Underappreciated: Terminator Salvation

Underappreciated

As stated in the previous series of Underappreciated posts, beginning here, sometimes a substantial amount of money is spent so a film can make an even larger profit. The subject films of that series were not these, but I always planned to return to them. As a reminder as to what makes a film underappreciated, it simply deserved better audience and/or critical response than it received. Granted, external factors sometimes keep audiences away, but my opinion is simply comparing lower than expected reception to the final product. Here is the first of three films in my blu-ray collection that are unappreciated in my opinion.

Terminator Salvation (2009) | Sci-Fi War Action

I think my fandom for the Terminator franchise is obvious if you've followed along with every post. To recap, I had to split my timeline theory, which is more appropriately a (more or less) linear timeline theory, into four posts beginning here, I reviewed the threequels in the +/- format in another, and T2: Judgment Day was a contender for best sequel (perhaps it won?) in yet another. I still have a hope to properly discuss the two-season television series, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, both its timeline and review it. The whole purpose of a review in the +/- format is to share good and bad opinions and through it, perhaps reveal an overall opinion. But the time for subtlety is over. T3: Rise of the Machines grossed a lot and is not fully panned critically for some inexplicable reason. Neither Genisys nor Dark Fate are the subject today leaving the fourth film, Terminator Salvation.

Written by the same partnership of John Brancato and Michael Ferris who penned T3, Terminator Salvation was directed by McG, whose previous credits include both hit Charlie's Angels movies of 2000 and 2003. It stars Christian Bale as John Connor, Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate, his wife, Sam Worthington as the ambiguous Marcus Wright and Anton Yelchin as a young Kyle Reese. Supporting cast includes Michael Ironside, Common and Helena Bonham Carter, plus a brief uncredited voice cameo by Linda Hamilton as Sarah. It begins with a prologue in which a death row inmate is convinced to donate his body to Cyberdyne, pre-Judgment Day. It picks up about fourteen years after the defining in-universe event in the midst of the War with the Machines. The fighting ensues.

In the spirit of full disclosure, it is worth noting at this point, I am most familiar with the R-rated Director's Cut, but the little that was cut from the theatrical release adds very little to the plot. In explaining the film's premise above, I have already closed in on how it excels every Terminator sequel after T2. It breaks the formula of time travel and single assassins and protectors by showing the war that had only been briefly shown in prior films though integral to their events. It manages to do this without straying too far from what makes a great Terminator film great, albeit it leans a bit too much into repurposed dialogue. More or less repeating another of the "minus" points from the aforementioned +/- review, with such a high bar for both actor and character, I am not sure about the casting of Bale for Connor. Even Batman aside, I love Bale's performance in The Prestige, and he is easily the best thing about Thor: Love and Thunder, to name a couple, so it might just be the matching of the two. When I say, "I am not sure," I do mean that literally, as in I am reserving judgment until I can be sure. But perhaps it should just click. On the other hand, Yelchin as Reese is nearly perfect, and Worthington's Marcus Wright adds an intrigue no other Terminator character had accomplished prior or has again to date. There are some plot details that make complete sense. To name a few, there is a small high military command who survived Judgment Day, they are in charge and coordinate the ragtag militias of citizens including Connor's unit, and those under John's command are extremely loyal as a rule, consistent with Reese's description of him in the first film. The film's war setting also provided opportunity to see non-cyborg machines not even mentioned prior and one who was, the T-600, in action. A really nice connection to T2 is the organic use of Guns N' Roses' "You Could Be Mine". 

I have deliberately saved the only "minus" from the +/- review not yet mentioned. I am of the opinion that no movie should be developed to kick off a new trilogy or whatever unless there is commitment to see it through, and that is exactly what Terminator Salvation was to do (an offense the franchise would go on to commit twice again). But the fact remains this might be its biggest indicator of being underappreciated; it did make some money, just below expectations, and it is the type of film one expects a mixed critical reaction. Once you start it, how humanity won and how the machines lost is a whole story worth telling. It is highly likely it will never be told, and it deserved better.

Next up...another underappreciated film, RoboCop!