Official Terminator Thread

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by SPH

Like I said earlier my wife and I liked it. I wasnt expecting hamlet, I was expecting a bunch of stuff to blow up have some cool robots and some awesome sound effects. As it turns out it had a pretty deep story to it, though it did not take you by the proverbial hand and spoon feed you the underlying story, it just played out.

Maybe because I am older than some, and remember when the other movies came out, that the expectation of Arnie giving a great performance besides being an action guy was pretty slim. This movie had great acting and the story worked.

Totally agree.

The first 3 were cheesefests with some action and explosions and a very simple story. (which I loved)

Why are people expecting this to be an Oscar calibur movie.

Compared to the first 3, the VFX are unquestionably better, the acting is superior (dont even defend Arnold), the action is equal or better and the story is just a simple continuation of the simple story.

Whats...not...to...LOVE here?

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by JHM

Everybody seems to like this movie other than the critics, It's still fresh on the rt community.

That is beceause it is a good movie and, as happens often, the critics are wrong.

[CYMBOL]

Originally Posted by SPH

Like I said earlier my wife and I liked it. I wasnt expecting hamlet, I was expecting a bunch of stuff to blow up have some cool robots and some awesome sound effects. As it turns out it had a pretty deep story to it, though it did not take you by the proverbial hand and spoon feed you the underlying story, it just played out.

Maybe because I am older than some, and remember when the other movies came out, that the expectation of Arnie giving a great performance besides being an action guy was pretty slim. This movie had great acting and the story worked.

Not sure what expectations of Arnold's performance in the first film has anything to do with this film. . .

As for spoon-feeding the underlying story - I thought that's what "Skynet" was doing at the end with that long monolouge at the end - I think this movie also requires a lot of "fill in the blanks" as far as motivations and reasons for certain actions.

Obviously, scenes were cut (some were quite jarring - like Moon Bloodgood putting her gun in the holster in the rain, then suddenly no rain and 3 guys have her surrounded. - (I figure this was cutting out the T&A that was supposed to be in the "R" cut of the film.)

The whole "false prophet" idea was never even touched on in the film - as far as I could tell, everyone followed Conner - except the higher ranking guys. And John's speech to the troops made no sense. He asks them to "stand down" - he never explains why (that they want to free the prisoners first). And, everyone just does it. That kind of would have been a good time to show the different idealogies in conflict - people arguing whether to follow him or not.

Like I said, I'm really glad for the people who enjoyed the film, I enjoyed it as a popcorn flick - but I wasn't impressed as a Terminator movie. Maybe it will grow on me with repeat viewings.

[Sussudio]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Totally agree.

The first 3 were cheesefests with some action and explosions and a very simple story. (which I loved)

Why are people expecting this to be an Oscar calibur movie.

Compared to the first 3, the VFX are unquestionably better, the acting is superior (dont even defend Arnold), the action is equal or better and the story is just a simple continuation of the simple story.

Whats...not...to...LOVE here?

well, that of course is all in your opinion (and that of others as well). i thought the relationships in the first 2 movies were brilliantly developed and i thought they were extremely lacking in the new one. bale was great but i didnt think he was THE definitive john connor (ala arnold and terminator). they could have swapped him out with someone else and provided they didn't suck at acting i think it would have been just as good (but obviously wouldn't bring in as much $$). i also disagree that the first two movies only had "simple stories." i think you could definitely watch it in that light, but there is also a lot of depth in the plot. my point overall, it seemed like CGI and action ran the show in the new one, whereas the special effects were more selectively placed in T1 and T2, putting the characters forward and devoting time to their stories, not just near nonstop action. like i stated in a previous post, the CGI in T4 was very well done and this was a thrilling, fun movie. but to me, that's all it was. T1 and T2 just felt more meaningful

that being said, i will probably buy the Blu as im sure it will be great and i look forward to watching it a few more times to see if it grows on me more

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by SPH

Like I said earlier my wife and I liked it. I wasnt expecting hamlet, I was expecting a bunch of stuff to blow up have some cool robots and some awesome sound effects. As it turns out it had a pretty deep story to it, though it did not take you by the proverbial hand and spoon feed you the underlying story, it just played out.

Maybe because I am older than some, and remember when the other movies came out, that the expectation of Arnie giving a great performance besides being an action guy was pretty slim. This movie had great acting and the story worked.

totally agree with you

thats the thing about this movie, you actually have to pay attention and GET IT

if you just kick back and watch you'll get the action movie aspect, but not the other aspects of the film, i really like that about it

[iori]

Originally Posted by cvm

That is beceause it is a good movie and, as happens often, the critics are wrong.

I guess with the user ratings on various websites, that disliking this movie would go against the mainstream

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Sussudio

well, that of course is all in your opinion (and that of others as well). i thought the relationships in the first 2 movies were brilliantly developed and i thought they were extremely lacking in the new one. bale was great but i didnt think he WAS john connor. they could have swapped him out with someone else and it would have been just as good imo (but of course not made just as much). i also disagree that the first two movies only had "simple stories." i think you could definitely watch it in that light, but there is also a lot of depth in the plot. my point overall, it seemed like CGI and action ran the show in the new one, whereas the special effects were more selectively placed in T1 and T2, putting the characters forward and devoting time to their stories, not just near nonstop action. like i stated in a previous post, the CGI in T4 was very well done and this was a thrilling, fun movie. but to me, that's all it was. T1 and T2 just felt more meaningful

that being said, i will probably buy the Blu as im sure it will be great and i look forward to watching it a few more times to see if it grows on me more

They were. Because they opened up the whole can of worms. Thats my point about the expectations for T4 being too high. T4 doesnt need character development because the first movies did that. We know where things are headed....the future. T4 is about THAT future. Its simple, but good. I loved the first 2 because of the whole concept. T4 couldnt, and shouldnt be expected to have some big revelation because we allready know about Judgement Day and time travel. We know where its headed, so I just enjoyed the "war".

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Beast

Shhh. Don't spoil their trolling fun with actual common sense.

They need someone to band together and hate on, so they can ignore any alternate opinions.

Alternate opinion huh?

What do posts like

Originally Posted by Beast

And Christian "Psycho Boy" Bale.

and

Originally Posted by Beast

So that explains why it was so terrible! It was the combo of Nolan and Bale!

really add to the discussion?

sounds like you're the only one trolling around here Beast

If you want to express an alternate opinion, by all means, express it and lets discuss the differing opinions of the members. But if you're just going to spout off one shot statements like that don't get mad when people get annoyed with you man.

[DigitalfreakNYC]

Originally Posted by obiwopkenobi62

I wouldn't really call it tanking.
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/...rsalvation.htm

I would say it's doing rather well.

Let's see how badly it drops after opening weekend. What its made thus far doesn't prove much.

[CYMBOL]

Originally Posted by Diesel

totally agree with you

thats the thing about this movie, you actually have to pay attention and GET IT

if you just kick back and watch you'll get the action movie aspect, but not the other aspects of the film, i really like that about it

You know, it is possible to "GET IT" and still not like it. Just saying. Not everyone who didn't appreciate it simply didn't pay attention. The movie wasn't that deep - I think most people get it - they just didn't care for the story that was told.

So far, most people seem to say technically, it was a great action movie - just not the Terminator movie they were hoping for. Again, I'd like to see the sequels to see how Marcus's story plays out - if it goes no further than this movie, it was a complete waste of my time, imo.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by CYMBOL

You know, it is possible to "GET IT" and still not like it. Just saying. Not everyone who didn't appreciate it simply didn't pay attention. The movie wasn't that deep - I think most people get it - they just didn't care for the story that was told.

So far, most people seem to say technically, it was a great action movie - just not the Terminator movie they were hoping for. Again, I'd like to see the sequels to see how Marcus's story plays out - if it goes no further than this movie, it was a complete waste of my time, imo.

yea i know, i was just saying that for the people that did in fact not "get it".

There are definitely people that "got it" and just didn't like the story that was told. Some of them are in this thread, they just didn't care for it. And thats understandable.

I don't expect everyone to like it, not every movie is for everyone, i understand that and accept it.

And no it wasn't insanely deep, but it was more so than some people have made it out to be (reviewers i mean)

[SPH]

Originally Posted by ckent22

To you. It was a typical McG film IMO.

I never even had heard of mcg until joining this site and reading posts. Other than Chuckies angels what else has he done?

[Sussudio]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

They were. Because they opened up the whole can of worms. Thats my point about the expectations for T4 being too high. T4 doesnt need character development because the first movies did that. We know where things are headed....the future. T4 is about THAT future. Its simple, but good. I loved the first 2 because of the whole concept. T4 couldnt, and shouldnt be expected to have some big revelation because we allready know about Judgement Day and time travel. We know where its headed, so I just enjoyed the "war".

yeah i definitely agree with you on the expectation thing, but i also somewhat base that on Mcg being the director. i feel like other directors could have handled this movie in a different light, really showing how these characters have been worn and torn down by war. yes many of characters have already been established, true, but we are now at a different time in the lives. 13 year old john is not the same as 30 year old john, and teenage kyle is not the same as adult kyle. i guess i just wanted to really try and identify with these characters like i felt i could with them in T1 and 2, but then again i am probably being way too hard on this movie. like you said squid, it was very enjoyable, and it wasn't supposed to mimic every single thing about the first 2 movies. mcg tried to do his own thing while still paying homage to the originals, and as an action-packed summer movie, he definitely succeeded. i do look forward to watching it again tho to see if my initial reactions change any.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by SPH

I never even had heard of mcg until joining this site and reading posts. Other than Chuckies angels what else has he done?

He knows not of what he speaks.

[Diesel]

I think if this movie had turned out as good as Terminator 2, some fans would still have been disappointed, albeit much less than were disappointed in this film as it is, but still SOME.
Not because it would have been a bad film, but because of the 20+ year wait some people have had to see the war, it would have been tough to satisfy that anticipation regardless of the quality of the film ya know?

I was going to use the wait for the Star Wars prequels as an analogy but Phantom Menace wasn't a good enough film to justify the analogy

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Sussudio

yeah i definitely agree with you on the expectation thing, but i also somewhat base that on Mcg being the director. i feel like other directors could have handled this movie in a different light, really showing how these characters have been worn and torn down by war. yes many of characters have already been established, true, but we are now at a different time in the lives. 13 year old john is not the same as 30 year old john, and teenage kyle is not the same as adult kyle. i guess i just wanted to really try and identify with these characters like i felt i could with them in T1 and 2, but then again i am probably being way too hard on this movie. like you said squid, it was very enjoyable, and it wasn't supposed to mimic every single thing about the first 2 movies. so i do look forward to watching it again to see if my reactions change any.

For whatever reason, thats the vibe I got. Everyone looked so tired and spent and drained. Remember when Conner was listening to his moms tapes? He seemed so burnt out on trying to figure it all out. Maybe thats why I loved it. It was the culmination of the simple (but deep/heavy) story of the first movies coming to a head. Fror ME, its post-Judgement Day arrival was perfect. No bells, no whistles, no twists, no mindblowing reveals, just the war, the war we were warned about. The endless, answerless, frustrating, confusing, draining hell that WAR is.

I went in, wanting a war movie. Maybe thats why I left so satisfied.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

For whatever reason, thats the vibe I got. Everyone looked so tired and spent and drained. Remember when Conner was listening to his moms tapes? He seemed so burnt out on trying to figure it all out. Maybe thats why I loved it. It was the culmination of the simple (but deep/heavy) story of the first movies coming to a head. Fror ME, its post-Judgement Day arrival was perfect. No bells, no whistles, no twists, no mindblowing reveals, just the war, the war we were warned about. The endless, answerless, frustrating, confusing, draining hell that WAR is.

I went in, wanting a war movie. Maybe thats why I left so satisfied.

silly squid, weight has nothing to do with it.

[Sussudio]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

For whatever reason, thats the vibe I got. Everyone looked so tired and spent and drained. Remember when Conner was listening to his moms tapes? He seemed so burnt out on trying to figure it all out. Maybe thats why I loved it. It was the culmination of the simple (but deep/heavy) story of the first movies coming to a head. Fror ME, its post-Judgement Day arrival was perfect. No bells, no whistles, no twists, no mindblowing reveals, just the war, the war we were warned about. The endless, answerless, frustrating, confusing, draining hell that WAR is.

I went in, wanting a war movie. Maybe thats why I left so satisfied.

i was just about to point out that scene because it was one of my favorites in the movie. THAT's the type of stuff I wanted more of!! (i.e. more character analysis type scenes) but, again, this movie was made and marketed as a huge CGIed action movie, so it's more my fault than the movie for going in and expecting more than i should have. i should have gone in with your mindset, squid

and i agree diesel that no matter what they did someone would be displeased. again, i really think this goes back to McG more than anything, and not because people automatically tie him to Charlies Angles. i was one of the people who applauded his decision to try and get out of his niche and try something new. in the end, i just don't think he was the perfect guy for the job. but i guess the studios did, and the movie's making money, so that's what is most important i will also say that i am very interested to see where this new franchise goes, because it has been talked about that future movies will show how hard it is for john and his wife to live in a war-torn society, especially with a child. imo, those parts of the story intertwined with the war plot would make for a phenomenal movie.

[SPH]

Originally Posted by Diesel

I think if this movie had turned out as good as Terminator 2, some fans would still have been disappointed, albeit much less than were disappointed in this film as it is, but still SOME.
Not because it would have been a bad film, but because of the 20+ year wait some people have had to see the war, it would have been tough to satisfy that anticipation regardless of the quality of the film ya know?

I was going to use the wait for the Star Wars prequels as an analogy but Phantom Menace wasn't a good enough film to justify the analogy

I understand. Though PM would have been great if it had been done back in 86 or 88 before he had the technology that he has now..I shoudl save this for the other thread bashing GL

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Sussudio

i was just about to point out that scene because it was one of my favorites in the movie. THAT's the type of stuff I wanted more of!! (i.e. more character analysis type scenes) but, again, this movie was made and marketed as a huge CGIed action movie, so it's more my fault than the movie for going in and expecting more than i should have. i should have gone in with your mindset, squid

and i agree diesel that no matter what they did someone would be displeased. again, i really think this goes back to McG more than anything, and not because people automatically tie him to Charlies Angles. i was one of the people who applauded his decision to try and get out of his niche and try something new. in the end, i just don't think he was the perfect guy for the job. but i guess the studios did, and the movie's making money, so that's what is most important i will also say that i am very interested to see where this new franchise goes, because it has been talked about that future movies will show how hard it is for john and his wife to live in a war-torn society, especially with a child. imo, those parts of the story intertwined with the war plot would make for a phenomenal movie.

i also loved those scenes (there were two i believe) where he is listening to the tapes, as much as i liked the movie, i WILL say i would have liked more like that and more kate/john scenes, it could have made the movie much stronger

i really didn't know what to expect of McG, i had heard everything everyone said about him and all, but i had personally never seen more than 20 minutes tops of one of the charlies angels (i think), so i went in with an open mind on him.

i thought he did a good job, is there room for improvement on the next film? HELL YES, but i thought he did good enough this time around to warrant another crack at it.

As far as the next films go, i think like you said, that could make a great movie, now that we have this world established, the environment they are living in, basic idea of what life is like for the resistance, etc. Now that that is all set up, we can move forward quickly and efficiently with the even more so character driven stories intertwined with the war stories