Terminator Salvation
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I came across this article on Digg: Why Terminator Salvation Isn't a Terminator Film:
Read the rest at the link above; the author makes some very valid points.
However, another user made some very acute observations in the comments section after the article:
Don’t let the title fool you. The sole purpose of this article isn’t to bash the latest installment of the Terminator film franchise. My goal is to actually do the opposite. I’ve seen Terminator Salvation and read some critic and fan reviews, and I’ve noticed several concerns regarding the film’s placement in the series. The biggest complaint is that it isn’t a worthy successor to the the other films. With that being said, I can understand your frustration. I don’t think Salvation is a bad movie, I actually think it’s a great action flick. It’s just that it’s not supposed to be your typical action film, it’s supposed to be Terminator, so why doesn’t it fit with the rest of the series?
Enter at your own risk. SPOILERS ahead.
Enter at your own risk. SPOILERS ahead.
However, another user made some very acute observations in the comments section after the article:
CJF · 1 day ago
"No John Connor love...Unfortunately, with all the build up that we’ve been given of what John Connor would become, he’s kind of a let down. He wasn’t bad *** or memorable in anyway. "
I think people like you are really missing the deeper message in this movie. The underlying story is all about how the one character with real love and heart was the machine, Marcus Wright.
The characters, including John Connor were designed to be dull and lifeless throughout the movie. Let me emphasize: THIS WAS BY DESIGN, not a mistake by the director. 15 straight years of war had made all the human beings lose their humanity. Marcus Wright did not grow up in a post-apocalpytic world and even he, a criminal in his time, was more human and had more "heart" than anyone living in the current world.
John Connor had not yet become the great hero portrayed in visions of earlier movies because he had yet to learn to discern what real humanity is. He finally learned this at the end of the movie, and gained Marcus's "heart", both physically and metaphorically. This is the final enabler that will prepare him as the true leader of the resistance, unlike Ironside's character who gave up his humanity and, in the end, his life and position in the resistance.
The drab, gray landscape, the quarrel between the gas station tribe about giving food, the ignorance of Kate Brewster's pregnancy and the lifeless characters (other than Marcus) were all BY DESIGN to contrast how mankind lacked the humanity to succeed.
When I walked out of the theater, I thought the way you do, "oh what an uninspiring, mess of a movie". Now, I've begun to understand the hidden message here. In my revised opinion, I now believe this movie is the best of the entire Terminator series because it has a deeper message than the previous films. To me it is not a popcorn thriller like T1-T3, but an intense examination of the heart of a human being.
So please, think a little deeper at the hidden message of this film. McG has taken "Terminator" a step further than Cameron ever could.
"No John Connor love...Unfortunately, with all the build up that we’ve been given of what John Connor would become, he’s kind of a let down. He wasn’t bad *** or memorable in anyway. "
I think people like you are really missing the deeper message in this movie. The underlying story is all about how the one character with real love and heart was the machine, Marcus Wright.
The characters, including John Connor were designed to be dull and lifeless throughout the movie. Let me emphasize: THIS WAS BY DESIGN, not a mistake by the director. 15 straight years of war had made all the human beings lose their humanity. Marcus Wright did not grow up in a post-apocalpytic world and even he, a criminal in his time, was more human and had more "heart" than anyone living in the current world.
John Connor had not yet become the great hero portrayed in visions of earlier movies because he had yet to learn to discern what real humanity is. He finally learned this at the end of the movie, and gained Marcus's "heart", both physically and metaphorically. This is the final enabler that will prepare him as the true leader of the resistance, unlike Ironside's character who gave up his humanity and, in the end, his life and position in the resistance.
The drab, gray landscape, the quarrel between the gas station tribe about giving food, the ignorance of Kate Brewster's pregnancy and the lifeless characters (other than Marcus) were all BY DESIGN to contrast how mankind lacked the humanity to succeed.
When I walked out of the theater, I thought the way you do, "oh what an uninspiring, mess of a movie". Now, I've begun to understand the hidden message here. In my revised opinion, I now believe this movie is the best of the entire Terminator series because it has a deeper message than the previous films. To me it is not a popcorn thriller like T1-T3, but an intense examination of the heart of a human being.
So please, think a little deeper at the hidden message of this film. McG has taken "Terminator" a step further than Cameron ever could.
Last edited by saqwarrior; May 28, 2009 at 03:21 PM.
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