Friday, May 22, 2009

Movie Review : First Impressions of "Terminator Salvation"



Burnout.


I just got home from a late showing of Christian Bale's "Terminator Salvation."

In a nutshell: I had some high hopes for this film, but the flick completely obliterated those hopes. I actually got tired of looking at this movie even while I was sitting there in the theater. I got tired of looking at the endless explosions, the grimy ashen landscape, the entire post-apocalyptic scene. It's exhausting to watch. What a disappointment.

I give the flick a grade of C. RottenTomatoes has a miserable rating of 33%, as angry movie critics across America tear this flick to shreds.

Don't waste your money. I would have rather gone to see "Star Trek" for a third time.

In fact, I might not even bother writing a full movie review of this movie. The characters are all flat non-entities with no development or charisma. (Heck, I ended up actively rooting for the terminators to rub the terrible Moon Bloodgood character out of existence. Ditto for the completely worthless little kid. Don't even get me started on Helena Bonham Carter's appearance.) Not even Bale's John Connor was emotionally arresting. I just didn't care. He couldn't make me care. Yes, John Connor, savior of man against the machines, blah blah blah . . . Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Oh, OK, Anton "I'm Chekov in the new Trek, so I beg you to forget I'm in this awful Terminator flick" Yelchin turns in the most credible performance of the whole cast in his role as Kyle Reese. But he can't save this movie.

In fact, the only salvation in the flick exists solely in the title . . . and in the fact that when it ended, I could run away.

You want great "Terminator" action? Go watch the first and second flicks.

Oh, the Cinema-Mad Sibling is in a more forgiving mood. He gives the flick a B. Still, he pronounced the movie "too bleak."

3 comments:

lumpy said...

I didn't read this earlier because, well, I'm lazy like that.

But, after your 'Angels and Demons' review, I'm noticing a disturbing trend: You give this movie a C? Let's quote:

What a disappointment.
Don't waste your money.
The characters are all flat non-entities ...
I ended up actively rooting for the terminators to rub the terrible Moon Bloodgood character out of existence. Ditto for the completely worthless little kid. Don't even get me started on Helena Bonham Carter's appearance.
In fact, the only salvation in the flick exists solely in the title . . . and in the fact that when it ended, I could run away.
And then, a 'C'? I'm beginning to believe you aren't quite the "Dreamkillah" of storied fame that I've been lead to believe you were ...

Mad Minerva said...

Bonus points given for cool special effects and the nostalgia factor, plus a few cushion points for a decent turn by Anton Yelchin, a neat cameo by Ahnuld, and the mere presence of Christian Bale...who has now used up ALL the movie bonus karma points he had stored up with me.

lumpy said...

Well, okay, cameo by Ahnuld and all, I can understand. Special effects, nostalgia, yada yada yada, fine. But I can't go for the Christian Bale points. I can understand them, but not being female, I can't give them, not honestly. Now if it were Morena Baccarin ...