jumping out of a helicopter: F
Actual running time: A
How long it FELT like it ran: C Yes, even with all that action, it still felt too long.
Oh, and one more thing:
GIGANTIC SPOILER in previews that completely RUINS the critical reveal of Marcus’s innards: F F F F!!!
Fucking preview editors. Marcus being a machine on the inside was clearly meant to be a shock when it was revealed in the movie. The preview editors really blew it on this one. That should NEVER have been revealed early. This grade doesn’t factor into the film’s grade, but it sure pissed me off.
Final Grade: F
Other objections:
People running around suffering NO signs of radiation sickness, even while mushroom clouds are filling the sky every few scenes: F
People running around suffering NO signs of radiation sickness, even though they’re destroying numerous Terminators, who are apparently fueled by nuclear cores: F
Explanation regarding what the machine was planning to do with all the human captives: F
Explanation regarding Marcus Wright’s horrible past: F
Explanation regarding how Connor found and got onto a submarine by jumping out of a helicopter: F
Actual running time: A
How long it FELT like it ran: C Yes, even with all that action, it still felt too long.
Oh, and one more thing:
GIGANTIC SPOILER in previews that completely RUINS the critical reveal of Marcus’s innards: F F F F!!!
Fucking preview editors. Marcus being a machine on the inside was clearly meant to be a shock when it was revealed in the movie. The preview editors really blew it on this one. That should NEVER have been revealed early. This grade doesn’t factor into the film’s grade, but it sure pissed me off.
Final Grade: F