Terminator Salvation (2009)

Director:

McG

Writers (WGA):

John D. Brancato (written by) &
Michael Ferris (written by)

Release Date:

21 May 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The End Begins

Plot:

After Skynet has destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust, a group of survivors led by John Connor struggles to keep the machines from finishing the job.

Plot Keywords:

Future | Machine | Death Row | Army | Character Repeating Someone Else's Dialogue

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Christian Bale	...	John Connor
Sam Worthington	...	Marcus Wright
Moon Bloodgood	...	Blair Williams
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Dr. Serena Kogan
Anton Yelchin	...	Kyle Reese
Jadagrace	...	Star (as Jadagrace berry)
Bryce Dallas Howard	...	Kate Connor
Common	...	Barnes
Jane Alexander	...	Virginia
Michael Ironside	...	General Ashdown
Ivan G'Vera	...	General Losenko
Chris Browning	...	Morrison
Dorian Nkono	...	David
Beth Bailey	...	Lisa
Victor J. Ho	...	Mark (as Victor Ho)

Also Known As:

Project Angel (USA) (fake working title)
T4: Salvation (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
Terminator 4 (USA) (working title)
Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins (USA) (working title)
Terminator salvation - L'inizio della fine (Italy)
Terminator: Die Erlösung (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and language.; Rated R for some violence and brief nudity. (director's cut)

Runtime:

115 min | 118 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA | Germany | UK | Italy

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #45308) | Finland:K-15 | UK:12A | South Korea:15 | Singapore:PG | Hong Kong:IIB | Norway:15 | Ireland:12A | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Iceland:12 | Brazil:14 | Sweden:15 | Japan:G | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Mexico:B | India:UA | Taiwan:PG-12 | USA:R (certificate #45600) (director's cut) | Australia:M | UK:12 (director's cut)

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque Studios - 5650 University Boulevard SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Halcyon Company, The

Trivia:

The third Terminator film to have the line, "Come with me if you want to live." In The Terminator (1984), Kyle Reese says it to Sarah Connor at the Tech-Noir club. In Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), the Terminator says it to Sarah Connor when they first meet at the mental institution. In 'Salvation' Kyle Reese says it to Marcus Wright when they first meet. In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), a paraphrased version of this line ("Do you wanna live? Come on!") is spoken by John Connor to Kate Brewster when he and the T-850 rescue her in the graveyard. "Come with me if you want to live" is also spoken by Cameron in the pilot episode of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" (2008), when rescuing the teenage John Connor from the 'Cromartie' T-888.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Marcus Wright learns how and why he was programmed he throws a table at the see-through screen. A wire attached to the table can be seen suspended from it as it comes to rest, essentially hanging in the air.

Quotes:

John Connor: [from trailer] If we stay the course, we are dead! WE ARE ALL DEAD!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Spike's Guys Choice (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

You Could Be Mine

Fantastic action and effects, but check your disbelief at the door...

TS is a film that will wow your eyes and ears. It will be a standard for demonstrating the latest high-end home theater systems for several years. Do not, however, go to this film to stimulate the imagination. The plot has many holes patched with barely-there plot devices. I'm reminded of the film Thank You For Smoking when the character Jeff Mengall spoke of Hollywood plot holes getting filled with lines like "Thank God we invented the... you know, whatever device." In previous Terminator films, you could always assume that sending anything back in time took a lot of energy and resources - that's why you could accept that there was only one Terminator instead of 2+ working together. In this film, we are made to believe that fighting Skynet is like out-maneuvering a herd of angry elephants with laser beams on their heads.

In all, I gave this film a 7 because it does what a good futuristic action film should do: wows the eyes and ears. Just don't forget to check your disbelief at the door.