From Russia With Love, Let’s Do the Time Warp Again, or Terminators v. Trekkies

Yesterday, I was blessed enough to see Terminator Salvation.  I’ve only recently as an adult been able to watch all of the Terminator movies (My mom didn’t let me see them as a kid or rent them (the first came out years before I was born) I don’t blame her, the Machines still freak me out; not to mention I’m very impressionable.  Unlike my younger sibs, my sister for example watched The Exorcist at the age of 7 alone, at night.  Nothing scares my sister, nothing.)  but for a late comer to this franchise I was still really excited to see the latest installment, and overall I’m fascinated by the ideas and concepts in the Terminator series.  I have to say aesthetically the film was beautiful.  Sure it was dark, grey, a little washed, but somehow even with the roughness of the characters, their clothing, and their environment there was something sleek, modern, and elegant about the picture.  For me that was great because as a lover of mainly action and comedy films, you don’t see such a nice combination of grit and beauty often.  Now, I know a lot of women love Christian Bale because…well because he’s Christian Bale, but I’ve never been attracted to him myself, he’s just too off putting for some reason.  Maybe it’s the roles I’ve seen him in over the years like the Machinist, American Psycho, and even the past two Batman films.  He just scares me.  And the now INFAMOUS recording of his rant on the Terminator set doesn’t help.  Still I look at Bale and really enjoy his work as an artist.  He’s right to be very private, and I enjoy examining him and his work as an actor.  I really don’t care about his personal life.  Salvation really made me see Bale’s talent.  I already knew he was dedicated and good, but this did for me. 

Bryce Dallas Howard was too easy to overlook.  I didn’t understand why she was there.  I mean I knew why, and who she was playing, but she could have just been a random medic and nothing would have suffered.  The love between her character and Bale’s was pale in comparison to the interesting chemistry between Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) and Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood).  Still, while Salvation was great.  It could have pushed even more.  Especially with these four characters.  There could have been a delicate and interesting contrast and comparison played between these two couples, and the humanity that surfaces in each, and perhaps a lesson learned…speaking of lessons.

John sucks.  John Connor, that is.  Ok, I’m sorry he doesn’t suck.  Still this loop of fate he’s stuck in got a little irritating at the end.  I know Connor is supposed to be this hero, this prophesied solution.  But that could be because of this loop that he himself has created and is working so hard to preserve.  What is freaking point of this fatalistic loop?  What good will come out it?  I need to see that in order to believe in John Connor.  Still, what if…I mean what if we didn’t make him the hero?  I mean what if he really isn’t the answer?  What if they killed their real answer when they killed Marcus Wright?  I think Marcus Wright, was someone to be examined.  A creation which could have unlocked themes and discussions that were only briefly flickered at in the film.  I mean hello!!  He was a man and a machine! There could have been some great symbolism and questions raised there.  Not to mention he was born in 1975 (he states this to Connor while chained up in Connor’s resistance camp) which means in 2018 he would have been 43, but he looks about 28.  (If being half machine keeps me looking 21 I’ll take it.)  Which again is why I think the movie could have pushed further.  I dunno…my sister and brother say I think too much too hard.

Anyway.  Kyle Reese and Star (his supercute, pooh bear of a little girl best friend)  were absolutely adorable.  I could have done a Brangelina and adopted both of them.  Except the actor playing Kyle Reese is about my age.  And man is that kid, Anton Yelchin, having one of the BEST SUMMERS of his life!!!!  Which leads me to, DRUMROLL please….STAR TREK!!!! 

Yelchin, is also a prominent character in Star Trek, he plays Pavel Chekov, the 17 year old Russian kid who sits next to Harold…uh I mean Hikaru Sulu (John Cho) the pilot, and does stuff like randomly touch that really cool glass screen and talk into it for the captain, even though he’s harder to understand than anyone else that could have done the announcements, like maybe the captain himself.  So Anton Yelchin, who is from Russia, is one lucky, lucky guy.  Two big summer films at the age of 20!  That’s pretty sweet.

Yelchin is not the only thing these movies have in common though.  Time travel is another.  However, a big difference is that instead of running in a circle of destiny, like John Connor does in Terminator, Star Trek creates a whole new history.  This was a clever turn taken by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman.  Why was it so smart?  Think about it…I HATE Star Trek!!!! But I loved this movie.  Rebooting the franchise with fresh actors and adding time-travel liberates the film and future films that may come (I hope so) from having to deal with continuity with the old films and series (which I never watched because I hated them.)  So new people, like me, can enjoy this film, and those familiar with the old stuff can enjoy it as well.

What did I like most about Star Trek?  The cool technology?  The action?  The Set Design?  NO!  Kirk and Spock duh.  Chris Pine was initially my favorite.  He’s really cute, even if he is dumb enough to fool around with Audrina from the Hills, and he did a good job being boyishly cocky in the film and hot, and funny, and hot…oh and good looking.  Then…well then.  I noticed Spock.  Now I usually do go for the All-American types.  So Kirk made sense.  But Spock threw me for a loop (not a never ending John Connor loop, just a regular one) and seeing Star Trek a second time yesterday solidified his attractiveness.  I think its the all emotions buried beneath the surface thing that does it for me.  Its like a challenge because if you can get him to show any sort of emotion…you’ve won most of the battle…of making him your new…uh first mate, yeah.  I wasn’t think bf or anything.  Anyway, both movies were worth seeing (not like the The Spirit, or Revolutionary Road, or Twilight, or He’s Just Not That Into You…DO NOT SEE THOSE!!!! I’m WARNING YOU!!! Unless you like wasting precious hours of life that will NEVER return!!!)

Lastly.  I cannot forget to pay tribute to Nyota Uhura, played by the beautiful Zoë Saldaña.  It was AWESOME to watch one of the first major black characters in such a great position.  She was hott, and it was HOTTER that both Kirk and Spock wanted her.  Plus she didn’t fall into that annoying token black person area.  You know how in some movies the black girl either can’t speak proper English, had to have a hard life, repeats how much she “has to keep it real”, or have an attitude, or be the mothering figure that “takes care her babies” or gives advice, or isn’t attractive to anyone.  Yeah,  It was great to see Uhura as just an intelligent, hot, strong character and not a caricature of some outdated stereotype.