The Terminator Review
Grand Total: 8 ¾
Terminator Genisys Review
Grand Total: 4 ½
Technical
Engaging 6
Suspenseful +1
Thought-provoking +1
Great performance/character (Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator) +½
Great story/plot +½
An amazing scene (I’ll be back) +½
Total: 9 ½
Overall impression
The Terminator is about a terminator sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor, whose son John led a human army to defeat an advanced artificial intelligence that was causing the systematic extinction of mankind. Luckily for Sarah, the human victors sent their own person back in time to protect Sarah Connor, a man named Kyle Reese. That is all I will say about the premise of the film because I think the less you know, the more impactful and suspenseful it will be. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays this terminator figure, and although he doesn’t have to act much to play the stoic character, the way he makes the character such a threat by presenting him as a completely shallow thing perfectly embodies what the terminator should be: something that won’t feel for you, won’t be bargained with, and won’t stop until you’re dead. This movie is a fantastic science fiction film, because it deals with time travel and whether or not the future is set. However, the events of the movie make that question really appear to have no clear answer as John believes that the future is not set and, by acting upon that, sets into motion the events of the movie, which appear to contradict his belief in the first place. The story, the new world, and the history that is created in the film also makes it so fresh and real. Although it was not the first film to deal with artificial intelligence, The Terminator did so in a very understandable and logical manner that is still relevant today. How did this artificial intelligence have enough power and freedom to destroy almost all of the human race in just one day, “judgement day”? Watch the film and tell me the answer doesn’t still apply today, perhaps more so than it did in 1984. Now, all of the film isn’t that timeless, which brings us to a few of the film’s problems. This film was made before actual special effects were used in film. Many of the scenes that would have been made much cleaner with the additional of effects look very dated. That having been said, many of the later scenes dealing with the terminator in its true form are still just as affecting as they probably will ever be. The other problem that I have with the movie deals with a certain romance in the film. I admit that the romance is necessary to the point of the movie and to the “the future is or isn’t set” aspect that I talked about earlier. My issue is instead with how random and forced it feels. It is both set up and acted upon in about ten minutes in the film, which is never a recipe for success. Now, the parties involved give good performances, so it’s not their fault. In fact, each of the actors in the film fit each respective role well. Arnold is great as the terminator in ways mentioned before. Michael Biehn is great as Kyle Reese, with the kind of wild paranoid eyes and expressions I would expect from someone who was born into a world where machines existed solely to kill humans. Linda Hamilton does a good job of portraying the innocent and clueless waitress that she is in this film. It would be quite a lot to take if you met a man from the future who told you that there was another thing out to kill you because your son would save the world. At the end of the day, it is the premise and how the movie deals with its inherently science fiction type of story that I took away from the film each of the times I’ve seen it. Sure, there are a couple problems with the film but it certainly makes up for them and then some with all that there is to enjoy.
Total: 8
Technical
Watchable 4
Suspenseful +1
Great performance/character (Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator) +½
Obvious plothole -½
Total: 5
Overall impression
Terminator Genisys tells the story of what happened to John Connor after he sent Kyle Reese back in time to protect his mother Sarah (if you haven’t seen The Terminator, a lot of this film will be more confusing than it already is). Well, in this movie, something happens to John Connor that changes everything and that is this film’s reason for existing. Otherwise, this film does nothing except undo and rewrite everything that was so great about the original film. For better or for worse (mostly for worse), this is the new story that we have so let’s see what it has to offer! The first half of the film focuses on telling Kyle Reese’s backstory and establishing the new setting of the film (because the place Kyle Reese arrives at is not the same one he arrives at in The Terminator). For the most part, it’s pretty decent, filling in some of the gaps that the first film decided not to fill in; it helps the audience understand why it was Kyle Reese that was sent back and what his relationship with John Connor was like. The second half, however, begins to add multiple subplots in a matter of minutes. The film went from one or two things going on at the same time to six or seven things happening at the same time. Characters came and went without affecting the plot whatsoever (like one played by J. K. Simmons), and things got so complicated that, towards the end of the film, I actually had no idea what was going on. That is especially detrimental when the film tries really hard to convince you that real drama is going on and you’re too confused to feel anything for any of the characters. This is a shame too because many of the plot twists, especially the one involving John Connor and Matt Smith (on screen for maybe a minute), are good ideas. The problem is that they are executed poorly; each of them could conceivably take up an entire movie, yet all of them are shoved into half of a movie that barely clocks in at two hours. The film can’t take all of them on and feels bloated and even incoherent at times. Instead of carefully trying to wrap up some of these subplots, several of them are completely unexplained or just dropped at a point in the movie where the filmmakers thought you wouldn’t notice. These narrative problems, however, aren’t the worst thing about the movie at all. In rewriting the history established in the first film, Terminator Genisys acts more as a remake than as a sequel. There are very few good reasons for remaking a film. One is if the original film had a good idea or premise but didn’t do as good a job as it could have with the it. Another is if the first film was an adaptation of a novel that deviated from the source material a lot; the remake might be more faithful to the source material. Remaking The Terminator falls into neither of these categories and instead falls into the most common reason for remaking a movie: the director/producer/writer thought they could do a better job. This isn’t always a bad reason for remaking a film. Look at the 2010 remake of the 1969 film True Grit. The original film was great and the Coen brothers (directors) decided that they could put their own spin on it 41 years later and make it just as good; that’s exactly what they did! Terminator Genisys, however, does not do that. Instead, it says to The Terminator “you got it wrong, here’s what actually happened” and then made a mess of a movie. Sure, there are elements of suspense here and there and the first half is decent but overall, this movie is a mess and an awful excuse to remake a great sci-fi classic.
Total: 4
Terminator 2: Judgement Day Review
Grand Total: 10
Technical
Engaging 6
Suspenseful +1
Moving +1
Thought-provoking +1
An amazing scene (galleria shootout) +½
Really funny +½
Amazing visuals +½
Amazing cinematography +½
Amazing story/plot +½
Great performance/character (Robert Patrick as the T-1000) +½
Total: 10 (12)
Overall impression
Terminator 2: Judgement Day is the sequel to the 1984 science fiction hit The Terminator that set up this universe in which an artificial intelligence that has taken over the world sends back in time a machine to kill Sarah Connor, the mother of John, who would lead the human race to defeat said artificial intelligence. This movie has to do with another terminator that was sent back in time, the only difference being that this new terminator (played to perfection by Robert Patrick) was sent to kill John as a ten-year-old. However, the events of the first film have already taken place, so Sarah Connor knows exactly what the future is like and got caught acted upon that knowledge. Sarah is now in a mental institute, and John hates her, believing that everything she taught him early in life has been a lie. Considered by many to be the greatest sequel of all time and the greatest action film of all time, this film does everything a sequel should: bring back the tone, setting, and scenarios introduced in the original film and push them further by introducing something new. This film one-ups that scenario by introducing two new things: a new type of terminator and the heroes becoming terminators, so to speak. That second point is a little disconcerting, so let me start with this new type of terminator: the T-1000. I don’t want to spoil what’s new or different about it because I think you should experience it for yourself. Instead, let me just say that it is both menacing and just plain mesmerizing to watch. The special effects used on it still look great to this day, even though they were some of the first ever uses of actual special effects in film (pre-Jurassic Park). All of the other technical aspects of the film shine. The cinematography, especially during the many amazing chase sequences, is great. The sound design in the film and eerie score help keep the scary and creepy mood of the first film present in the second, and keep you on edge throughout. Going back to what I was saying about the new ideas in the film, that second idea has to do with using the information Sarah Connor has. She has been alerted of the future and what is in store for the human race because of this artificial intelligence called Skynet. What if she were to prevent Skynet from being born? What if she knew who was going to create it and assassinated him, essentially becoming a terminator herself? There is a certain moral question the film struggles with when it comes down to something like that type of a decision. Is it better to become to kill one person and become a murderer or watch the world to be destroyed by letting that person live? This is why The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day are such fantastic science-fiction films; they deal with these types of questions in futuristic scenarios. The movie really doesn’t pull any punches too when it comes down to how real this question is. There is a scene in this film that has Sarah Connor experiencing what it would be like to experience a nuclear blast from one of the bombs that is going to destroy the world. The scene is disturbing and intense, making you really understand what’s at stake. More than just the future is at stake though. While Sarah is busy trying to figure out how to prevent Skynet from existing, John and a friend sent from the future to protect him (no spoilers) are still trying to avoid the T-1000. If John dies, then destroying the future Skynet may be in vain. What the film does so well is mold the character of John and make you understand what kind of a gap he has in his life. For the majority of his life, he had no father and believed his mother was a psychotic freak. When his mother returns, the only gap to be filled is that of his father. This friend I’ve mentioned develops a really touching relationship with John that becomes really moving at the end of this film. One of the best action movies of all time is also quite moving. I wasn’t the first person to say it; it’s true. There really isn’t much else to say about this film. It’s just excellent on so many levels. Even the humor in the film is really spot on. The premise of the first movie is realized even further in this one, adding a new character, more action, more effects, and a few ideas; Terminator 2: Judgement Day is bigger and better than the already great original film.
Total: 10
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Review
Grand Total: 2 ¼
Technical
Watchable 4
Too short -1
Bad music -½
Obvious plothole -½
Bad performance/character (Nick Stahl as John Connor) -½
Total: 1 ½
Overall impression
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines seeks to make the previous film irrelevant by presenting yet another Skynet that needs to be destroyed in order to prevent Judgement Day. The film in its brief entirety seeks to further push the theme of inevitability and hopelessness of the human race despite everything that was done in the first two films to prevent the annihilation that was supposed to happen in the future. A lot of action happens in the first twenty minutes of the film, as we are introduced to a new type of terminator, one that can do everything the previous two could do but can also control other machines and turn into weapons. Here lies the first problem of the movie: how it doesn’t create good characters. This additional power effectively makes the new terminator unbeatable and therefore uninteresting. The other robotic characters in the movie are just as lifeless as their human counterparts. Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises the role that became the face of the franchise, and does absolutely nothing with it; his dialogue is rushed and he actually seems bored. The humans in the film, John Connor and newcomer Kate Brewster, whose existence is never established before this film, are given no depth whatsoever. I cannot describe anything about either character’s personality, which is especially a shame considering how well-known one of the characters is. John Connor, played by a terribly bland Nick Stahl, is just a guy with the name “John Connor” in this film, with nothing to his character at all. It would be very simple to expand on John’s character the way Terminator 2: Judgement Day expanded on Sarah Connor’s character because we already have the background and context for John; the film doesn’t have to waste time describing him or talking about who he is as we already know all of that. You’d be surprised at how little the film takes that to heart, however, as it barely ties into the previous films. Released over ten years after the previous film, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines feels even more disjointed from its franchise by creating new characters that were never mentioned in the first two films, forgetting to use its predecessor’s iconic theme, and just feeling like a different film with the name “Terminator” stamped onto the cover. While making up new things isn’t always a recipe for disaster, the film’s short runtime doesn’t allow it to do anything except rush the story along. At barely an hour and forty minutes long, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines can’t make enough time for the new characters, the crazy plot, and the action. Speaking of the action, the many sequences featured in the film are visually decent, but often confusing in that most of the time the characters are just being thrown around aimlessly; the action lacked direction. At the end of the day, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is a watchable film that doesn’t have enough time to try to create decent characters, be they humans or cybernetic organisms. Furthermore, the convoluted plot and purposeless action make the film feel forgettable.
Total: 3
Terminator Salvation Review
Grand Total: 1 ¼
Technical
Watchable 4
Too long -1
Terrible writing -½
Obvious plothole -½
Bad performance/character (Sam Worthington as
Marcus Wright) -½
Boring part -½
Overuse of effects -½
Total: 0 ½
Overall impression
Released six years after the lame Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation hoped to reignite the receding popularity of the Terminator franchise. It had been 18 years since the fantastic Terminator 2: Judgement Day made its mark on the world. As a result, the producers of Terminator Salvation decided to put as much money into the film as possible without instead taking the time to hire a capable director with a filmography indicative of somebody who knew the action genre. Whom did they hire? McG, the guy who had previously directed Charlie’s Angels, a cheesy action-parody-comedy, and We Are Marshall, a middle-of-the-line sports drama. The writers? The people who wrote the screenplay for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Upon hearing this information, I have but one question to ask: where is the talent that would warrant such a high budget for the film? Seriously, this movie cost the studio $200 million to produce, and that doesn’t even include the money spent on marketing it! The lack of talent really shows too; the action scenes in this film are some of the most poorly shot and visually dull scenes I’ve ever seen. The camerawork is awful, with shaky shots all over the place and lighting that often makes it impossible to understand what’s happening on screen. The visual effects in the film are all over the place, to the point at which time I don’t think any of the actors stepped foot in a set that wasn’t covered in green screens. This might explain why the performances are so bad. I mean, even the performance from Christian Bale, who is a very accomplished actor, is awful. Add Sam Worthington as the co-lead and you have a recipe for disaster. But forget about all of that, because I haven’t even told you what this movie is about. Terminator Salvation is a film about the post-apocalyptic world that is a result of Judgement Day. In this world, John Connor is basically a lieutenant in the resistance, groups of survivors who are connected via radio. Tossing aside the stupidity of using radio to communicate when advanced artificial intelligence beings exist in your world (think they could maybe intercept radio, you know), I find it strange that John Connor, who was touted in the first two films as the “leader of the resistance” isn’t even the leader in this film. Nitpicking the film like this would take up more time than I have in my life, however, so I will just get on with the story. In this post-apocalyptic world, many characters are introduced (including Kyle Reese, his friend, John Connor, his wife, and Sam Worthington’s character), almost all of which are completely flat. I say almost because I think the concept of Sam Worthington’s character is a good idea. The problem is that Sam Worthington brings nothing to the role, so the character doesn’t really work. These characters make the first hour and a half of this film a complete bore, to the point at which I almost quit watching. During this hour and a half, the characters are put in various situations without any clear purpose or end-goal, as if this time was just being spent as filler while the movie thought about what kind of a story it was supposed to tell. When the film finally does tell the story it was meant to tell, you end up sitting back in your chair and asking yourself what the point of it all was; nothing in the film matters at all. All the film does is present what it’s like to live in this world and live down one mission that, at the end, doesn’t matter at all. This would be fine if the film constructed characters that had a lot of depth and that you could relate to. Since the film doesn’t do this at all, you end up getting nothing out of the film; everything is just too serious and dull. There isn’t a joke to be found in this film, the writing is terrible, the performances and characters are bad, and the movie is just dull. It has a couple good ideas, but the movie really doesn’t do anything with them.
Total: 2