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Terminator Salvation, cinemas across Exeter including The Vue. |
Terminator Salvation, cinemas across Exeter including The Vue
Cert 12A, 115 minutes
By Jason Ross
Terminator Salvation is set in post-apocalyptic 2018, where John Connor (Christian Bale) - a man grieving for the loss of his family at the hands of the Terminators - is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators.
Life is turned upside down when everything Connor was raised to believe in changes with the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington).
Marcus is a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row after having been convicted of several murders.
Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future or rescued from the past; and Conor has secrets of his own.
Terminator Salvation opens darkly on death row with Marcus Wright a convicted murderer.
Shortly follows a cancer stricken, insightful, Serena (Helena Bonham Carter). She is a top scientist working on the cutting edge of medicine within the genetics Division of Cyberdene Systems.
Marcus reappears uprooted and falls into the company of a young man Kyle Resse and his companion, both members of the human resistance against the Terminators. Together they try to survive the unrelenting onslaught of the Terminators.
Events transpire and Marcus is led to John Connor by resistance soldier Blair Williams.
John Connor discovers that Marcus is half man half machine rebuilt by Skynet with a human brain and heart but with prosthetic limbs, various machinery. John Connor chains him up suspecting him to be a Skynet infiltrator .
As John Connor confronts Marcus, Marcus discloses that he knows the whereabouts of Kyle Reese a member of John Connor’s family.
John Connor is torn between trusting him, jeopardising the humans and finding his family preventing their death.
The odds are stacked hugely against them as they embark on a crucial journey to infiltrate Skynet.
They must save not only his family but the last remaining humans on this ravaged earth.
Whilst at times it was engaging and maintained an element of surprise it was also sometimes annoyingly Americanised, predictable and overdone.
Christian Bale’s script didn’t allow us to see his full range.
Marcus Worthington commanded considerable screen presence as did Kyle Reese though it was Helena Bonham Carter who stole the show.
The film needed more of a mix of classic human fight scenes along with the endless Terminator battles which became a little dry.
Sorely missing were Arnie’s corny classic one liners.
All in all action fans or those of you who wish to indulge check it out as it’s a great showpiece.
It’s just a shame that cliché’s and heavy handed treatment spoilt it’s overall effect.
Check out www.TerminatorSalvation-movie.net. It includes in depth production notes including full details and breakdowns on the men behind the machines, full technical analysis.
Morning Dew - (Critics Tip)
It is interesting to note for fans of Christain Bale that he next stars in legendary director Michael Mann’s Public Enemies set for release July 2009.
If you haven’t already I suggest you check out both Michael Mann and Christain Bale’s back catalogues.
Between them they include such gems as Heat, The Insider, American Psycho and The Machinist .
The latter two showing a far broader and more interesting range of Christian Bale’s acting lined with burning intensity.
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