Today I went and saw the new Terminator Salvation movie at the Empire. Sadly, I must say that the movie itself was a complete non-starter, and left me waiting for the ‘Salvation’ that came with the end of the movie. The movie is a rather flat affair, and lacks the humour and irony that we have come to associate with the Terminator franchise. The original Arnie factor is completely missing, as is the excitement and suspense of the previous incarnations. My official grade for the movie is: “DUD” – it is a complete dud… On the plus side, it is the only dud in the franchise, and hopefully things will remain that way, as this prequel, as is customary these days, left the path for further Terminator movies wide open.
Women were conspicuously absent in this movie. Sure there were the five that covered all the bases: an old lady, a pregnant woman, a 5-6 year old girl, the fighter pilot, and the cyberdyne computer girl. But their total screen time was miniscule. Let’s just say that the female artists appearing in this movie will not be winning an oscar for best supporting actress anytime soon. Having had women feature prominently in all of the Terminator movies – this was certainly a boy’s affair… In my opinion, to the detriment of the franchise. I do have a thing against leaving half of the planet’s population out of the picture…
On another note, it is now official: the monkeys at Fox have decided to ax Terminator, The Sarah Connor Chronicles – probably the most intelligent and exciting Sci Fi TV series of the last five years. But it had some major flaws: it was an intelligent show, raising important questions about humanity and being human. And as we know, monkeys do not necessarily like to think! On top it, it had an immaculate visual language, and featured women prominently – using the sci-fi platform to promote openness, self-reflection, and perhaps giving us a dark glimpse of where we could end up – if we fail to curb the excesses of ‘super-capitalism’.
Sure, our monkey friends have washed their hands off the affair – it was the ratings, they chant… Sure, of course it was… “Wanna buy some waterfront property in Miami?” Well, it probably had to do with their conservatism – or shall we say reactionary-ism… Ironically enough, super-capitalism undermines the open nature of our democracies and leads to an insiduous move towards the authoritarian branch of the J-curve – more on this topic can be found here. No wonder our democracies are beginning to feel unstable. But I am starting to digress… However, if you read this article, please drop Fox a line, or some bananas, to let them know that they have made a poor choice. Thanks.
