Here’s something to tide everyone over until after the holiday weekend….
Early on in this blog, I outlined my theories on sequels and the need to recognize when stories are finished. One franchise that I did not talk about was the Terminator series.
I was 14 when the first one came out. While it was “life-altering” for some, to me it was another big action flick. When the sequel came out in 1991, everyone, including me, was blown away by it. T3 did little to impress me in 2003 and I remember remarking to Rich that it did not add anything to the franchise. Given that, it is no surprise that I was ambivalent to the idea of yet another Terminator movie.
But this is the summer of franchise reboots…
Salvation centers around an adult John Connor and his continued struggle against the machines. Christian Bale, who helped reboot the Batman franchise, plays the hero and Anton Yelchin, who just helped reboot the Star Trek franchise, plays a pivotal character in the series. To give any more details of the story would require spoilers.
So what did I like?
- Overall look – this is a dirty, gritty looking movie; it is not a slick, clean, CGI world
- Sound – Sound editor did a good job of giving this world life
- Callbacks – Use of T2’s theme music as well as the Guns N Roses track; lines and visuals relating to moments in the first movie.
What did I not like?
- Story – flimsy at best, seemed to ignore logic established in previous movies
- Lack of suspension of disbelief – even in this series, there is a limit to this ability. Unfortunately, there were a couple of times where I was wondering about certain justifications and possibilities.
- What is important – Nothing is made important by virtue of trying to make everything important…
My advice: I am torn here…It is one that plays well on the big screen, but not sure it is worth the price. The problems I have pointed out make me hesitant to recommend matinee or dollar theater. Ultimately, matinee or dollar theater is the best option, but only to see the visuals…