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all the tapes Linda Hamilton made for John to find out about sending Kyle Reese back in time to protect him, etc. It would make Marcus Wright, the only character we actually like, the protagonist for a possible next movie and demonstrate a darker, grittier, and much more poignant adherence to James Cameron’s original vision that would have even given Christian Bale a chance to try out some acting range in future installments. The new ending is just plain bad by comparison. Ending of Spoilers.
Sure getting to see Arnold briefly is one of the best parts of the film, and finally makes this feel like a Terminator movie, but in the final analysis it’s about as disappointing as X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It still manages to be a fun explosion filled ride with a number of masterfully staged action scenes, but the script never quite nails the feel of the movie and the editing keeps it from falling into a comfortable or familiar rhythm. Expectations were high for this one, and unfortunately (this seems to be a theme thus far this summer, with the exception of Star Trek) it missed the mark. Better luck next time McG, you’re still the Charlie’s Angels guy in my book.
Movie Grade: B-
Terminator Salvation: A Second Look
Review By: Tom Herrmann
TomHerrmann@TheCinemaSource.com
Movie Grade: B
This review was going to be littered with references to the Christian Bale freak-out video and to anyone whom I promised this, I am truly sorry. The issue with calling attention to his diva-like shenanigans is that he isn’t really the lead character. Don’t get me wrong, one or two will find their way into this, but the focus of the story is definitely not on Jon Connor. Christian Bale’s name must be synonymous with “summer blockbuster” or “money,” because there are much more important characters that could have made the poster before him. It’s like putting Jamie Lee Curtis on the Halloween Resurrection poster even though (SPOILER ALERT!!!) she dies in the first fifteen minutes.
It’s 2019 and it turns out that the next ten years don’t go so well. The entire human race has been oppressed by machines who rage war against the humans. The war is something like if instead of Colonial America fighting the British in the revolutionary war, they fought America’s modern army in true time-paradox fashion. There are small resistance bases set up around the world, the largest of which is lead by the constantly recanted Jon Conner. Now played by Christian Bale, Conner has dawned a more serious attitude and new way of talking like a melodramatic douche. As I mentioned earlier, the focus isn’t centered on Conner as one would assume, it also covers the much more enjoyable story of Marcus (Sam Worthington) and Kyle Resse (Anton Yelchin).
Marcus is a convict who donated his body to Cyberdyne in 2003 on the day of his execution. Kyle is Jon Conner’s father, even though at this point he is just a teenager who ...
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