Happy Thursday! Last week I was too busy talking about something (NaNoWriMo?) to also tell you that that was the week I watched the second two (middle two?) TERMINATOR movies. Let's discuss.
Before BSG there was Matrix, and before the Matrix there was Terminator, and before Terminator there was the original BSG, but let's go back a step. Basically, you know how it goes: our incensed desire to build bigger and better and faster, our reliance and unthinking dependence on technology will be our doom. Because one day it'll be biggest and best and fastest, and the one thing the newly-awakened technology will invariably conclude is that humanity has no place in this universe (except in the Matrix, where it has a tiny place).
I told you about how I saw the first TERMINATOR a while back; its 80s veneer distracted me from being able to appreciate it. But without it you would have no T2, which, for all its equally cringe-worthy 90s-ness, is a really good movie.
And then of course they made the third, which was slightly more sophisticated than the first, but still a nonsense movie by any calculation. Haven't seen :Salvation, yet, but now that I've seen the original movies, the trailer really really makes me want to see it.
In the meantime (the two more weeks I have to wait), I rented TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. Let's talk about this a moment, yes.
A) Unfortunate title. I usually just call it "the Sarah Cronnah Cronnacrles."
B) Misfortunate casting. If the idea is to return emphasis to Sarah Cronnah (from John Connor, who steals the show the minute he has the chance; but, hey, it's his fate and all), then it probably would have been a good idea to cast someone who could command your attention. Suffice it to say they did not.
C) Nonsense storytelling. To be fair to the above (and the others, who are clearly trying so hard to act), the performers are seriously handicapped by the ridiculous things they are expected to perform. Everything from dialogue to series plot is poor. Just out of the gate, and it's already worse than HEROES.
D) Television budget makes for a sad action movie. Every battle was carefully crafted and executed in the movies. They just don't have the capabilities to reproduce that scale of stunt on a weekly basis. It deflates the risk felt at each encounter, because you know they'll get away from the cops one way or another. The show doesn't particularly care how they do it.
E) FBI guy. Unnecessary.
All of this is a real tragedy, because after seeing the Terminator Trilogy, I can totally see why someone would want to resurrect this playground and have it available on a weekly basis. The Terminator story is Cool. Terminators are Cool. The Connors are Cool. Sarah Cronnacrles is not.
Things that make me sit through episodes while I would rather be hitting myself in the head with a hammer:
A) Summer Glau. And did you see her on DOLLHOUSE last week? She has an ability to become the character - an ability I had previously assumed she did not possess. Glad to be proven wrong.
B) Thomas Dekker. One of my favorite characters from HEROES. He was in like, maybe four episodes. Stupid HEROES.
C) Cameron the Terminator. This should actually be a subset under (A), but I'm struggling to come up with positive thoughts. I love this Terminator because she's ridiculous and gets to say ridiculous things that only robots can get away with saying. In conclusion, I love robots.
D) Bear McCreary. My man is going to get pigeonholed for only writing music for robots-who-look-human-destroyed-humanity-but-some-are-our-friends-sci-fi shows.
I guess that's it. It's silly that I'm only watching it because of the impact T2 had on me. THAT MOVIE. Whereas the first (and third. and fourth? TBD) movie only really wanted to be an action movie, T2 effortlessly combines real action with real drama and real stakes and real emotional impact. The two Connors are equally strong leads with equally strong character--if you thought Terminator was about Schwarzenegger, you're terribly mistaken.
I mean, I'm even willing to go along with their messed up timeline. It's so integral to what these characters believe, that you CAN change the future, that I don't even want to fight them on it. Guess I don't have the heart to tell them they're wrong. Or, as in the case of Terminator 3, they'll find out the hard way.
Anyway, all this to say that you need to see T2; I need to see :Salvation; I'm not sad Sarah Chronnorcles got canceled. I am still sad about DOLLHOUSE.
This week and next week at work is Employee Appreciation Week (they appreciate us so much a week is 13 days) and we have 10 free rentals instead of five. I'm open to suggestions.
-Steph
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