Having just seen this in a preview - a one word review would be... meh. On the whole its okay but I can't put my finger on what I don't like about it. The effects are simplt stunning in places and there'e one bit near the end with a naked T-800 walking about that looks quite superb. There is also one effect that is a bit jarring because it could only be done with CGI so it sticks out a bit, its really good but you notice it because it simply had to to be an effect. But if you can accept it then its actually quite a nice touch. On the whole, plenty of action, some nice touches, great effects but there is a certain spark missing which stops it from being a great film.
I'd say it's just because it sucked. Transforminators would be so, so much better: http://black20.com/black20-trailer-park/transforminators
I cant understand why people are complaining about a lack of plot here. Everyone knows the score, just accept it for a action film. Was Terminator 2 so great because of the plot? No, it was great for all the chase scenes, guns and explosions, if Salvation is just a 2 hour long mindless CG action fest i'll for one be very happy.
Having read the novel of the film I enjoyed it for what it is. I've seen the film and enjoyed it also for what it is. Action film with terminators. I liked.
I can only state in a non-spoiler sense that the film was definitely better than 'Rise of the Machines'....by far. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, though. Visual FX work is very well-done, as expected considering ILM's usual work. Apparently there were some brutal special FX situations (actual in-camera stuff, like explosions, etc) that involved some actual nasty injuries to some of the crew, but it's a necessity for that stuff still....I suppose you can't render everything on a computer yet. Looked like the color-timing was done to give it a washed out faded look to things; a creative decision most likely to reflect the post-Judgment Day feeling of things in the film. Audio mix was, as expected, awesome. I will state that all this Anti-Bale sentiment I've seen around the net about the film is kind of weird to read about. I think in this particular situation it's simply an issue of not utilizing the Connor character to his potential; I had no real issues with Bale's work here. His character, IMHO, was simply overshadowed by Worthington's character; nothing more. Plot wise, I'd try not to over-think it much, or really at all, lol. Bottom line: If you have a couple hours to spare and a handful of money to spend, and you're looking for a 'check your brain at the door popcorn action sci-fi flick during the summer' kind of movie, go for it. But I'd go for a matinee though.
Yep, thats what I had in mind when I went in to this flick, but I still thought there was something missing. The best analogy I can make is the comparison between Robocop and Robocop 2 - apologies for the lack of a more up to date film choice. Both films had wild shootouts, a great stop motion adversary (remember it was the eighties), satirical TV ad's, corporate dirty dealing and numerous other similarities but the whilst the first film was sharp, violent, gory (some of it totally gratuitous) and a wicked line in satirical dark humor the second film was simply dull and lifeless and all attempts at raising a laugh failed miserably. I reckon the difference could be that truely talented directors bring something to their work that is difficult to quantify but sometimes they simply go through the motions, Robo 2 was directed by Irwin Kershner and he made the only really good Star Wars film - you know the one I mean... The only phrase I could think of at the time was that Robo 2 was either the worst film I've ever liked or it was the best film I ever hated - and I still can't make up my mind about it. T.S. is a frustrating film for me, it had some great moments but it didn't have the lightning in a bottle that seperates also ran films from truely great ones. T2 was my idea of a text book example of how to make a summer blockbuster, very few have matched its scope and popularity. Yes there were some clunky bits in it, it was a Jim Cameron film after all, but for the most part it cracked along at a terrific rate that I didn't mind the flaws.
Hey Rkiver Did the novelisation explain why Skynet 2018 was targeting the specific people it was hunting in the film? I'm being deliberately vague here for those who haven't seen the film yet, all I need is a yes or a no.
Whoa, now. I have to object. Strongly. Not only did Terminator 2 provide a logical progression of the plot of the first film, it also did it in a compelling manner. It provided an orignal storyline with some new twists (Arnie now being the good guy was not just a predictable plot twist or pandering to his popular image but also allowed for a deeper exploration of what Terminators were all about, how they came into being etc.), an original new enemy (something that obviously had to top the ultimate killing machine T800) and some good character development. It also satisfyingly concluded the story arc that the first film had opened. The way the film was shot, and is best viewed IMHO, is as a road movie. The journey evading the T1000, and later seeking out the Cyberdyne Systems labs where it will all begin, forms a backdrop for the exploration of the nature of being human vs. machine and questions about free will, fate and destiny. Humans supposedly have free will, but Sarah Connor is plagued by the terrible knowledge that humanity is bound by an inevitable destiny to end in flames. Even Arnie's T800 observes this when John Connor, seeing some children play soldier with toy guns, expresses his doubts: John: "We're not gonna make it, are we?" The Terminator: "It is within your nature to destroy yourselves". Sarah Connor decides mid-film to turn this around: "There is no fate but that which we make for ourselves" as Reese had once said to her. Instead of trying to run away from fate (the T1000), she decides to confront it at Cyberdyne Systems and change the future. Free will wins out, but it is tough going: she can't just pop one through Dr. Dyson's head. She is just as bound by her humanity as the Terminator is by his machine nature. Again, human's nature as a deterministic force rather than free will comes up: Sarah Connor (to Dyson): "How are you supposed to know? ****ing men like you built the hydrogen bomb. Men like you thought it up. You think you're so creative. You don't know what it's like to really create something; to create a life; to feel it growing inside you. All you know how to create is death...". Meanwhile machines are supposedly deterministic. Much has been made of the unstoppable, single-minded nature of the Terminator killing machines, and there are also Sarah's musings about T800's better suitability as a back-up parent for John, because unlike the humans she has associated with he is dependable and has no ulterior motives or weaknesses. But even Big Arnie learns not to kill people and to sacrifice himself at the end of the film --even if it goes against John Connors explicit orders which he was programmed to follow: John Connor: "I order you not to go. I order you not to go, I ORDER YOU NOT TO GO!" [John starts to cry] The Terminator: "I know now why you cry," [terminator wipes johns tear] The Terminator: "but it is something I can never do." And down the foundry he goes... Sarah Connor [narrating]: "The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it, for the first time, with a sense of hope. Because if a machine, a Terminator, can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too." For me, its story was complete then. Terminator 1 and 2 are like two bookends. The rest is just post-script ramblings.
No. Never goes into it. Which is a pity. Be nice to see Skynets view of things. Other Terminator novels (T2 infiltrator, Rising Storm and Future War for those of you who are interested) have and I felt it added extra weight to the story.
I would give it 7 out of 10 tbh. Enjoyable action film with a predictable plot line. The thing that bothered me though is i've seen it all before. There are parts of the film which are very similar to others and it comes across as an amalgamation of other films with a terminator gloss over the top. Reminded me a lot of fallout 3 though. Some one should do a terminator mod.
