{"id":3380,"date":"2009-12-02T01:13:11","date_gmt":"2009-12-02T08:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.allouttabubblegum.com\/main\/?p=3380"},"modified":"2009-12-02T01:13:11","modified_gmt":"2009-12-02T08:13:11","slug":"terminator-4-how-john-connor-got-his-scar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/terminator-4-how-john-connor-got-his-scar\/","title":{"rendered":"Terminator 4: How John Connor Got His Scar"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"terminator_salvation\"<\/p>\n

[THE CHALK-OUTLINE]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Terminator Salvation (2009): Breakdown by Kain424<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

In the year 2018, John Connor breaks into SkyNet’s base of operations to save Kyle Reese.\u00a0 He ends up with a scar and a heart transplant.<\/p>\n

[THE EXECUTION]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

After Terminator 3: The Rise Of The Machines<\/a> failed to meet the relatively low expectations of fans, the announcement of another sequel drew negative criticisms immediately.\u00a0 This was especially so after Charlie’s Angels<\/strong> director McG was announced to helm the new installment.\u00a0 Still, he attended Comic-Cons and spoke with a silver tongue of his fidelity to the canon of the established series.\u00a0 Clearly the man seemed to know his stuff, and the coy insinuation of an Arnold Schwarzenegger cameo had everyone curious but at the same time cautious.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot!\"<\/p>\n

McG demonstrates his faithfulness to the established canon immediately, as the movie opens with Christian Bale shooting and killing a terminator trapped beneath his helicopter.\u00a0 With bullets.\u00a0 Regular, plain old bullets.\u00a0 The kind that could barely slow down the Terminator of the first film<\/a>.\u00a0 And the inconsistency with the series’ mythology doesn’t stop there.<\/p>\n

\"600\"<\/p>\n

The HKs are rusted, clumsy things, unable to catch a vehicle driving in a straight line on an open road.\u00a0 The guns, far from being lasers and plasma rifles, are contemporary weapons.\u00a0 There are now motorcycle terminators, giant transformer terminators,\u00a0 and the “new” T-800 models as described by Kyle Reese from 2029 are now new<\/em> in 2018.\u00a0 It’s almost as if the writers (including the self-described “obsessed Terminator fan” McG) listened to some of the dialog and ignored the rest, as demonstrated by these, fairly easy to understand bits of dialog spoken by the same character:<\/p>\n

[flashvideo filename=videos\/T4Kyles.wmv.FLV \/]<\/p>\n

In fact, the dialog is particularly bad here, being irritatingly redundant.\u00a0 Characters constantly repeat and reiterate themselves to the point of idiocy.\u00a0 In one moment, someone will say “RTB” and in the next breath explain the acronym as “Return To Base.”\u00a0 Pick one or the other!\u00a0 There is simply no need for this!<\/p>\n

The redundant exposition is constant throughout, having the fourth<\/span> film in the series beginning with this drawn out expository introduction:<\/p>\n

Early in the 21st Century, SkyNet, a military defense program, became self aware.\u00a0 Viewing humanity as a threat to its existence, SkyNet decided to strike first.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The survivors of the nuclear fire called the event Judgment Day.\u00a0 They lived only to face a new nightmare…<\/strong><\/p>\n

The war against the machines.\u00a0 To hunt down and eradicate humans, SkyNet built Terminators.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the war rages on, leaders of the human resistance grow desperate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some believe one man holds the key to salvation.\u00a0 Others believe he is a false prophet.<\/strong><\/p>\n

His name is John Connor.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The year is 2018<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

And just in case you didn’t catch any of that, they basically repeat it a couple more times for your dumb-ass.<\/p>\n

Things are not assisted with starring cast member Christian Bale choosing to utter all of his dialog in this, near incomprehensible babble:<\/p>\n

[flashvideo filename=videos\/T4Bale.avi.FLV \/]<\/p>\n

His one-note performance, clearly originally written as more of a supporting role, detracts from the overall flow of the film.\u00a0 His story arch, in fact, seems utterly forced upon the movie’s narrative.\u00a0 A quick look at the history of Terminator Salvation<\/strong>‘s production history shows Bale heavily forced his will into the making of the movie.\u00a0 Bale would regularly spend up to 8 hours a day in the editing room.\u00a0 This diva-like behavior seems to have had a negative impact on finished product.<\/p>\n

\"Stand<\/p>\n

The fourth film in the Terminator series looks remarkably unlike any of the future war sequences as seen in the past flicks, making it almost more of a curiosity than a true sequel.\u00a0 The desert landscapes are boring and the ruined city pieces are as dull as they seem dead.\u00a0 The lifeless look of the film causes one to nearly nod off, as if on a testing road trip.\u00a0 Whatever “war” they are fighting seems to be taking place far from the action we’re getting.<\/p>\n

McG’s direction can be workable for much of the picture, managing to keep a steady camera and a pretty decent set-up of shots.\u00a0 However, he has no sense of suspense or balance, with action moments coming and going at random.\u00a0 His insistence upon using practical effects much of the time is admirable, though.\u00a0 As is his direction of the action scenes themselves.\u00a0 He would make a fine second unit director for a better filmmaker.<\/p>\n

\"Harvester\"<\/p>\n

The film’s blatant disregard for the established canon of the films that preceded it aside, T4<\/strong> still manages to settle into range of enjoyable mediocrity.\u00a0 Several of the references to the other films are welcome and the action, when it occurs, is well enough done to warrant at least one viewing.\u00a0 It’s unfortunate that the movie gets bogged down under the demands of its star, the terrible story, and depressing disregard for the previous entries.\u00a0 Perhaps they should have stopped after T2<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[HOW BAD-ASS ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERS?]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Connor\"<\/p>\n

Christian Bale is John Connor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Bale plays Connor as a one dimensional hard-ass with a speech impediment.\u00a0 He hates the machines, but spends much of the film railing against the authorities that command him.\u00a0 Still, he takes out many Terminators on his own and manages to blow up SkyNet’s supposed base.\u00a0 Pretty bad-ass.<\/p>\n

\"Marcus\"<\/p>\n

Sam Worthington is Marcus Wright<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Worthington escapes the film relatively unscathed, thanks to natural talent and charisma.\u00a0 He is convincing as a human and also as a bad-ass looking for redemption.\u00a0 He not only fights terminators, but also takes out a handful of guys, practically unarmed.\u00a0 His through-line may be silly and rather pointless, but he’s still pretty cool.<\/p>\n

\"Reese\"<\/p>\n

Anton Yelchin is Kyle Reese<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In a perhaps not-so-surprising turn of events, Reese is again one of the better characters of the movie, being both well-acted and well written.\u00a0 The story that surrounds him isn’t grand, but Yelchin (doing his best Michael Biehn impression) does a great job.\u00a0 Reese, despite the turn of Marcus’s character, gives Terminator Salvation<\/strong> a heart and an interesting lead.\u00a0 He also lives in war-torn L.A., where he takes out 600 series terminators.\u00a0 Reese is still a bad-ass.<\/p>\n

\"Carter\"<\/p>\n

Helena Bonham Carter is SkyNet<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In one of the film’s big What The Fuck?<\/em> moments, they decide to give SkyNet a human (well, as human as Helena Carter can claim to be) face.\u00a0 Despite being a cold, calculating computer, SkyNet is shown to possess a wide range of subtle emotions and wit.\u00a0 Whatever.<\/p>\n

[THE BODY COUNT: Around 30]
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Most of the kills occur either offscreen or are handled in such a manner as to be damn near family-friendly.\u00a0 One guy gets blasted in the back at point blank range with a shotgun and not a drop of blood is seen.\u00a0 Most of the bodycount comes from people dying in explosions, which are all very bloodless.<\/p>\n

[MOST SATISFYING ASS-KICKING]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Easily the best fight scene in the film, and probably the best Action sequence as well, belongs to the one between the T-800 and the human resistance members Connor, Reese, and Wright.\u00a0 The T-800 rips a 600 series in half (because he’s bad-ass like that, I guess) and puts on one helluva show, seemingly killing Wright and mortally wounding Connor.<\/p>\n

\"Fight\"<\/p>\n

Sure, the fight’s not without its problems.\u00a0 Why doesn’t the Model 101 punch a hole through any of them like he does in the first film?\u00a0 Why does he insist on simply throwing his opponents around?\u00a0 Whatever, I say.\u00a0 It’s still a kick to see Arnie back in action, even if he is just CGI.<\/p>\n

[DUDESWEAT AND MACHISMO]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Aside from the rather frequent male nudity and the male characters’ seeming non-interest in members of the opposite sex, I can’t think of a damn thing.<\/p>\n

[EXPLOITATION AND MISOGYNY]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are only a few female characters in Terminator Salvation<\/strong>, but the way in which they are treated just goes to show how far the apple has fallen from the tree.\u00a0 One character, a soldier seen at the very beginning of the film, is killed in an explosion and never again mentioned.\u00a0 Helena Carter gets to play two characters; one a dying, hairless executive sent to a prison to try and get a death row inmate to sign over his body for science, and the other a genocidal artificial intelligence that may or may not actually be all that intelligent.<\/p>\n

\"Moon\"<\/p>\n

There is also John Connor’s wife (played by Bryce Howard) who seems to be in the film just to set up a cool one-liner for her husband, and Moon Bloodgood’s character, Blair Williams.\u00a0 Blair has the purpose of leading a terminator into Connor’s camp and then, once it’s captured, sets it free.\u00a0 Did I mention she nearly gets raped?\u00a0 Yeah, she has be rescued (and if you have the Director’s cut, you get to see some side titty).\u00a0 So the strong female archetypes have all but disappeared from the franchise now.<\/p>\n

[EPIC MOMENT AND BEST ONE-LINER]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Connor infiltrates SkyNet’s base and begins freeing the kidnapped civilians from cages.\u00a0 He searches through them frantically, looking for the young man that will eventually become his father.\u00a0 Suddenly, a door blasts open and out steps a T-800, Model 101.<\/p>\n

\"He's<\/p>\n

A pissed off looking Arnold Schwarzenegger proceeds to attack a suddenly rather defenseless Christian Bale.<\/p>\n

In the one-liner territory, there are a few nice ones, including the old stand-by, “Come with me if you wanna live.”\u00a0 But I actually enjoyed the new life breathed into the series’ most famous line.\u00a0 Connor, about to go on his mission to infiltrate SkyNet’s base, is asked what to tell his men when they find he’s gone.<\/p>\n

\"I'll<\/p>\n

“I’ll Be Back.”<\/span><\/h1>\n

[THE MORAL OF THE STORY]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Machines aren’t all that bad, but if we act as cold and emotionless as they do, we will be.<\/p>\n

[THE CHECKLIST: 16 outta 25]<\/span><\/h2>\n

[\u00a0 ] Athlete(s) Turned \u201cActor\u201d
\n[X] Clinging To The Outside Of A Moving Vehicle
\n[\u00a0 ] Crotch Attack
\n[X] Dialogue Telling Us How Bad-Ass The Main Character(s) Is\/Are
\n[X] Ending Featuring An Ambulance, A Blanket or A Towel
\n[X] Factory\/Warehouse
\n[X] Giant Explosion(s)
\n[X] Heavy Artillery
\n[X] Improvised Weapon(s)
\n[X] Macho Mode(s) Of Transportation
\n[X] Main Character Sports Facial Accessory(s)
\n[\u00a0 ] Manly Embrace(s)
\n[\u00a0 ] Notorious Stunt-Man Sighting
\n[\u00a0 ] Passage(s) Of Time Via Montage
\n[X] Politically Fueled Plot Point(s)
\n[X] Senseless Destruction Of Property
\n[X] Shoot Out(s) and\/or Sword Fight(s)
\n[\u00a0 ] Slow-Motion Finishing Move(s)\/Death(s)
\n[X] Stupid Authoritative Figure(s)
\n[\u00a0 ] Substance Usage and\/or Abuse
\n[\u00a0 ] Tis The Season
\n[X] Torture Sequence(s)
\n[\u00a0 ] Unnecessary Sequel
\n[X] Vehicle Chase(s)
\n[X] Vigilante Justice<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Wasted<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Terry Crews and Michael Ironside = Wasted Talent<\/span><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[THE CHALK-OUTLINE] Terminator Salvation (2009): Breakdown by Kain424 In the year 2018, John Connor breaks into SkyNet’s base of operations to save Kyle Reese.\u00a0 He ends up with a scar and a heart transplant. [THE EXECUTION] After Terminator 3: The Rise Of The Machines failed to meet the relatively low expectations of fans, the announcement … Read moreTerminator 4: How John Connor Got His Scar<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1630],"class_list":["post-3380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-terminator-salvation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3380\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}