Terminator Salvation war reportedly modelled - at least in terms of style - on films like The Road, with a partial silver retention on the interpositive (the equivalent of bleach bypass, a la Minority Report, Saving Private Ryan) during post leading to a very distinctive look for the film which is never betrayed by the 4K rendition. With Dark Fate still fresh in the mind, there's no better time to revisit this flawed but also underappreciated war film. Reportedly due to leaks revealing this ending (but more likely because they got cold feet), the audacious ending was scrapped, but Salvation remains a decent enough Terminator war movie, which enjoys a surprising number of quality - and hard-hitting - action setpieces (not least an early single-take in-helicopter crash scene where John goes toe-to-toe with a damaged Terminator) that defy its PG-13 rating - infamously, the first in the saga.
Terminator salvation blu ray movie#
With the late, great, Stan Winston returning to work his magic on the robots and the pyrotechnics, there's a wonderful amount of state-of-the-art bang-bang in the movie (it's easy to forget just how satisfying it is to see real explosions in an age of CG), and the presence of tough-as-nails T-600 and T-700 pre-Terminator machines is a nice touch, as is the return of the classic T-800.īale is a solid casting choice, even if the script sends his Jesus figure tearing across the country in search of the next narrative point almost randomly, and the film starts to stumble with its introduction of Sam Worthington's prototype infiltrator with a conscience, whose character was originally a part of a rather daring script gambit that would see him leading the resistance in subsequent instalments, literally under the skin of Connor. Terminator Salvation may not be the Rogue One of the series, but it's undoubtedly the best thing that Charlie's Angels director McG has done, with the director showing remarkable restraint over the things he is commonly known for - action with silly, over-the-top effects, goofy comedy and a distinct sense of style over substance. Salvation remains a decent enough Terminator war movie Production was particularly troubled on this instalment, however, with Schwarzenegger busy on political duties, and rumours that Stahl and Danes would be recast because of the time-jump into the future, as well as a property rights war unfolding in courtrooms over the intervening period, all of which resulted in a brand new trilogy being embarked upon, which would focus on the war, starting with Salvation and starring Christian Bale, whose involvement would later be overshadowed by his volatile outburst on set that would go viral. They were a terrific - and terrifying - glimpse at the horrors of the war and were ripe for exploration. At the time of its release, stars Nick Stahl and Claire Danes were contracted for a follow-up, which would explore the war only hitherto glimpsed at ominously during the excellent flash-forward sequences in the earlier movies. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is often dismissed, but it too boasted some great moments, not least in its jaw-dropping ending - a stark and surprising revelation that Judgment Day was, in fact, inevitable, opening the door to a look at the future war against the machines. As audiences are still passing their verdict on the surprisingly aggressive Dark Fate, it's the perfect time to reflect on the saga that birthed it, with each and every entry having their merits - even if the first two are head and shoulders above anything else as bona fide classics.