Terminator - Die Erlösung

A little better than the third part, but not by much. McG’s direction is fine, so are the special effects and the performances (Worthington is great and Bale plays second fiddle with his unlikeable Connor), but the script is a shame. There’s a lot that happens without any clear cause or motivation, the characters don’t have a clue about many important things, but they don’t care and carry on. Of course, it’s effective and nice to look at (the scene of the attack on the petrol station is awesome), but the moment they start speaking, things go south. Phrases like "We must protect our future! ... I do it to save all mankind!" today feel like something out of an old B-movie, especially when they are uttered for no other purpose than being uttered, i.e. with no reason or factual logical connection to previous (and subsequent) events. To be clear, though, I’m not that disappointed, Salvation is a solid action flick, but it could’ve been a lot better. (04.06.2009)

Der Film fängt wie der coolste postapokalyptische Action-Orgasmus seit Mad Max 2 - Der Vollstrecker an. Von James Cameron hat er sich nur die Namen der Figuren geborgt. Das gut besetzte Duo Sam Worthington / Anton Yelchin wird interessant vorgestellt. Die Stimmung und die neuen "todbringenden" T600 sowie die Transformers-Riesen, welche die gleichen Geräusche wie Spielbergs Tripoden machen, sind fesselnd. Ein großartiges visuelles Massaker, das genussvoll einen einfachen, aber maximal unterhaltsamen und effektvollen B-Movie-Weg des Subgenres geht. ABER… In der zweiten Hälfte möchte der Film auch denjenigen entgegenkommen, die naiv denken, dass der Autor von Drei Engel für Charlie das mit Verstand gesteuerte Universum von James Cameron beherrscht. Er stellt eine Verbindung zu seinen Motiven her, er greift in die Motive ein und die Begeisterung verschwindet allmählich. McG hat die Filme von Cameron wahrscheinlich gar nicht gesehen. Er hat sich höchstens Scotts Blade Runner angeschaut, wo ihm am besten das Feuer gefallen hat, das aus den Schornsteinen kommt. PS: Worthington hat hier eine markantere und wichtigere Rolle als Christian Bale. (21.05.2009)

It's hard to expect anything more than what the trailers showed us. McG serves up (unsurprisingly) a decent summer blockbuster, cheerfully shoving in one quote after another, all in the visual style of Charlie’s Angels. It works, especially in the first half, more than adequately. The atmosphere of the demolished streets draws the viewer right into the middle of any hit game, and the action sequences, in which the heroes are chased by giant robots, have more life in them than all of Transformers. The problem, however, is the writers, who obviously don't care much for sound logic and have to start dissecting characters and relationships just to get to the tear-jerking ending that grabs you (literally) by the heart. In the end, one name comes to mind - Sam Worthington. This guy is going to make a big splash in the ranks of charismatic Hollywood guys. It is he who overrides my seventy percent hesitation to give it a fourth star. It's hard to say what time away and a potential second watch will do to that. (07.06.2009)

McG hat mich eigentlich recht nett überrascht. Wenn ich mir einmal wegdenke, dass ein Großteil des Exterieurs als Hintergrund für einen KORN-Clip oder eine andere Nu-Metal-Bands stilisiert wird, so hat T4 eine ziemlich solide Atmosphäre. Die Dialoge sind nicht sonderlich actionreich, die wenigen "philosophischen" Sätze passen in den Trailer hinein, was in der Tat eine Leistung ist. T4 bietet nichts weiteres aus dem Bereich der dauerhaften Freuden des Geistes. Nach einem Jahr hat Sam Worthington erneut einen großen Filmdiebstahl gestartet und der bestohlene ist... Tödööööö... Wieder einmal Christian Bale... Jedoch diesmal ist er selbst schuld, jemand hätte ihm wirklich erklären sollen, dass Connor KEIN Terminator mit einem implementierten Depressionschip ist. Worthington gelingt es im Vergleich zu den eingesichtigen Angelegenheiten seines bekannteren Kollegen seinen Charakter zu humanisieren und ihm etwas Unvergessliches zu verleihen ... Wenn wir uns einmal die Robotermentalität der Handlung sowie des gedanklichen Hintergrundes wegdenken, so bleiben immer noch viele solide Actionszenen (jedoch keine, die Eingeweiden zerreißen), es gibt hier eine prima Atmosphäre und für notorische Nostalgiker auch schöne Erinnerungen (meiner Ansicht nach ist dass beste wohl der Gáňa, der aus einem Kassettenrecorder im apokalyptischen Ödland brüllt). Ich weiß nicht so recht: T4 ist letzten Endes eine rindsviehhohle Seelenlosigkeit, aber andererseits habe ich mich auch großartig amüsiert und sagte mir, wie es wohl wäre, wenn jemand mehr als nur effektvolle Bilder servieren könnte ... Auf diese Art und Weise muss ich zur Schlussfolgerung kommen, dass obwohl es unglaublich klingt, so bleibt die Dehumanisierung und Dringlichkeit von Camerons Kindheitskulissen der Zukunft unübertroffen. Das ist eben wirklich jenes menschliche Herz, welches uns von Maschinen unterscheidet. McG ist ein Overhead-Terminator. Und die Drehbuchautoren sind störanfällige Blechdosen. Tsss! (21.05.2009)

An A-movie budget for a B-movie that takes itself way too seriously, and which would benefit immensely if the director, instead of watching the Transformers movies and War of the Worlds, had put on the original Terminator. (07.06.2009)

The world of a dark future, which Cameron only hinted at, which gave a sense of something unknown and which I never wanted to see on screen, so that its menacing atmosphere would not disappear. Exactly this world is brought to us by McG with Skynet and the Resistance Movement, and to my great relief, he manages to dispel all concerns already with the exposition. There are plenty of reasons to be joyful after all. Whether it's both the dignified opponents at the center of the action, the crucial supporting characters, or the gallery of Terminator villains. But above all, the feeling that the saga was meant to come to these moments. For the direct continuation, thanks to the feeling that something great is being born, I enthusiastically supported it. However, the reality was different. (08.06.2009)

How an interesting subject can be turned into a pretty mediocre bore. I don't know why, but sometimes I had to grimace at their conversations, speeches. But what really annoyed me was that everybody's favorite shaky cam à la documentary style. Nothing against it, for example in Children of Men it was really useful, but here it's useless. Like I wanted a good look at what was going on, but was told: "Sorry, baby!". Sure, some things were good, but the lighter moments can't save a movie that's supposed to be Something. The only thing I was honestly pleased with was the "rubber" imitation of Arnie's face, I enjoyed that special appearance. (19.06.2009)

I did not rush to watch this movie, even though the series is among my favorites. However, the first reactions from fans and reviews warned me that this would not be my cup of tea, and my expectations were completely fulfilled. Not that Salvation doesn't have anything to offer, as it has a very decent budget, the special effects are good, and it also has a decent pace and action. In principle, the reviews are right, which mention the resemblance to Transformers or Mad Max. But that is precisely the kind of movie that doesn't appeal to me. The original Terminator managed to create a myth alongside action, realistic violence, and adventure elements thanks to a quality screenplay that strictly adhered to logic within its sci-fi construct, and that is simply something that the fourth installment lacks. The screenplay is stitched with a needle that is too hot, the plot contains a number of inconsistencies, and the overall concept is somewhat fantastical. It reminds me of sci-fi for older children. Just the appearance of the giant robots, as if they escaped from a construction set... Overall impression: 45%. (21.07.2009)

Arnold is back (for a while) Arnold is back (for a while), although in a quite different movie this time. Salvation has little to do with the original trilogy, well… other than being a sequel to it. But the real powerhouse turned out to be Cameron's dark horse Sam Worthington as Marcus. He’s the only one who moves the main storyline forward. The rest is just filler until what's about to happen happens. I also believe that Bale was only given the role of Connor because he comes across good and leader-like and can create a depressing atmosphere with his hoarse voice. By the way, I barely noticed Bryce Dallas Howard. McG shot an impressive action sci-fi (with robots from Sam Winston's mind), but it can’t touch the Terminator saga. Maybe because I realized this from the beginning, I kind of enjoyed this fourth part. (18.06.2009)

The fourth Terminator is somewhere between the visual purity of T3 and the grandeur and fatefulness of T2. You can almost feel through the TV screen the physical action scenes, which have bombastic sound and precise editing. Similarly, the dirty and uncertain future is portrayed with appropriate dark music and excellent lighting. McG also treats the viewer to several knockouts in the form of brilliantly shot scenes and various camera tricks. But the last act is not good, with a finale that is logically simple, overly terse and in the context of the preceding events, not sufficiently epic. The characters are fine and technically gripping. It’s a pleasant bridge to the next installment, which I can imagine. (06.06.2009)

Kurz gesagt: Worthington – gut. Yelchin – gut. Bale – Standard (also gut). Common und Bloodgood – ausgezeichnet. Zwar zeigt sich der österreichische (digitale) Bodybuilder-Gouverneur nur selten, aber das macht er mit Stil und es ist eindeutig der beste Moment des Films. Es gab genug Verweise auf die vorangegangenen Filme, die mein Herz erwärmten, die Atmosphäre der postapokalyptischen Zukunft ist so dicht wie Asphalt, die Actionszenen – vor allem die mit dem Devastator, den Mototerminatoren und dem LKW – sind mit Leichtigkeit und Klarheit und dabei so gefilmt, dass mein Mund oft offen stand. Meiner Meinung nach hat McG das insgesamt ganz gut gemacht und viele Zweifel trauten ihren Augen nicht … Allerdings ist der Film an einigen Stellen wirklich dumm. (04.06.2009)

For me personally, the weakest film in the Terminator franchise, significantly hurt by the absence of a real Schwarzenegger as the the casting of Christian Bale and Sam Worthington in the lead roles, they just didn't seem charismatic enough to catch my attention. Technically, it's well done, but story-wise it's just such a weaker offshoot of its predecessors. In short, such a poor little sibling among its quality brethren that ultimately impresses most with its mediocrity. (19.03.2016)