Terminator

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - The Complete Second Season
$59.98
I've been a terminator fan since I was a kid. I have seen the movies several times so naturally when TSCC came out I was skeptical about the show. I thought it was going to be a cheasy, lame, knockoff from the movies. As a terminator fan I gave it a chance and WOW!! The show is so well written, actors actually act their part, and it follows the plot of the first two movies. DVD is the only way I can watch the show being stationed overseas, so after I finished the second season I was completely horrified and shocked that Fox didn't pick up the show for a third season. What the &%$#?! How can you end such a great show, with millions of fans, end on a cliffhanger? FOX BRING BACK THE SHOW!!! Whether you are a die hard fan or never even seen a Terminator movie, I strongly recommend this show.

Terminator Salvation (Widescreen Edition)
$28.98
A few good ideas that were just terribly, terribly executed.

The reverse time traveler. I enjoyed that idea. Sam Worthington, con on death row is executed, but before dying signs his life away to Cyberdyne systems, wakes up in the future, and spends it trying to piece together what happened. Cool.

Beyond that...what the heck?
The first two movies (the REAL terminator movies) had this ever present mood to them. Mass human genocide was coming and there was nothing that they could do about it. People were going to die and it was just...really, depressing and threatening and remained this heavy presence just over the horizon.

But with Salvation...the apocalypse comes and...it's no big deal. Apparently much of the military managed to survive (chain of command included)John Connor is just a cog in the system who spouts gibberish over the radio, and... his father from the future is a fun loving, happy go lucky rogue...
None of which connects to the previous movies very well.

There is no emotional connection in this movie. The characters are just...boring. They're cardboard cut outs of people, people created to serve a purpose, but never given a chance to ever seem like real people. Hot American Indian chick, plot device to show Sam Worthington's character's humanity, and predictably help him out of a tight spot. John Connor (Christan Bale), auto distrusts all machines which makes no sense given the previous movies. And we can't even go into all of the stupid mistakes that he makes for someone that was trained as a soldier and should know what the terminators are capable of. Bryce Howard playing John Connor's wife... Why does John Connor need a wife? Why does his wife play no conceivable purpose in the story whatsoever other than being there?
And could someone please tell me why Common was even in the movie other than he wanted to be? He must have something like 2 lines.

I think it's a steaming pile of crap. But I'll admit people have disagreed with me.

If you ignore the previous movies and take it as a stand alone. It's okay...maybe. I just feel that the studios have done to terminator what they did with the Aliens franchise. The good writer/director leaves and then the studios go right ahead and f- it up.

If you liked Alien vs Predator (all 5 of you) than you might enjoy this movie. The rest stay away...stay far away.

The Terminator (Special Edition)
$14.98
one reviewer already nailed it, but i'll repeat it: the first 10 or so minutes of "The Terminator" blu-ray disc look awful; PQ identical to, if not lower than, what one would expect from an upcoverting standard-def DVD player. That said, the PQ does improve as the movie goes on, but generally any scene shot in darkness looks horrid.

The Terminator
$14.98
one reviewer already nailed it, but i'll repeat it: the first 10 or so minutes of "The Terminator" blu-ray disc look awful; PQ identical to, if not lower than, what one would expect from an upcoverting standard-def DVD player. That said, the PQ does improve as the movie goes on, but generally any scene shot in darkness looks horrid.