The Terminator series of movies has always seemed to find itself in a time travel conundrum. Is each movie moving forward or moving back? Because the first Terminator machine was sent back in time from the future by John Connor - whom we meet in subsequent movies but isn't even born yet in Terminator (1984) but sends his father back in time to save his own mother from the Terminator. Hmmmm...and so begs the question: Is Terminator Salvation a prequel or sequel? The way it ties all the movies together - it is both.
Terminator (1984) was a sci fi movie that bordered horror (like Alien). And the violence in the movie was extreme, for it's day. There were no super special effects, as computer graphics were in the infant stage. With the debut of Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) we see the incredible groundbreaking special effects that became what people wanted from all movies, as well as good old fashioned action and John Connor. Let's not forget mega-blockbuster movie. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines(2003) goes back to the budget of the first movie but gives us more of John Connor and how his future came to be. Yes, more John Connor. It seems from the first Terminator movie, when we first see John Connor standing in the post-apocalyptic landscape, we want more! We want a movie about John Connor and future he sent the Terminators from. And, of course, more Terminators.
Well, we got our movie!
In Terminator Salvation we see a lot of John Connor (Christian Bale). He is the voice of human resistance against the Terminators, machines and Skynet. He is just another soldier at this point but we know from the other movies, and he knows, he will be the future leaderof the human race. John Connor's character is in a strange position of knowing the past and future at the same time. He listens to tapes his mother made him and she explains the things about himself that she learned from his father, whom he sent from the future - in his own future. In any case, John Connor is leading a fight against the machines and the resistance is going to make a big move against Skynet but Connor sees something isn't right about what is happening. Little known Australian actor Sam Worthington makes a stunning debut in this movie. He plays, as we know from the previews, a Terminator that doesn't know he is a Terminator. This puts his character in an interesting position to help or hurt John Connor.
I won't give much more away except that the special effects and story will be a treat for any Terminator series fans out there. And it does bring the story arch full circle - as a prequel and sequel.
The only thing that surprised me about this movie was all the fire power the humans had. They even had jets and a submarine. I guess I expected the humans to be a little more low tech. But not at all detracting from the movie. Humans kicking Terminator butt is always fun.
I recommend this movie! It IS a big screener, so please go see it at the movies.
MMMM (out of 5 M's)
Friday, May 22, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
STAR TREK
Star Trek is, in a word, GREAT! Okay, end of review. Just kidding! About the end of review part.
I am sure there are some Star Trek purists out there who are just looking for something to poo poo on about this movie. I really couldn't find anything.
I have to admit, it took me a bit to get used to it all...new Kirk, Spock, etc. But you will find yourself more than pleasantly surprised with how the movie unfolds. I was looking for more of the morality play that the usual Star Trek episode would bring - Gene Roddenberry's trademark. But there was enough story and action to cover anything I was expecting the movie to be.
I really can't say much about the movie with out giving away the whole thing. The beginning seems strained and searching for where the movie is heading but that is like that for a reason and you just gotta hang in there to find out.
We meet Kirk and Spock as children and then as young men both searching for where they belong. The rest of the crew is introduced and we are happy when the entire "family" is together. The actors do a good job with some of the biggest and hardest shoes to fill. And you will find out why Zachary Quinto had the hardest job and had to look the most like his character of Spock. Everyone knows that Leonard Nimoy is in this movie but I was surprised by how much he was in the movie and how his pivotal role is. That is all I will say about that!
I look forward to perhaps a director's cut because I have a feeling there was quite a bit cut out. I find it hard to believe that Winona Ryder would appear only in age make up as Spock's mother. We will have to wait and see.
The action is terrific and effects are right on. And there is more than a nod to the original Star Trek series to give tribute and well, accept the torch that has been passed to them. Leonard Nimoy appearing in this movie is indeed an endorsement and a torch passing.
When the cast of Star Trek: Next Generation made their first movie there was a tie in with the original series. Kirk and Picard even met, have an exchange and even fight the bad guy together. Not the best Star Trek movie but it was the end of the original series being the headliners. Leonard Nimoy had a large part in a two part Next Generation episode and even James "Scotty" Doohan appeared in an different episode (DeForest "Bones" Kelley also appeared in the Next Generation pilot but that was forgettable).
I am a die hard Trekkie and I accept that fact that in order for the Star Trek franchise to survive into another generation it must be taken over by another generation.
I look forward to the next movie!
MMMMM (out of 5 M's)
I am sure there are some Star Trek purists out there who are just looking for something to poo poo on about this movie. I really couldn't find anything.
I have to admit, it took me a bit to get used to it all...new Kirk, Spock, etc. But you will find yourself more than pleasantly surprised with how the movie unfolds. I was looking for more of the morality play that the usual Star Trek episode would bring - Gene Roddenberry's trademark. But there was enough story and action to cover anything I was expecting the movie to be.
I really can't say much about the movie with out giving away the whole thing. The beginning seems strained and searching for where the movie is heading but that is like that for a reason and you just gotta hang in there to find out.
We meet Kirk and Spock as children and then as young men both searching for where they belong. The rest of the crew is introduced and we are happy when the entire "family" is together. The actors do a good job with some of the biggest and hardest shoes to fill. And you will find out why Zachary Quinto had the hardest job and had to look the most like his character of Spock. Everyone knows that Leonard Nimoy is in this movie but I was surprised by how much he was in the movie and how his pivotal role is. That is all I will say about that!
I look forward to perhaps a director's cut because I have a feeling there was quite a bit cut out. I find it hard to believe that Winona Ryder would appear only in age make up as Spock's mother. We will have to wait and see.
The action is terrific and effects are right on. And there is more than a nod to the original Star Trek series to give tribute and well, accept the torch that has been passed to them. Leonard Nimoy appearing in this movie is indeed an endorsement and a torch passing.
When the cast of Star Trek: Next Generation made their first movie there was a tie in with the original series. Kirk and Picard even met, have an exchange and even fight the bad guy together. Not the best Star Trek movie but it was the end of the original series being the headliners. Leonard Nimoy had a large part in a two part Next Generation episode and even James "Scotty" Doohan appeared in an different episode (DeForest "Bones" Kelley also appeared in the Next Generation pilot but that was forgettable).
I am a die hard Trekkie and I accept that fact that in order for the Star Trek franchise to survive into another generation it must be taken over by another generation.
I look forward to the next movie!
MMMMM (out of 5 M's)
Monday, May 4, 2009
Wolverine
X-Men Origins: Wolverine: The title of this movie implies there will be other "Origins" movies but to tell you the truth, I am not really interested in any of the other mutants origins. We learn that most develop their mutant powers as adolescents. But in the first X-Men movie we meet Logan/Wolverine and he is intriguing because he does not know his own past and he is a man with mutant powers that has also been tampered with. We don't know by whom. There is some information given in the second X-Men movie but not enough to satisfy Logan or the audience.
Wolverine is supposed to answer those questions - who is Wolverine and how and why did he get experimented on?
The movie opens with us meeting young Logan and his older brother and after an unfortunate claw incident go on the run together. We see them going on the run together through time and through every major conflict up through Vietnam. This is when it is discovered that the brothers both have healing abilities and appear to be immortal. Oh, Logan's claws are not metal, they are long spiny bones - actually kind of gross looking. Logan's brother, Victor, has vampire like teeth and his already long fingernails grow into claws. After working in black ops for the government with other mutants, Logan has had enough and wants a "normal" life. Little does he know that the same nefarious government agency that used him for black ops also has other designs on mutants. Logan agrees to an experiment that will give him limitless killing powers. He wants to this to kill Victor because Victor has been doing some bad things (can't give it all away!). After Logan has his skeleton fused with metal he decides he doesn't want to be in the service of the government and just wants to hunt Victor. He finds some unpleasant things out along the way and has his eyes opened to what is happening to other mutants. I don't want to give it all away because I want you to see this movie. By the way, Victor is Sabertooth (for those of you in the know).
There are some unnecessary killing of some civilians and some unfortunate killing of some mutants we get to know and that are played by decent actors. That is what I would say are any faults to this movie.
I don't know anything about who all the mutants were in the movie and anything about the origins of X-Men characters from the comic books. I just know about the X-Men trilogy and what is introduced by those characters. Keep that in mind when I say that I really enjoyed this movie. And no, it wasn't just because Hugh Jackman has some naked butt scenes (it doesn't hurt).
What I was looking for in this movie was a worthy prequel to a perfectly established franchise. Remember the disappointment we all had with The Phantom Menace? I really didn't want to see that again with this movie. AND I didn't!
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Liev Schreiber as Sabertooth definitely make this movie. Talented or at least name actors were not always in sci-fi or fantasy movies but with the dawn of 1987's Batman, the Spiderman trilogy, Men in Black, X-Men trilogy, The Hulk and Iron Man, these ARE the kinds of movies that, what I call, real actors are going for. Jackman and Schrieber are excellent actors and they certainly chew up the scenery with their acting in what is seemingly an effects driven movie.
Great fun and worth the price of admission!
MMMM (out of 5 M's)
Wolverine is supposed to answer those questions - who is Wolverine and how and why did he get experimented on?
The movie opens with us meeting young Logan and his older brother and after an unfortunate claw incident go on the run together. We see them going on the run together through time and through every major conflict up through Vietnam. This is when it is discovered that the brothers both have healing abilities and appear to be immortal. Oh, Logan's claws are not metal, they are long spiny bones - actually kind of gross looking. Logan's brother, Victor, has vampire like teeth and his already long fingernails grow into claws. After working in black ops for the government with other mutants, Logan has had enough and wants a "normal" life. Little does he know that the same nefarious government agency that used him for black ops also has other designs on mutants. Logan agrees to an experiment that will give him limitless killing powers. He wants to this to kill Victor because Victor has been doing some bad things (can't give it all away!). After Logan has his skeleton fused with metal he decides he doesn't want to be in the service of the government and just wants to hunt Victor. He finds some unpleasant things out along the way and has his eyes opened to what is happening to other mutants. I don't want to give it all away because I want you to see this movie. By the way, Victor is Sabertooth (for those of you in the know).
There are some unnecessary killing of some civilians and some unfortunate killing of some mutants we get to know and that are played by decent actors. That is what I would say are any faults to this movie.
I don't know anything about who all the mutants were in the movie and anything about the origins of X-Men characters from the comic books. I just know about the X-Men trilogy and what is introduced by those characters. Keep that in mind when I say that I really enjoyed this movie. And no, it wasn't just because Hugh Jackman has some naked butt scenes (it doesn't hurt).
What I was looking for in this movie was a worthy prequel to a perfectly established franchise. Remember the disappointment we all had with The Phantom Menace? I really didn't want to see that again with this movie. AND I didn't!
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Liev Schreiber as Sabertooth definitely make this movie. Talented or at least name actors were not always in sci-fi or fantasy movies but with the dawn of 1987's Batman, the Spiderman trilogy, Men in Black, X-Men trilogy, The Hulk and Iron Man, these ARE the kinds of movies that, what I call, real actors are going for. Jackman and Schrieber are excellent actors and they certainly chew up the scenery with their acting in what is seemingly an effects driven movie.
Great fun and worth the price of admission!
MMMM (out of 5 M's)
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