|
Terminator: Salvation Director’s Cut [Blu-ray]
Theatrical Release: May 21, 2009
DVD Release: December 1, 2009
Blu-ray Release: December 1, 2009
Director: McG
Writers: John D. Brancato & Michael Ferris
Rating: R
Reviewer: Eric
When one trilogy ends another one is always questioned. For the Terminator
franchise it was easy to assume we didn’t see the last of Skynet. Even with a
new set of actors, Salvation takes the franchise in a new direction, the future.
Now we can see what is going on after Judgment Day.
Terminator: Salvation could have easily not been made and fans could have just
imagined what happened in the future. Of course Hollywood couldn’t let that
happen and I am glad Warner Bros. gave the green light on this project.
John Connor (Christian Bale) is out to finish what his mother Sarah Connor tried
to end. With Skynet causing Judgment Day, the world is in ruins and trying to
stop Skynet is not an easy job. Some see John Connor as a profit but others see
him as something else. The only thing Connor knows is time is not on his side as
he might have to make a very important decision dealing with his father.
To me, what makes this movie so good is the fact you have 2 to 3 stories going
on at the same time (you could argue and say 2 since one of the stories just
branches off at one point). The other main story deals with Marcus Wright (Sam
Worthington), an ex-con who decides to sign on the dotted line and start a whole
new life. The rest will be kept a secret so you better watch the movie (oh I’m
so bad).
If you have seen the rest of the Terminator movies then this movie will shed
some light on some of those moments you might have pondered about. In no ways am
I trying to say that the three other movies made no sense, Salvation just does a
nice job giving us more to this already great sci-fi franchise.
What bothers me about this movie is at times it feels like it is too into the
other movies that it fails to stand on its own. Whenever new aspects (Salvation
only) are introduced they seem to have very little detail explained. This could
easily be forgiven since Warner Bros. wants to make a new trilogy, but what
happens if another doesn’t happen?
McG, the director, could have also had too much to handle on one plate. The man
really hasn’t directed too many A+ movies. Hell he did three movies, Charlie’s
Angels, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, and We Are Marshall. If you don’t count
those then he did some music videos and television shows. Not the best choice
for a director but the cast and special effects helped for his lack-off everything.
As ugly as the future might look in Salvation it looks solid in its 1080p
transfer. The detail is fantastic. Everything from the characters faces to the
minimal movement in some of the robots; it appears on your screen with no
problems. Even the darkest colors, mainly black, have no problems at all. No
mark of graininess during Terminator: Salvation.
With the movie looking this good there are points where it is pretty goddamn
obvious that the actors are CGI in certain sequences. It would have been nice if
some time was put into the process and maybe not make the actors look like they
did when created on their computer screen.
Lossless audio at DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1…Terminator: Salvation sounds amazing!
The machines really come to life with the perfect audio track and the loud
screaming of John Connor is a real treat as well. The mix is clear with no sound
from the picture too. This is a real nice audio transfer for a great action
flick.
Now for the huge disappointment, the special features. The first run of the blu-rays
come with 3 discs. One is the theatrical, the other is the directors cut with
the special featurettes, and the third and final disc has a digital copy. The
director’s cut does have that nude scene with Moon Bloongood…pretty nice.
There is a picture-in-picture commentary track and of course you have BD Live.
Again there are maybe three other featurettes but none of them really matter.
This collection is a disappointment, almost makes you wonder if there is
something else in the works because I find it hard to believe that Salvation
only has this.
Final Verdict
What a great way to bring back the Terminator series. Salvation is much better
than I expected and the blu-ray version really brings it to a whole new level
when it comes to high definition. High def junkies should pick this one up, same
with fans of the Terminator fans.
Rating Breakdown
Movie: 9 out of 10
+ Great action movie that brings back the Terminator
franchise.
- The new is overshadowed by the old.
Picture: 9 out of 10
+ Great high def transfer with bold colors.
- CGI actors look real bad/fake at some occasions.
Audio: 10 out of 10
+ Sounds great, what more can I say?
- Nothing.
Extras: 6 out of 10
+ BD Live might bring something new…oh wait there is a
digital copy.
- You’ll feel left out with the lack of real bonus features.
Overall
8.50 out of 10
Terminator: Salvation Trailer
|
