May 22, 2009 -- The latest film in the Terminator series heads into an apocalyptic future glimpsed during a few brief scenes from previous Terminator movies, dating back to 1984. I've always been intrigued by those brief scenes of terminator robots and hunter-killer machines engaged in war against men crawling around in the rubble of a destroyed civilization. This is the first film which gives us an extended view of that world. As you would expect, this is a sci-fi war movie of man against machine and there is plenty of action, but also some food for thought.

The time line of this film is before the future time line of the first film and after the main time line of last film in the series, “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.” John Connor (played by Christian Bale of “The Dark Knight”) has grown up, but he is not yet the true leader of the resistance, except in spirit. His voice has helped hold the resistance together and mold it into a fighting force, but military leaders from the old earth nations like General Ashdown (played by veteran actor Michael Ironside) and General Losenko (Ivan G'Vera) are still in charge. Connor has not yet met his father, Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin of “Star Trek”), the man who will later be sent back in time to rescue his mother from the original terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the original film, Kyle Reese was played by Michael Biehn, who also played a key role in the film “Aliens.” Another member of the fictional Reese family, Derek Reese, appears in the related TV series “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” The original story upon which the movies are based was written by noted science fiction author Harlan Ellison, who was a creative consultant on such science fiction series as “Twilight Zone,” “Outer Limits” and “Babylon 5.”

This latest film in the series remains true to the original, truer than the TV series, or truer to its origins than the latest Star Trek movie, for that matter. It doesn't deal directly in time travel, but it does deal with complications arising from time travel. Connor is forced to go against the leadership of the resistance to rescue his father. This defiance of authority has echoes of the current debate over strategy in the so-called war on terror. Connor wants to rescue the humans being held prisoner by the machines. The leadership of the resistance sees the prisoners as expendable. An intriguing new character is dropped into the mix, convicted killer Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington of “The Great Raid”). Wright was executed for murder years ago, but donated his body to science. He finds himself resurrected years later with no knowledge of the war between machines and men. He thinks himself to be fully human, but discovers to his horror he is a cyborg, part human and part machine. The resistance doesn't know what to make of Wright and he doesn't know what to make of himself, but he becomes a key part of the story. Wright, like the terminator-turned-protector in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” explores the gray area between man and machine and what it means to be human. A similar theme was struck in Harlan Ellison's screenplay for “The Outer Limits” original series, called “Demon With a Glass Hand.” In that case, the android was perhaps a slave to his programming, while Wright appears able to make decisions about his own future. He also sees his very existence as an opportunity to make amends for his past sins. His desire for redemption proves more powerful than the programming in his brain's computer chip.

Wright is the most intriguing of the movie's characters. Created by cold, calculating machines and haunted by his past, he is driven largely by emotion. In the film's early scenes, Wright is on death row, about to die. He admits his guilt and has remorse for what he did. He doesn't ask for mercy and accepts his punishment. When he awakes years later, he doesn't question his existence. He lives according to his own rules, helping his friends and showing no mercy to his enemies. He is a warrior with a mission, but whose mission? Are his actions pre-programed by a computer? Even Wright doesn't know for sure until it comes time to decide.

The characters in this film show an ability to make big decisions affecting their own futures. That is perhaps the main reason so many film critics are troubled by this movie. The popular notion in the entertainment industry these days is the idea of a set fate, or destiny. The future is set and we are powerless to change it. Events are shaped by forces beyond our control. Shadowy conspirators control the fate of the world. This is a philosophy that is the equivalent of comfort food. What could be more comforting that to blame everyone but yourself for your problems? In this film, and others in the Terminator series, we hear a different mantra, that is: “there's no fate but what we make for ourselves.” This means we have free will, the ability to affect one's own destiny. We can lift ourselves up and make our lives better. If we fail it is our own fault. That is not a popular idea these days. Free will means individual responsibility instead of being able to blame conspirators and scapegoats for our failures. There has always been a tendency for people to blame anyone or anything but themselves for the ills of society. This tendency seems especially widespread these days. Conspiracy theories seem more rampant than ever, spread like thought viruses by the Internet. I don't like any of that, which is why I guess I like this movie so much. It bucks this sick trend.

As one would expect, this film is also long on action, with some incredible stunts and special effects. There are some high-energy chase scenes and battles with monster robots. Most of this is done with computer animation, like many other action films these days. There is even a Schwarzenegger-type terminator, which appears to completely computer-generated. The acting is solid all around and the story is paced well. The film is aptly dedicated to the great makeup and effects artist Stan Winston, who died during the production of this film. Winston created the robot-like terminator for the first film and won many makeup and special effects awards during his career, including Oscars for “Aliens,” “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” and “Jurassic Park.” This film rates a B+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2009 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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