Terminator: Salvation Discuss/Grade <Spoilers>

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by nx1701g, May 19, 2009.

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Grade "Terminator Salvation"

  1. "I'll be back!" (Excellent)

    31 vote(s)
    16.5%
  2. "Come with me if you want to live." (Above Average)

    61 vote(s)
    32.4%
  3. "Thank you for explaining." (Average)

    50 vote(s)
    26.6%
  4. "If we stay this course we are dead! We are all dead!" (Below Average)

    26 vote(s)
    13.8%
  5. "You are TERMINATED." (Poor)

    20 vote(s)
    10.6%
  1. T'Baio

    T'Baio Admiral Admiral

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    Dude, that was the story McG wanted.

    But then he pursued Bale for Marcus, Bale said he was interested, but wanted to be Connor and have rewrites. Then they all freaked out about the internet reaction to the ending being leaked, and decided to change it even more.

    McG may be spineless, stars struck and/or too willing to bend, but it's not entirely his fault. They should have told Bale this was the story they had, and if he didn't like it or didn't want to play Marcus, they'd find someone else. Unfortunately, everyone had Dark Knight Fever.

    We'll never know if the "do anything to get Bale" attitude, the bending over backwards for him and the eventual change in everything due to the story leaking is more McG or more studio executives. I don't think McG gets final cut. I swear if he chose to credit himself "Joseph McGinty Nichols," no one would blame him at all. Get over the moniker...it doesn't make him an idiot.
     
  2. T'Baio

    T'Baio Admiral Admiral

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    You make it sound like I changed your context, or something. I left the rest out because it wasn't pertinent to the point. But I'll leave the entire quote in this post just for you, and the sake of cluttering up an already long thread.

    You claimed T1, T2 and T3 are exactly the same plot, but now you admit they've added a "third avenue." That makes the plot different. You also contextualize what happens in T3 as "again." So you see how T2 and T3 are different from T1. Good, glad we agree.

    As for you not thinking Sarah's mission in T2 is a great piece of character exposition? Fine. Good for you...most people do. As for you not realizing that T3 is the same as T2 (which you admit), but a very bad version. Fine. You like what I think are crappy movies. Great. Glad that's settled.

    No one has made that exaggeration but you. But then again, in terms of the "Apocolyptic (*sic) Human/Robot struggle" genre, I would assume T2 is one of the best of those 12 films.

    You think T4 is better than Reign of Fire!?!

    Credibility blown.

    See what I did there? ;)

    Does that make me a liar? :lol:
     
  3. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Yes.

    Yes it does.

    Granted, not the only reason, but *A* reason.

    Unless you're a 20-something black rapster you shouldn't a)give yourself a nickname b)such a nickname.

    His hard-on to get Bale and do anything TO get/have him was one of many things that may have hurt what this movie could've been. Though I agree studio pressure(s) likely played a large role too.

    But anyone who names himself "McG", directed the Charlie's Angles abortions and almost made a friggin' Hot Wheels movie is deserving of scorn and riddicule.
     
  4. T'Baio

    T'Baio Admiral Admiral

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    First, he didn't name himself. You don't even know what you're talking about, Trekker4747. It was a nickname given to him and used since childhood. It's the name he's gone by his whole life, long before anyone knew about rappers. What's the big deal? Why am I even discussing this? :lol:

    Second;

    Movie Executive - "Hey, Trekker4747, you're good at fast paced, colourful action, and you love racing. You wanna' develop a movie for us using the Hot Wheels brand name? With development, script and directing fees, we'll offer you $12million."

    Trekker4747 - "No, that sounds silly."

    Now who's the idiot?
     
  5. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Wel, it's still a silly nickname.

    And a "script" for a Hot Wheels movie?

    I laugh mightily.

    How do you make a script around a set of toys that are nothing more than cars?

    But, ok, yeah I'd probably take the money and make the movie. And I bet I'd do a lot better job than Mr. "McG" would.
     
  6. T'Baio

    T'Baio Admiral Admiral

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    I don't know...develop it until it turns into a TV show called "Fastlane?"
     
  7. Captain Craig

    Captain Craig Vice Admiral Admiral

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    The CORE of the movies is the same. CHANGE THE FUTURE. Your being overly nuanced for the sake of what, just to argue?

    I said I liked the movie. Way to much is being placed on that angle is all I'm saying.

    I just placed a context to the attitude(s) being displayed.

    Then you like what I consider to be crappy movies. Great. Glad that's settled. See what I did there.:p

    T4 is a fine enough movie. I wouldn't pretend its Citizen Kane either but I guess in a few weeks I'm going to have to read about how Transformers 2 ruined the franchise cause the 1st was such a great masterpiece, right?
     
  8. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    The CORE of all action movies is the same. TO STOP THE BAD GUY!

    Brilliant! All movies are the same!

    :rolleyes:

    You're being obtuse.

    You've got to look at the movies much broader than "to change the future."

    You do that and you'll see that all four movies are pretty damn different.
     
  9. Captain Craig

    Captain Craig Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Right, I'm the obtuse one. :rolleyes:
    I've seen T1-T3 countless times. They aren't that deep or broad. You know why? Cause they are action movies, not heartfelt dramas. You know why they never competed for Best Actor or Best Picture? Cause they aren't that broad and deep.

    You people are over assigning a sense of depth to T2 that is not there at the level your insisting it is.

    But hey I don't agree so I must be the obtuse one not possible at all its the other way around. :sigh:
     
  10. Hunter X

    Hunter X Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    You add the twist that they can turn into giant robots?

    Oh wait...
     
  11. Roberto

    Roberto Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Yes. True.
     
  12. The Borgified Corpse

    The Borgified Corpse Admiral Admiral

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    Ouch! Forgotten already? You were just down ther
  13. The Borgified Corpse

    The Borgified Corpse Admiral Admiral

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    Very interesting. It certainly sounds like the 1st half of the movie works a lot better by focusing on the Marcus Wright/Kyle Reese relationship and keeping John Connor off screen. It also makes more sense if Skynet has no idea who Kyle Reese is. But Project Angel and the brief time travel make the 2nd half sound like an even greater clusterfuck than what we got.

    I'm still pretty ambivalent on the alternate ending where John Connor's face is grafted onto Marcus Wright's body.

    Frankly, Terminator Salvation just wasn't the future war movie I wanted to see regardless. I wanted to see something bleaker, and closer to around the late 2020s. You know all the flashback scenes in the 1st 3 films? Just do that!
     
  14. nx1701g

    nx1701g Admiral Admiral

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    I don't think that anyone could have truly been happy with the Future War scenes. Think about it for over 20 years - since the first Terminator film - people have been imagining what the Future War would be. I don't think that it was possible to really please most people.

    Interestingly on Jay Leno this evening Arnold said his daughter said it was the "Best Terminator film she's seen."
     
  15. DarKush

    DarKush Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I wonder if his daughter has seen the other films? Plus, I'm a little skeptical because Arnold is the ultimate salesman and I think he's trying to help the Salvation folks out. Terminator still puts money in his pockets too so why not say that if it can perhaps convince some people to go see it? It's also telling that Arnold didn't say it's the best Terminator film he saw.

    Did he compare it to his films BTW?
     
  16. Deckerd

    Deckerd Fleet Arse Premium Member

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    I haven't seen it yet but 45% thinking it's better than average is more than I expected, given all the bashing that's been going on.
     
  17. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    I really enjoyed the movie. The action scenes were amazing and incredibly gritty and life-like. That entire protracted sequence with Marcus on the road being chased by the human collector and the motorcycles on the bridge...? WOW. Too bad the ending wasn't as "big" as that sequence. The only dumb thing is how Marcus being a Terminator is made a "mystery" for half the goddamn movie when it's prominently in every single stupid trailer.
     
  18. Daedalus12

    Daedalus12 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    ^ Marcus being a terminator wasn't a mystery at all in the movie. Most people without a priori knowledge figured it out when Marcus came back from being dead.
     
  19. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    One thing about the movie I didn't understand; how did Skynet know that Kyle Reese, a teenage nobody, was important? Did the Terminatrix connect with Past-Skynet in T3 and give it all the information it would need on the future war and Connor or something? I don't recall the movie that well.
     
  20. Ryan8bit

    Ryan8bit Commodore Commodore

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    Science fiction is seldom given a shot at best picture regardless of how deep it is.

    And when we're talking about depth, it's all relative. T2 is a lot more deep than T4. Sure, it's not the epitome of depth, but in contrast to this movie it most certainly is.

    I think what people wanted out of this movie was something to latch onto. They had plenty of opportunities to explore a theme, but they leave the threads dangling, and they focus more on the cool factor. An action movie, despite what some might say, doesn't have to be strictly limited to just mindless action. There can be a well strung together story, characters with development that people can identify with, emotional resonance, and even something to think about when the movie is done. Salvation failed on most of those levels.