Terminator Salvation, Narnia: Prince Caspian, and Wall Street (Movie Review Weekend)

Terminator Salvation (2009)

When Christian Bale said that Arnold Schwarzenegger was no longer relevant to the Terminator franchise, I almost considered skipping this movie in protest. Shortly after this moment of temporary insanity, I came to my senses and knew that there was no way I was going to miss this summer blockbuster. As the fourth movie in the franchise, Terminator Salvation is the first one where the majority of the action takes place after Judgment Day, after Skynet goes live and starts hunting the so-called human resistance. The post-apocalyptic world is shrouded in a shade of grey throughout the movie, lacking in the color that is life.

And that’s almost the irony of this film. We are meant to ask ourselves about the true nature of humanity. We are meant to consider the difference between man and machine, but the movie itself is almost lacking this human touch. We don’t get the same kind of human connection that we got in Terminator 2. Both Sam Worthington (as Marcus Wright) and Christian Bale (as John Connor) appear to be somewhat robotic in their performances, as if they were simply going through the motions. I’m almost inclined to side with the machines. The crude T-600 Terminator is pretty awesome.

Don’t get me wrong. I still had a good time watching Terminator Salvation, but it was mostly for the huge McG-sourced explosions, big powerful guns, and giant robots bent on the destruction of the human race. I was also glad that they implemented elements from the previous three movies. The final battle sequence with a terminator, for instance, takes place in a fire-filled foundry, much like in T2. They also make use of classic lines like, “Come with me if you want to live.” Fanboys will get a kick out of that.

The plot holes and gaps in logic are plentiful (Moon Bloodgood’s character is largely unnecessary), but I came for a post-apocalyptic war with the machines and Terminator Salvation mostly delivers on that front. Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, he did come back… sort of.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Growing up, I had a strange fascination with the mythical world of Narnia. As far as I can recollect, I only read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but I was enamored with the live action television show that aired on YTV in Canada. I wouldn’t rank it quite as high as some Saturday morning cartoons, but the Narnia series offered a great escape from the real world. While I wasn’t particularly pleased with the first “new” Narnia movie that was released in 2005, I did enjoy the nostalgic and familiar elements.

I can’t say that I had the same experience with Prince Caspian. Many of my favorite characters from the Narnia universe are long-since dead and the ones that replace them aren’t nearly as interesting. The fighting sequences weren’t all that interesting either, making for a film that felt very long and drawn out. I might have even had a better time watching Golden Compass than Prince Caspian and that’s saying something.

If you’re a diehard Narnia fan and you’ve read all the books, you might get some satisfaction from this movie. If you’re just a casual passer-by, however, I suggest that you keep on walking right past Caspian.

Wall Street (1987)

Up until about a week ago, I had never watched Wall Street. I know. I should be ashamed of myself. Since I heard that a sequel could be in the works and based on how much I liked Boiler Room with Giovanni Ribisi, I figured it would be as good a time as any to watch this movie based on the greed of the marketplace. Even though the action takes place a full twenty years ago, Wall Street is just as relevant today, especially with the current economic situation.

Much of the jargon and lingo of the stock market went over my head with this movie, but it was easy enough to follow the gist of the action. We see a young and naive Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) pulled into the dark side of money by millionaire mogul Gordon Gekko, played by the incomparable Michael Douglas.

Much like Ribisi’s character from Boiler Room, Bud starts to employ less than honorable tactics to make more money for himself and for Gekko. Gordon Gekko reminds him that success is a zero-sum game, so he shouldn’t feel bad about what he is doing. For one person to win, another must lose.

A powerful movie on the power of money, Wall Street offers many great life lessons. I can’t wait for the sequel.