Terminator Salvation – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

This is not the Terminator you once knew….

…and that’s okay for this outing. After Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines acted like there was a formula to follow, this film, while flawed, is perfectly unpredictable. That’s a tough feat to accomplish in sequels (or prequel?) now days, since everything is telegraphed into a pre-determined product for easy revenue. Don’t get me wrong. This film exists because of the past revenue this franchise has given Hollywood, and with hopes of more, but shall we knock it for that reason? No.

Is John Connor the prophetical leader that will lead the humans to overcome Skynet? Terminator Salvation might seem like its plot has already been determined, but something about this future is different. Skynet may have a new secret weapon to unleash. That’s all I really want to say about the plot. The less one knows, the better the aforementioned unpredictable qualities are. Quiet scenes are interrupted abruptly by action set pieces, one of the film’s strong points, and even situations between characters are unpredictable. Whatever Sarah Connor thought a post-Judgment Day world would be like, she really didn’t have a clue.

The film is filled with great Terminator mythology moments: seeing the rubber-skinned T-600s Kyle mentioned in the first film, the birth of the T-800, a young Kyle Reese, these things do not hinder the picture, as sometimes they do to other films, but in fact, adds to the overall enjoyment, especially since this film is a prequel to the 1984 classic. In a way, the Terminator world is coming full circle, and for long time fans, I suspect they’ll enjoy it. Terminator was one of the first R-rated films I’d seen, and something that I never forgot. While the film had some gore and violence, those things never bugged me. It was the scene where Arnold is cleaning out his damaged eye, only to reveal his robotic nature, that started a love affair with these films. I was wide-eyed; I’d never seen anything like that before. I was 8.

Then came Terminator 2: Judgment Day, a film that holds a personal record in my life as one of the films I’ve seen the most theatrically. Don’t get me started on my home video views. It was another film like the first, that had my eyes peeled wide open, as it delivered unexpected action and drama. I almost had that feeling here too. Terminator Salvation delivers in wide-eyed action, excitement, and, dare I say imagination? This world feels destroyed. It’s fully realized world where humans are the prey. If anything, the final 20 minutes are so incredibly fun and reminiscent of the previous films, I felt like this was how a homage should be handled.

Now, I did say almost. The film is flawed. First of all, the characters are not developed enough to have the drama of the story enhance the action the way the James Cameron films did. Yes, John Connor’s character, and perhaps his future, are pretty much well-known, but he was less interesting than Marcus’ (Sam Worthington) character, something that should at least be in equal. This world, and all of its stories are about John Connor, so why do we care not about him (it’s no fault of Christian Bale)? Because Marcus is so much more developed, yet alone more interesting than any of the other characters. I think Bale can enhance any two dimensionally written character he’s given, but John Connor cannot compete with who and what Marcus is. Also, forget about any of the other characters, they’re thinly written as well.

This maybe be a flaw not intentional of that of the production, but it feels like Terminator Salvation is just a warm-up to something bigger and maybe, better. The film also has, at times, problems balancing a few stories together, trying to juggle them with each other, some scenes feel as if they end abruptly (I smell deleted material-more on that later), but I’ll say this, and I cannot believe I am, McG-the man who sends groans throughout anyone’s expectations for a film-directs the living hell out of the picture. Sorry, haters, he does.

No way in any shape does the first hour feel like what one would expect a Terminator film to be like. I say good, as T3 felt way to formulaic, and it’s about time we get to see this inevitable war. From the fun Easter eggs, to cameos, to the incredible special effects, to just having Terminators back on the big screen, Terminator Salvation pleases. Now, the next film should be epic. Let’s hope that they focus on the drama more, as one leaving the theater feels like this franchise is just warming up.

Hopefully, in that case the future is written.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Warner Brothers brings this film home with a stunning high def transfer. From the early scenes of Marcus, that are highly detailed, to the day time action scenes, you’re in for a stunner. Now, the film is devoid of a lot of colors, particularly primary, but that is the intent of the director. If someone can find an error, you’re nitpicking, I’d say, because it is that good. Bright, detailed, sharp, c’mon, it’s a newer film, what else would you expect?

The audio is perhaps better, if that’s possible, than the picture. This is what I call an “apartment killer”. I mean, if you live in an apartment or something similar, your neighbors will hate you and your landlord will kick you out. This is one punishing track. Extreme lows in the bass, an agressive surround mix, every musical cue, explosion, gun shot, is just here to kick your eardrums in. Pure action audio bliss.

WB gives us a 3-disc set. Disc 1 is the 114 minute Theatrical Cut, Disc 2 is the 3 minute longer Director’s Cut, and Disc 3 is the Digital Copy.

Maximum Move Mode: If you checked out WB’s awesome Watchmen Blu-ray, you would have experienced this feature before. Director McG stands in front of two screens, one has the movie playing, while the other features behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and the like. This gives us a thorough, yet personal director’s commentary. I really think this is a great supplement idea, and while one can access some of this in individual segments, it’s also interactive with a Terminator time line, storyboards, making this a one-stop shop for all things about the making of this film.

Reforging the Future: This runs about 20 minutes and shows us how they crafted this Terminator film, yet tried to be true to the franchise. We get the run-around on the robot designs, FX, set design, and the like.

The Moto-Terminator: This featurette talks about the film’s newest killing machine from concept to conclusion.

Now, the million dollar question: What’s in the Director’s Cut? When I saw the film, I felt there were some scenes that ended abruptly, and McG has been quoted as saying that there’s like 30 minutes worth of new footage he originally wanted. Sadly, and obviously, this isn’t the case. Running three minutes longer, we get a few scene extentions, Moon Bloodgood nudity, and some added violence. Does it make the film better? Not really, but it does make it feel a bit more finished.

Conclusion: The newest Terminator film is a lot of fun, in nothing else. The film does have some interesting thematic elements in place, it is loyal to the three films prior, and despite Christian Bale’s triad that we’ve all come to know and love, the film was one of the better summer films in 2009. The WB Blu-ray rules all with superior picture and audio, and a thoroughly involved Maximum Movie Mode extra.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: