Terminator Salvation
Terminator 4, aka Terminator Salvation, is set to be released first in Australia on 4 June 2009. With Christian Bale cast as John Connor, this is definitely one movie that has shot to the top of my must sees of 2009. Here’s the plot summary:
Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.
In addition to Christian Bale, who I probably don’t really need to mention played Batman in the recent blockbaster The Dark Knight, the character of Marcus Wright will be played by Australian actor Sam Worthington. Worthington’s most recent movie is Rogue, a cool little scare flick about a monster crocodile that is stalking a group of stranded tourists in outback Australia. We’re told Worthingtons character is a Terminator. The script is pretty much under wraps, but right now I’m thinking Worthington is a good casting choice. Though not a behemoth of a muscle man like Arnold Schwarzenegger, he does have a cool squarish face suitable for the role. Here’s hoping he’s liquid metal, but that might be hoping for too much.
To add a little more spice to the mix, the story and screenplay are by Jonathon Nolan. Nolan’s screenplay work includes The Dark Knight, Memento, and The Prestige, so it’s hard to imagine the story behind Terminator Salvation being anything less than excellent.
Linda Hamilton, who played the kick arse mother of John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day as well as the first Terminator movie, most likely won’t be in the new movie, and it seems neither is Arnold Schwarzenegger keen. Let’s face it, Schwarzenegger is now too old to be a convincing Terminator and, more so, any credibility he had as a Terminator was washed down the drain when he became a politician. I for one am glad there’ll be no sign of Schwarzenegger. Personally, I’d be hoping a return of Terminator 2’s Robert Patrick as the liquid metal T-1000, although he too is starting to move on in the years. Still, that’s not going to happen either.
Instead, the trailer provides tantalizing evidence of non-human like Terminator’s featuring in the film, and of course we know that Rolan Kickinger will be playing a T-800, and given Worthington’s Terminator is shacking up with John Connor, it’s not hard to guess that Kickinger’s Terminator is the bad guy. Interestingly, Kickinger played Arnold Schwarzenegger in See Arnold Run, a satirical biographical look at Arnold Schwarzeneggers life. I haven’t seen that one, but if he was chosen to play a version of Schwarzenegger’s real life self, I imagine he’s probably already well schooled up to play Arnies alter cyborg ego – after all, they’re not really that much different…
My only reservation on Terminator Salvation lies in the hands of the director, McG. First, anyone with the name ‘McG’ is a concern, although when you realize his full name is Joseph McGinty Nichol you can almost understand the need for an abbreviation. Nevertheless, McG’s directorial history isn’t exactly impressive; he is the man responsible for Charlie’s Angels and lets face it, that movie is chronic. I’ll put my hope in McG to shock the world on Terminator Salvation, and I’ll maintain hope given that Christian Bale has been willing to work with him and that alone is probably endorsement enough.
All in all, I can’t wait for Terminator Salvation. Ever since the very first Terminator I’ve been waiting for the movie moguls to release a Terminator movie that takes place in the future that is glimpsed at in the other movies, even if in the preview John Connor makes the statement that the future has been changed. Either way, going to the movies in June 2009 is now firmly set on my must do’s.
August 15th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Hi, great article. Can’t wait to see this movie. Cool!