Terminator Salvation: Mindless Fun (The Good Kind)

[Lumenskir]

Surprised that no one immediately made a thread about this on Wednesday. Did T3 and Chronicles really erode the fanbase that much?

Anyways, of the three blockbuster movies I've seen so far this summer, the latest Terminator is definitely leagues ahead of the boring crapfest that was Wolverine, but nowhere near as through-and-through enjoyable as Star Trek. However, it does have some of the best action setpieces I've seen so far this year, but the dead space between the fun is just a slog sometimes.

If you haven't seen it, don't go in expecting a proper Terminator movie formula. This is, basically, a zombie apocalypse movie except with machines. There's no time travel shenanigans, no implacable men, and instead there are a whole shit ton of firefights and CGI. It still benefits greatly from not thinking about the plot, but in a logistics/worldbuilding sense than a paradoxy one.

[Jagos]

Debating on this vs. Star Trek first. If you could do it again, which would you watch first?

I like action but I never followed ST closely. But I'm hearing it was a good movie.

[Lumenskir]

Debating on this vs. Star Trek first. If you could do it again, which would you watch first?

I like action but I never followed ST closely. But I'm hearing it was a good movie.
Definitely Star Trek. I never watched anything relating to the series and enjoyed it the entire time.

If the choice is between Terminator and Wolverine, go for Terminator. Wolverine out and out seems to loathe its audience as the action is pretty boring (or at least nowhere near the sequences in Terminator) and the filler 'story' is so bad it can only be explained as a joint venture by the writer and director to piss off people who paid to watch it.

Although, for what it's worth, Terminator is, hands down, the best movie out now starring someone named Moon Bloodgood.

[greed]

Moon Bloodgood, Roland Kickinger, McG. WTF is with these people's names.

Also I read that as Moon Bloodgod for a second I was just like damn that's right up there with Rip Torn when it comes to awesome fake actor names. Still pretty good anyway.

[Mirai Gen]

Also I read that as Moon Bloodgod for a second
I think everyone did.

I mean if I were to seriously read that name as like a director I'd say "Okay Mr. Blood God, you're on in five."

[synkr0nized]

I was pretty sure that mentally I decided the movie was made "for the blood god" regardless of what her name actually was.

Robots blowing shit up is usually a good time. Skynet being fucking retarded? Not as much of a good time. Still entertaining, though, and I am not unhappy that I went to see it. That alone puts it a cut above most movies.

Star Trek was indeed much better, though. I could certainly see that again, but this one is done.

[Bells]

Moon Bloodgood? Who is she? a Drow from Forgotten Realms?

Also, one of her first roles in acting was actually recording Live Action sequences for the PSX game Nuclear Strike !

[Lumenskir]

Robots blowing shit up is usually a good time. Skynet being fucking retarded? Not as much of a good time.
Well, as Cracked have been pointing out this week, Cyberdyne as a company started retarded (http://www.cracked.com/blog/?p=9578), and Skynet's defining feature was being "really good at unawareness" (http://www.cracked.com/topic/254-the-terminator/), so the future Skynet's ability to barely look like a functioning threat doesn't suspend disbelief too much.

[Preturbed]

Saw T4 this morning on the cheap show and had to sit in the front row. Damn economy. I was doing this before all you motherfuckers. As has been said this isn't a standard Terminator plot, but is, in my opinion an acceptable alternative. I enjoyed the action very much and I thought the plot was actually quite good. Maybe could have used a little less John Connor, but he didn't screw it up too badly.

After watching this latest installment I went home and streamed the original Terminator movie for comparison. I found there was some very subtle detail involved in making T4. I suppose it's more easter eggs really, but it shows a level of dedication to the series that most sequels don't get.

[Lumenskir]

I found there was some very subtle detail involved in making T4. I suppose it's more easter eggs really, but it shows a level of dedication to the series that most sequels don't get.
Really? Aside from everyone tossing around "Come with me"s and "I'll be back"s, the one thing I could think they went out of their way to throw in was a climactic fight scene that takes place in a factory setting.

Also, fun fact I just discovered, apparently the Bryce Dallas Howard character (the pregnant girl who is not Mood Bloodgood) is apparently the same character Claire Danes played in T3? I add the question mark because BDH gets about ten lines of exposition and a pregnancy suit for characterization, so the comment I read on AV Club might just be fabricating connections for funsies.

[Marc v4.0]

Really? Aside from everyone tossing around "Come with me"s and "I'll be back"s, the one thing I could think they went out of their way to throw in was a climactic fight scene that takes place in a factory setting.

Also, fun fact I just discovered, apparently the Bryce Dallas Howard character (the pregnant girl who is not Mood Bloodgood) is apparently the same character Claire Danes played in T3? I add the question mark because BDH gets about ten lines of exposition and a pregnancy suit for characterization, so the comment I read on AV Club might just be fabricating connections for funsies.

Yes, same character. Kate Brewster/Conner. She even gets called Kate a few times.

[synkr0nized]

Skynet's defining feature was being "really good at unawareness" (http://www.cracked.com/topic/254-the-terminator/), so the future Skynet's ability to barely look like a functioning threat doesn't suspend disbelief too much.

Yes, bad writing often cripples sentient AI. I knew that going into the movie, but I like to still hold out hope that something more well-executed would greet me.

[Jagos]

Really? Aside from everyone tossing around "Come with me"s and "I'll be back"s, the one thing I could think they went out of their way to throw in was a climactic fight scene that takes place in a factory setting.


More to do with his scar that he got as well as a few subtle nods to T3 where they talk about an erratic "human" machine that was destroyed and a few other things.

Yeah, forgive me, I saw this instead of Star Trek. But since everyone says it's good, I'm going to see that one tomorrow.

[Savage Thinking]

As others have said, I quite enjoyed it for what it was. Although, the sounds the machines made really creeped me out.

few other things.
The scar was a nice touch that they did, but going into a far more subtle reference, the song that John Connor uses to lure the motorcycle thing into the trap to save Kyle Reese is the same song that plays in T2 when he's with his friend in the beginning of the movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJtmb0MATPk#t=1m22s).

[Preturbed]

For one, the string trick that Marcus showed Kyle was briefly visible in the "Kyle gets weapons" scene of T1. Other people's input has further convinced me that my statement is true.