Sidewalks On The Corner

It is the year 2018, mankind’s worst nightmare have finally come true. The war against the machines rages on and it is far from over. The fate of the world lies in the hands of just one man . . . John Connor. He is at the helm of a small group of resistance fighters, who are ready to strike at will. Who says resistance is futile, salvation is coming in TERMINATOR SALVATION.

Follow up:

TERMINATOR SALVATION
Warner Bros. Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and language.
Directed by: McG
Produced by: Moritz Borman, Derek Anderson, Victor Kubicek and Jeffrey Silver
Executive Produced by: Jeanne Allgood, Dan Lin, Mario F. Kassar, Andrew G. Vajna and Joel B. Michaels
Cast: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard, Moon Bloodgood, Common, Jane Alexander and Helena Bonham Carter

Studio Synopsis:
“Terminator Salvation” is set in post-apocalyptic 2018, where John Connor (Christian Bale) is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future that Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

The highly anticipated new installment of The Terminator film franchise, “Terminator Salvation” is directed by McG (“Charlie’s Angels,” “We Are Marshall”). The screenplay is by Michael Ferris & John Brancato and Jonathan Nolan and Anthony Zuiker, story by Michael Ferris & John Brancato. Moritz Borman, Derek Anderson, Victor Kubicek and Jeffrey Silver are the producers, with Jeanne Allgood, Dan Lin, Mario F. Kassar, Andrew G. Vajna and Joel B. Michaels serving as executive producers.

The film stars Christian Bale (“The Dark Knight”), Sam Worthington (“The Great Raid”), Anton Yelchin (“Alpha Dog”), Bryce Dallas Howard (“Spider-Man 3”), Moon Bloodgood (“What Just Happened?”), Common (“Wanted”), Jane Alexander (“The Unborn”) and Helena Bonham Carter (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”).

The behind-the-scenes creative team is led by cinematographer Shane Hurlbut (“Swing Vote”), production designer Martin Laing (“Pearl Harbor”), editor Conrad Buff (“Shooter”) and costume designer Michael Wilkinson (“300”).

(L-R) BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD as Kate Connor, CHRISTIAN BALE as John Connor and MOON BLOODGOOD as Blair Williams in Warner Bros. Pictures' action/sci-fi feature Terminator Salvation. Photo by Richard Foreman

J.P.'s TAKE:

What I Liked: The legend of John Connor (Christian Bale) has always preceded the man behind the rage against the machines until now. Connor's rise to valor was explained so vividly and tragically in the first “Terminator” film, which came out in 1984.

Visually, the filmmakers did a fantastic job of bringing us that vision of a nightmarish future. I do feel McG, who helms the latest chapter, is a capable director, who’s able to dazzle you with some death defying stunts and action scenes. The look and feel of “Salvation” is definitely that of a decimated war ravaged country, which again, has always been talked about. The post apocalyptic action/thriller is frightening and fast paced, every moment filled with explosions and cyborgs that sounded just as scary as they looked. And they looked pretty ugly. One interesting scene is in the beginning where a nuclear blast goes off as John Connor is trying to take off in a helicopter. Connor is being tossed around like a swatted fly, while he fights to control the chopper to keep it from falling out of the sky. The view from the cockpit is shot well, allowing the audience to take a ride with him. But in a film that sets out to dazzle you with a 30 foot robot that can blast a crater in anything that get it's way … everything is bound to stand out.

I have admit my heart was pounding a mile a minute watching the intense, heavy war scenes being played out right before my eyes. I felt the intertwining stories were somewhat intriguing and haunting. The underlying story of Connor's encounter with a new machine, whose name is Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) could open up new possibilities in other story lines that may explore the evolution of the machines.

SAM WORTHINGTON stars as Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

What I Didn't Like: The small problem with this film is it becomes an adrenaline junkies paradise with nonstop action. The watered down story that did exist felt rushed and not fully realized. The nostalgia of the old films didn't quite rub off on the new. I wanted to see some references, even flash backs from the original movies, something to help us uncover more about Sarah Connor and the words she instilled in John. That influence was there in a very subtle way. I would have also loved a storyline that came full circle, where the audience could experience the incidences leading up to John Connor sending his father back to the past to save him there. The emotional state of the characters could have been just a little bit warmer, instead they felt cold, calculated, and just as robotic as their cybernetic co-stars.

(L-R) CHRISTIAN BALE, Director MCG and TERRY CREWS go over a scene on the set of Warner Bros. Pictures' action/sci-fi feature Terminator Salvation, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Richard Foreman

Christian Bale did a nice job of portraying John Connor as the strong profit of humanity, however, the warmth of the human spirit wasn't there. Which begs the question, who's more human? The savior of the human race Connor or the man/machine Marcus Wright?

As for the actors Bryce Dallas Howard (Kate Connor), Common (Barnes), and Moon Bloodgood (Blair Williams), they basically felt like supporting cast rather than vital members. Personally, I felt they were all sorely under used.

Notable highlights in cast were Worthington, "Star Trek's" Anton Yelchin (teenaged Kyle Reese) and Jadagrace Berry (the little girl Star). I believe these actors had much more personality because of the emotion they showed in their characters. They could have extended the story envolving John Connor, Marcus Wright, and young Kyle Reese.

There were some cheesy moments that reared their ugly heads about half way through the film. I laughed when Connor tries to restart Wright’s human heart by pounds on his chest; he looked like he was in a WWE wrestling match. Then, he pulls out some electrical cables and shoves them in his chest bringing him back to life. I though I was watching the movie "Crank" again. The end got a little corny as well.

In my honest opinion, “Terminator Salvation” isn't the worst in the franchise; actually I though it was slightly better than "Rise of the Machines," the third entry in the series of films. However, I expected much more out of the story as a whole to bring the film full circle. I wanted more from the characters as well. Unfortunately, the 2009 film fell short of that goal and instead went for the jugular with the action. Not bad, but could have lived up to so much potential.

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J.P. Langston is a member of "Sidewalks Entertainment" team primarily as a videographer. He loves movies, especially sci-fi horror and action comedies. Some of his favorite films include "Blade Runner" "The Matrix Trilogy," The (original) "Star Wars," "Equilibrium," "Serenity," "Kill Bill Vols 1 and 2," "Appleseed," "Unbreakable" and "Sin City." He has a large DVD collection, which is still growing. Since reviewing films for "Sidewalks," he has been expanding his palette for all types of films.