directed by McG, and starring Christian Bale as future Resistance leader John Connor and Sam Worthington as
cyborg Marcus Wright. The film also introduces a young Kyle Reese from the original 1984 film, played by Anton
Yelchin, as well as depicting the origin of the T-800 Model 101 Terminator.
Terminator Salvation, set in 2018, focuses on the war between humanity and Skynet — a departure from the
previous installments, which were set between 1984 and 2004 and used time travel as a key plot element.
After a troubled pre-production, with The Halcyon Company acquiring the rights for the franchise from Andrew G.
Vajna and Mario Kassar and several writers working on the screenplay, filming began in May 2008 in New Mexico
and ran for 77 days. The film is currently the most expensive independent production in history, with a budget of
$200 million. Terminator Salvation was released on May 21, 2009 in the United States and Canada, followed by
early June releases in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The film was met with mostly
negative critical reviews, and failed to meet initial financial expectations, grossing just under $43 million in its
opening weekend. Its final worldwide gross is $372 million.
Contents• 1 Plot
• 2 Cast
• 3 Production
o 3.1 Development
o 3.2 Writing
o 3.3 Filming
o 3.4 Design and special effects
o 3.5 Music
o 3.6 Lawsuit
• 4 Release
o 4.1 Critical reception
o 4.2 Box office
o 4.3 Home media
o 4.4 Tie-ins
[edit] Plot
In 2003, Doctor Serena Kogan (Helena Bonham Carter) of Cyberdyne Systems convinces death row inmate Marcus
Wright (Sam Worthington) to sign his body over for medical research following his execution by lethal injection. One
year later, the Skynet system is activated, perceives humans as a threat to its own existence, and eradicates much
of humanity in the event known as Judgment Day (see Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines). In 2018, John
Connor (Christian Bale) leads an attack by the Resistance on a Skynet base. John discovers human prisoners and
plans for the development of a new type of Terminator incorporating living tissue, but is the only apparent survivor
of the attack after the base is destroyed in a nuclear explosion. However, Marcus emerges from the wreckage of
the base and proceeds on foot to Los Angeles.
John returns to Resistance headquarters located aboard a nuclear submarine and tells General Ashdown (MichaelIronside), the current leader, of his discovery. Meanwhile, the Resistance has discovered a radio frequency believed
to be capable of shutting down Skynet machines. They plan to launch an offensive against the Skynet base in San
Francisco in four days, in response to an intercepted "kill list" indicating that Skynet plans to kill the Resistance's
command staff in four days' time. John learns that his own name is second on the list, following Kyle Reese. The
Resistance leaders are unaware of Kyle's importance to Skynet, but John knows that it is because Kyle will later
become his father (see The Terminator). John meets with his officer Barnes (Common) and wife Kate (Bryce
Dallas Howard) and sends radio broadcasts to Resistance members and surviving civilians around the world.
Arriving in the ruins of Los Angeles, Marcus is saved from a T-600 Terminator by Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin)
and his mute companion Star (Jadagrace Berry). Kyle relates to Marcus the events of Judgment Day and the
ensuing war between humans and machines. Hearing John's radio broadcast, the three leave Los Angeles in search
of the Resistance. They survive an attack by machines, but Kyle, Star, and several other humans are taken
prisoner, while a pair of Resistance A-10s are shot down. Marcus locates downed pilot Blair Williams (Moon
Bloodgood) and they make their way to John's base, but Marcus is wounded by a magnetic land mine. Attempting
to save his life, the Resistance fighters discover that he is in fact a cyborg with human organs, a mechanical
endoskeleton, circuitry, and a partially artificial cerebral cortex. Marcus believes himself to be human, demanding to
be released so that he can save Kyle from Skynet, but John believes that Marcus has come to kill him and orders
his destruction. However, Blair releases him and helps him to escape from the base. During the resulting pursuit
Marcus saves John's life from Skynet hydrobots, and the two form an alliance—Marcus will enter Skynet's
headquarters and attempt to disable its defenses so that John can rescue Kyle.
John demands that Ashdown delay the attack so that he can rescue Kyle and the other prisoners, but Ashdownrefuses and relieves John of his command. However, John's soldiers remain loyal to him and obey his command not
to attack the Skynet base. Meanwhile, Marcus enters the base and interfaces with the computer, disabling the
perimeter defenses and allowing John to infiltrate the cell block and release the human prisoners. The Resistance's
disabling signal is revealed to be a ruse, and the command submarine with the Resistance leaders aboard is
destroyed.
Marcus discovers that he was created by Skynet and has unwittingly fulfilled his programmed mission to lure John
into the base to be killed. He tears out the hardware linking him to Skynet and assists John in battling a T-800
model 101 Terminator. John is mortally wounded during the fight, but succeeds in destroying the Skynet base by
rigging several Terminator hydrogen fuel cells to an explosive, detonating them as he, Marcus, Kyle, and Star are
airlifted out. Kate attempts to save John's life, but his heart is too damaged. Marcus offers his own heart for
transplant, sacrificing himself to save John. Recovering, John radios to the other Resistance fighters that though this
battle has been won, the war is far from over.
Cast• Christian Bale as John Connor: A soldier in the Resistance waging war against Skynet after it destroyed
much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust, who is destined to become humanity's leader. Director McG deemed Bale
"the most credible action star in the world" during development.[2] McG wanted Bale for Marcus, but the actor —
even though he "can't really remember why" — wanted to play John, and that led to the character's role getting
expanded in rewrites of the script.[3] Bale was the first person to be cast and signed on for the role in November
2007. McG talked extensively with Bale in the UK about the role while the latter was filming The Dark Knight, and
they both agreed to proceed.[4] Although a fan of the Terminator series, he was at first uninterested, until McG
convinced him the story would be character-based and not rely on special effects.[2] They kept working on the
story every day, along with Worthington.[5] McG said Bale broke his hand punching a Terminator prop during
filming.[6] Bale also spent six to eight hours each day with McG in the editing room to advise the finished
product.[7]
• Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright: A mysterious man on death row for murder who donated his body to
Cyberdyne Systems for experimentation.[8] His last memory is of being on death row, and John is at first unsure
of whether Wright is trustworthy.[9] Terminator creator James Cameron personally recommended Worthington (whom
he directed in Avatar) to McG.[10] Russell Crowe also recommended him to McG. The director decided Worthington
looked tougher than the "great many of today's [waify] young male actors".[8] Worthington recalled Cameron told
him "the Terminator to make is the one with the war".[11] Worthington tore his intercostal muscles during the first
weeks of filming, but he nevertheless insisted on performing his own stunts.[8][12] McG had originally asked
Christian Bale to play the role, but the latter insisted on portraying John instead, and to expand the character's
role.[13] The former once expressed interest in casting Daniel Day-Lewis or Josh Brolin in the part as well.[14][15]
Brolin did talk to Bale and read a draft of the screenplay, which he found "interesting and dark, [but] ultimately,
though, I didn't think it felt right".[16]
Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese: A teenage refugee and admirer of John Connor and the Resistance. Asportrayed by Michael Biehn in The Terminator, he was sent back in time to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor to
ensure the survival of the human race, and fathered John with her. Yelchin said he wanted to portray Kyle as
Biehn did and not make him appear weaker because it was a younger version of the character. The difference in
his portrayal lies in showing Kyle as intense, but not concentrated until he joins the resistance proper. Yelchin tried
to convey Kyle's intensity by focusing on how fast Biehn appeared when running in the original film.[17]
• Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate Connor: John's wife, who is seven months pregnant. Charlotte Gainsbourg
was originally set to play the part, but left due to scheduling conflicts with another film.[18] As portrayed by Claire
Danes in the third film, Kate was a veterinarian; but in this film, she is now a physician. Howard suggested, as
part of the character's backstory, that Kate studied medical books and interviewed many surviving doctors after the
events of Judgment Day. The film's subject matter reminded her of developing countries, devastated by war and
lacking basic supplies such as clean water, which "reflects things that are going on currently in this privileged world
that we are living in where there hasn't been an apocalypse and robots haven't taken over the world. I think that's
something definitely for us to reinvestigate and that we continue to make choices for our own future to take that
into consideration".[19] Howard also focused on Kate "being accustomed to fear and loss" because the character
was a military brat.[20]
Moon Bloodgood as Blair Williams: Suffering from survivor's guilt, Blair is a "no-nonsense andbattle-hardened" pilot of the Resistance and the romantic interest for Marcus as well.[21][22] McG characterizes her
as continuing the feminine strength that has been prominent throughout the franchise.[23]
• Common as Barnes: A resistance soldier and John's right-hand man.[24][25]
• Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Serena Kogan: Before Judgment Day, Serena was an ex-Cyberdyne scientist
with terminal cancer working on advanced technology, convincing Marcus to donate his body to Project Angel for her
"research", which will fall into the hands of Skynet.[26] Her face was later used by the Skynet computer in order
to communicate with Marcus. Tilda Swinton was originally considered for the part, but Bonham Carter replaced her
before filming. She accepted the part because her partner, Tim Burton, is a Terminator fan. Her role was a "small
but pivotal" one and would only require ten days of shooting.[27] On July 20, 2008, Bonham Carter delayed
filming by a day,[28] and was given an indefinite leave due to the death of four of her family members in a
minibus accident in South Africa.[29]
• Roland Kickinger as the T-800 Model 101: The first Terminator covered in living human tissue built as
Skynet's newest weapon for the extermination of humankind. Arnold Schwarzenegger's facial likeness was utilized via
CGI, with a mold of his face made in 1984 scanned to create the digital makeup.[30] Fellow Austrian bodybuilder
and actor Kickinger, who previously portrayed Schwarzenegger in the 2005 biographical film See Arnold Run, was
his physical double on set. When asked about his role, Kickinger said it's "Arnold's character in the first Terminator.
That's basically my role, but 20 years before, so it establishes how the Terminator came about."[31] Polish
strongman athlete Mariusz Pudzianowski was also considered for doubling Schwarzenegger.[32] If Schwarzenegger
had decided not to lend his appearance to the film, then John would have shot the T-800's face off before the
audience got a good look at him.[33]
Jadagrace Berry as Star: A nine-year-old girl in Kyle's care.[20] Born after Judgment Day, Star is mutedue to the trauma of the post-apocalyptic world. However, this has given her the unnatural ability to sense when a
Skynet machine is approaching.[23]
• Michael Ironside as General Ashdown: As a former commander from the United States Armed Forces,
Ashdown serves as the leader of the Resistance, who views John Connor as a nuisance yet also sees him as an
asset because of his extensive knowledge of the Skynet machines.
• Linda Hamilton as the uncredited voice of Sarah Connor: Hamilton is heard from tapes Sarah recorded
before her death prior to the film's events to warn John of the future war.[34]
[edit] Production
[edit] Development
In 1999, two years after C2 Pictures purchased the rights to the franchise, two Terminator films' premises were
mapped out and were supposed to be developed simultaneously. Tedi Sarafian was hired to write Terminator 3: Rise
of the Machines, which he eventually received shared story credit for, while David C. Wilson was to write Terminator
4. Before any revisions were done, T3 initially took place in 2001 and revolved around the first attacks between
Skynet and humans. T4 would follow immediately afterwards and centered primarily on the war seen in the first two
movies.[35] Warner Bros. gave the film the codename "Project Angel".
Following the release of Terminator 3 in 2003, producers Andrew G. Vajna and Mario Kassar contracted Nick Stahl
and Claire Danes to return as John Connor and Kate Brewster in another film.[36] Director Jonathan Mostow
helped develop the script, written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris, and was set to begin production in 2005
after completing another film. It was known by then Arnold Schwarzenegger's role would be limited, as he had
assumed office as Governor of California. The producers sought to have Warner Bros. finance the picture as they
did for Terminator 3.[37] In 2005, Stahl said John and Kate would be recast as the story jumped forward in
time.[38] By 2006, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, distributor of the original film The Terminator, was set to distribute the
fourth film as part of the new CEO Harry Sloan's scheme to make the studio a viable Hollywood player.[39]
On May 9, 2007, it was announced that production rights to the Terminator series had passed from the feudingVajna and Kassar to the Halcyon Company. The producers hoped to start a new trilogy based on the franchise.[40]
The purchase was financed with a loan by Pacificor, a hedge fund from Santa Monica.[41] By July 19, the project
was in legal limbo due to a lawsuit between MGM and Halcyon subsidiary T Asset. MGM had an exclusive window
of 30 days to negotiate for distribution of the Terminator films. When negotiating for Terminator 4, Halcyon rejected
their initial proposal, and MGM suspended negotiations. After the 30 days were over, MGM claimed that the period
during which negotiations were suspended did not count and their exclusive period was still open. Halcyon asked a
court for an injunction allowing them to approach other distributors.[42] Later, the lawsuit was settled and MGM got
a 30-day right of first refusal to finance and distribute the fifth Terminator film.[43]
Finally, Warner Bros paid $60 million to acquire the United States distribution rights of Terminator Salvation; Sony
Pictures also paid just over $100 million to acquire this film's distribution rights in most international territories.[44]
[edit] Writing
McG signed on to direct as the first two films were among his favorites, and he had even cast Robert Patrick
(who played the T-1000) in his films.[45] Though he was initially unsure about "flogging a dead horse,"[2] he
felt the post-apocalyptic setting allowed the film to be different enough so as not to be just an inferior sequel. The
idea that events in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines altered the future also
allowed them to be flexible with their presentation of the futuristic world.[46] McG met with the series' co-creator
James Cameron, and, although he neither blessed nor cursed the project, Cameron told the new director he had
faced a similar challenge when following Ridley Scott's Alien with Aliens.[2] He maintained two elements of the
previous films; that John is an outsider to the authorities, and someone of future importance is being protected, and
in this film it is Kyle Reese.[47]
The first full screenplay for the film was written by Terminator 3 writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris, whoreceived full screenplay credit. Paul Haggis rewrote Brancato and Ferris's script,[48] and Shawn Ryan made another
revision three weeks before filming.[49] Jonathan Nolan also wrote on set, which led to McG characterizing his work
on the script as the most important;[46] he chose to contribute to the film after Bale signed on and created
Connor's arc of becoming a leader.[50] Anthony E. Zuiker contributed to the script as well.[51] So extensive were
the rewrites that Alan Dean Foster decided to rewrite the entire novelization after submitting it to his publisher,
because the compiled shooting script was very different from the one he was given beforehand.[52]
"You survived the nuclear holocaust and you crawl out of the hole after three-to-five years and say, 'Well, I know
what's going on — I'm the one!' Some SAS guy isn't going to say, 'Where do I go, boss?' He'd say, 'Shut the
fuck up and get in line.'"
— McG on John's struggles to become the leader.[53]In the early script drafts, John was a secondary character.
Producer James Middleton explained "Ben-Hur was influenced by Jesus Christ, but it was his story. Much in that
way, this [new main] character will be influenced by John Connor."[54] The original ending was to have John
killed, and his image kept alive by the resistance by grafting his skin onto Marcus' cybernetic body.[55][56]
However, after the Internet leak, Warner Bros. decided to completely change the entire third act of the film.[57]
McG and Nolan did continue the Christ element of John's character though, in which he has some followers who
believe what he knows about Skynet, and others who do not.[58]
McG described the film's theme as "where you draw the line between machines and humans".[2] The friendship
between Marcus — who was executed (for murder) when humanity still ruled the world — and Kyle Reese
illustrates how war and suffering can bring out the best in people, such as when they worked together to survive
during the Blitz.[53] The title was derived from this second chance given to humanity and to Marcus, in addition to
John's efforts to save humanity from the machines.[59] The film's original title was Terminator Salvation: The Future
Begins, but this was dropped during filming.[53]
Throughout writing, the cast and crew would watch scenes from the three films to pick moments to reference or
tribute, including "I'll be back", which is uttered by John in this film. McG found himself having to decide which
ideas for references would be included and which would not.[60] An opening scene has John fighting a Terminator
on a crashed helicopter, which was storyboarded as a homage to the climax of the original film, where his mother
Sarah, having broken her leg, is chased by a crippled Terminator. McG did this to reflect the skills John learned
from her.[8]
FilmingTerminator Salvation had a $200 million budget, placing it as the most expensive independent production in
history.[61] Shooting of the film started on May 5, 2008 in New Mexico.[62] Filming also took place at Kirtland Air
Force Base in the state,[63] after the United States Air Force agreed to provide the crew guidance and
aircraft.[64] The filmmakers had originally intended to begin filming on April 15 in Budapest,[65] but a twenty-five
percent tax rebate and absence of an interest rate cap and floor made the filmmakers seek the cheaper New
Mexico, because of their elevated budget.[66] To avoid delays caused by a possible 2008 Screen Actors Guild
strike in July, all exterior scenes were completed by then, so production could restart easily.[67][68] The shoot
ended on July 20, 2008,[28] though some pick-ups took place in January 2009.[69]
In addition to Bale breaking his hand and Worthington hurting his back, special effects technician Mike Menardis
almost lost his leg filming an explosion. The sequence required a manhole cover being blown into the air, which hit
Menardis and partially severed his leg. McG noted it was testament to the gritty style of the film. "I say with
respect, I didn't want that Star Wars experience of everything's a blue screen, tennis balls, and go for it. I had
Stan Winston build all the machines. We built all the sets, the explosive power, the explosive power so you feel
that wind and that percussion and that heat blowing your eyebrows off. And with that you get a couple bumps and
bruises on the way, but you get it in an integrity and a realism that hopefully echoes Apocalypse Now. You couldn't
say, 'Let's just shoot Apocalypse Now in Burbank, I think it's going to feel just as good.'"[59]
The film used Technicolor's Oz process during post-production. This is a partial silver retention on the interpositive,
similar to bleach bypass, which will be used to lend to the sense of detachment from the modern world McG was
looking for.[5] Industrial Light & Magic developed shader programs to make the desaturated lighting of the CGI
realistic and well-integrated to the on-set footage.[70] The filmmakers consulted with many scientists about the
effects of an abandoned world and nuclear winter.[45] McG cited Mad Max 2, the original Star Wars trilogy and
Children of Men, as well as the novel The Road, as his visual influences.[2][45] He instructed his cast to read
the latter as well as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?[28][46] Like Children of Men, McG would storyboard
scenes so that it would be edited together to resemble a seamless, continuous shot.[71] It took two weeks to film
a two-minute shot of Connor getting caught up in a bombing on the Skynet base where he discovers plans for the
T-800.[72]
During filming, Bale became angry at director of photography Shane Hurlbut, swearing at him and threatening toleave the film.[73][74] Bale apologized publicly and said he resolved his differences with Hurlbut, and that when
the incident took place they continued to film for a few hours.[75]
[edit] Design and special effects
McG expressed a desire on putting as many "on-camera" elements as possible, to make the film more
realistic.[76] So many settings were built for real, with an entire gas station being constructed for the scene the
Harvester attacks, and the Terminator factory being built on an abandoned factory,[64] with the design crew
consulting robot manufacturer companies for a more realistic depiction.[76] A 20 foot-tall model was built and
detonated by Kerner Optical was used for the explosion of Skynet's 30-story San Francisco-based lab.[53]
The majority of the machines were designed by Martin Laing, a crew member on Cameron's Titanic and Ghosts of
the Abyss.[77] McG described many of the machines as having an H. R. Giger influence.[45] McG's intent was to
create a gritty, tactile 2018 on screen, and Laing concurred the robots would have to be black and degraded as
none of them are new. Laing devised Aerostats, which are smaller versions of the Aerial Hunter Killers from the
previous films. The Aerostats send a signal to the 60-foot-tall humanoid Harvesters. They are very big and slow,
so they use Mototerminators to capture humans, and the Harvesters place them in Transporters. Laing was unsure
of how to design the Transporters until he saw a cattle transport while driving through Albuquerque. Completing
Skynet's domination of air, land and sea is the Hydrobot, which Laing modeled on eels,[53] and was built by the
animatronics crew with its exterior made of metal-looking rubber so it could be used in the aquatic scenes.[64] The
film features the rubber-skinned T-600s and T-700s. McG interpreted Kyle Reese's description in the original film of
the T-600 as being easy to spot by making them tall and bulky.[2] For scenes of humans fighting with
Terminators, the actors interacted with stuntmen wearing motion capture suits, later replaced by digital robots.[76]
For the Mototerminators, Ducati designers were hired to create the robots, and the on-screen robot was a
combination of stuntmen driving actual Ducatis and a Mototerminator mock-up, as well as a digital
Mototerminator.[78] Visual effects studio Imaginary Forces created the Terminator point-of-view sequences, and tried
to depict a simple interface, with just what a machine would need, and with more software bugs and anomalies
since the robots of Salvation were not as advanced as the Terminators from the previous movies.[79]
The majority of the special effects were done by Industrial Light & Magic. Other contributors included Asylum Visual
Effects, which created digital plates, Marcus' endoskeleton and a digital T-600; and Rising Sun Pictures, which did
the digital correction of day for night scenes, the destruction of the submarine and Marcus' robot hand.[80]
Salvation was one of the last films that Stan Winston, the visual effects supervisor on the first three films, worked
on. He died on June 15, 2008 from multiple myeloma,[81] and McG dedicated the film to him, in the end
credits.[7] John Rosengrant and Charlie Gibson replaced Winston,[77] and McG commented that they are "trying to
achieve something that's never been done before"[82] and will "push the envelope".[83]
MusicTerminator Salvation
Film score by Danny ElfmanReleased May 19, 2009
Label
RepriseProfessional reviews
• Allmusic [84]Danny Elfman chronologyWanted
(2008) Terminator Salvation
(2009)
Danny Elfman began composing the score in January 2009. Beforehand, McG had the idea to hire Gustavo
Santaolalla, who he got to speak with, to work on the human themes, while having either Thom Yorke or Jonny
Greenwood for Skynet's themes.[34][50] He also wanted to discuss scoring the film with Hans Zimmer, but he was
unable to arrange a meeting. However, he managed to meet with The Terminator and Terminator 2 composer Brad
Fiedel. McG was not interested in repeating the sounds Fiedel achieved in his films but still wanted Elfman to use
those themes and ambient sounds, and give them a "Wagnerian quality".[47]
Reprise Records released the soundtrack on May 19, 2009, which includes fifteen tracks. While Common had
expressed interest in writing a song for the soundtrack,[85] Alice in Chains' "Rooster" is the only featured
song.[86] Although not included in the soundtrack, "You Could Be Mine" by Guns N' Roses, which was featured in
Terminator 2: Judgment Day, can be heard briefly in a scene of the film as well.[87] Nine Inch Nails' "The Day
The World Went Away" is played on the film's theatrical trailer, but is not included in the film or soundtrack.
Soundtrack[86]
1. "Opening" – 6:01
2. "All Is Lost" – 2:45
3. "Broadcast" – 3:19
4. "The Harvester Returns" – 2:45
5. "Fireside" – 1:31
6. "No Plan" – 1:43
7. "Reveal / The Escape" – 7:44
8. "Hydrobot Attack" – 1:49
9. "Farewell" – 1:40
10. "Marcus Enters Skynet" – 3:23
11. "A Solution" – 1:44
12. "Serena" – 2:28
13. "Final Confrontation" – 4:14
14. "Salvation" – 3:07
15. "Rooster" (Alice in Chains) – 6:14
[edit] Lawsuit
In March 2009, producer Moritz Borman filed a lawsuit against the Halcyon Company, seeking $160 million. Borman,
who had arranged the transfer of the Terminator rights to Halcyon in May 2007, stated the company's two
managers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek had "hijacked" the production and refused to give him his $2.5 million
share of the production. Borman alleged budget overruns were the reasons Anderson and Kubicek did not pay him
and that they had $1 million in debt.[88] Nevertheless, an "amicable" resolution was reached a month later.[89]
Further complications occurred on May 20, 2009, when executive producer Peter D. Graves, who informed Anderson
and Kubicek about the Terminator rights, filed a breach-of-contract claim for arbitration, alleging that they owe him
$750,000.[44]
[edit] Release
The film was released in North America on May 21, 2009 with Warner Bros. setting the American premiere on May
14, 2009 at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.[90] Elsewhere, Sony Pictures Entertainment released the
film in most overseas territories on different dates in June. One exception is Mexico, however, because of the swine
flu outbreak in the country, which forced Sony to push the release date to July 31, 2009.[91]
It is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action, and
language," unlike the previous R-rated films.[92] The decision to release the film with a PG-13 rating has met with
much criticism from fans,[93] and the media.[94] The decision was made to rate the film PG-13 after agreeing to
cut out a shot of Marcus stabbing a thug with a screwdriver, as McG felt disallowing the young audience due to
that one shot was unfair. He also deleted a topless scene for Moon Bloodgood because "It was a soft moment
between a man and a woman that was designed to echo the Kelly McGillis/Harrison Ford moment in Witness [but]
in the end, it felt more like a gratuitous moment of a girl taking her top off in an action picture, and I didn't want
that to convolute the story or the characters."[95] The producers had expected the rating because of the modern
leniency towards violence in PG-13 films, such as Live Free or Die Hard.[48]
Critical receptionBased on 246 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, critical reaction for Terminator Salvation tended toward
negativity with an overall 33% approval rating.[96] Among Rotten Tomatoes' Top Critics, which consists of popular
and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs,[97] the film holds a similar
overall approval rating of 32%.[98] By comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to
reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 51, based on 34 reviews.[99] In all
three cases the film ranks lowest in the series.
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a 2 out of 4 stars, saying that "After scrutinizing the film, I
offer you my summary of the story: Guy dies, finds himself resurrected, meets others, fights. That lasts for almost
two hours."[100] Michael Rechtshaffen of the Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film isn't the same without Arnold
Schwarzenegger and that it misses its dramatic element.[101] Likewise, Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film a
2/4 and called it "predictable" with the "dramatic elements flat-lin[ing]." She noted that Christian Bale's performance
was "one-dimensional," but Sam Worthington's and Anton Yelchin's were better.[102]
Total Film's review gave the movie 4/5 with its verdict: "The Terminator story recharges with a post-apocalyptic jolt
of energy. Frantic and full of welcome ties to the past, it also ploughs new ground with purpose. Fingers crossed
McG will follow Cameron’s lead and serve up a worthy sequel..."[103] Devin Faraci of Empire magazine, too, gave
a positive rating of four out of five stars, saying: "McG has sparked a moribund franchise back to life, giving fans
the post-apocalyptic action they’ve been craving since they first saw a metal foot crush a human skull two decades
ago."[104] However, on CHUD, the latter said "Bale's desire to star as John Connor was probably the most fatal
blow to the film; it completely distorted the shape of the story as it existed." Furthermore, he expresses that the
third act was when the film began falling apart, saying how "McG and Nolan muddied the end of the picture,
delivering action generics (yet another Terminator fight in a factory) while never finding their own hook that would
give this movie more of an impact than you would get from an expanded universe novel."[105] James Berardinelli
instead considered the ending the best part of the film, feeling that the first two-thirds were "rambling and
disjointed", and that the lack of a central villain was only fixed when the T-800 appeared.[106]
Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times stated that "[Bale's] strengths do not serve him, or the movie, as well
here" and that "when the story starts to crumble around Bale, Worthington is there to pick up the pieces."[107]
A.O. Scott of the New York Times said the film has "a brute integrity lacking in some of the other seasonal
franchise movies" and "efficient, reasonably swift storytelling."[108] Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz gave the film a
"See It" and "Skip It," respectively, on their show At the Movies with the latter mentioning that it "is the worst big
budget summer release I’ve seen in some time."[109]
Arnold Schwarzenegger, star of the preceding three films in the series, remarked that Terminator Salvation was "a
great film, I was very excited."[110] James Cameron, creator of the series, considered it an "interesting film" that
he "didn't hate as much as I thought I was going to", and praised Sam Worthington's performance.[111] Linda
Hamilton, who portrayed Sarah Connor in The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day and lent her voice to
Terminator Salvation, wished the film "all the best" but expressed her opinion that the series "was perfect with two
films. It was a complete circle, and it was enough in itself. But there will always be those who will try [to] milk the
cow."[112]
[edit] Box office
The film's first nationwide US screenings were at 12 A.M. on Thursday, May 21, 2009, making $3 million from
midnight screenings and earning $13.3 million in its first day.[113] The movie grossed an additional $42,558,390 on
its 4-day Memorial Day opening weekend,[114] and debuted at #2 behind Night at the Museum: Battle of the
Smithsonian, giving it a lower first weekend take than its predecessor and becoming the first film in the series not
to open at #1.[115] Terminator Salvation was more successful in its international release, opening at #1 in 66 of
70 territories through the first week of June,[116] and continuing to be the highest-grossing film in the following
week.[117] The film's total domestic gross is at $125,322,469, and along with $246,723,586 from overseas
territories, for a worldwide gross of $372,046,055.[1] As of December 2009, the film ranks fourteenth for the year
internationally and twenty third domestically (U.S. and Canada), which ranks it last in the series and puts it below
initial expectations in terms of domestic gross and first weekend, as well as overall global take.[118][119][120]
[edit] Home media
The DVD and Blu-ray Disc of the film was released on December 1, 2009. The former contains the theatrical cut
of the film with a featurette on the Mototerminators. The Blu-ray features both the theatrical cut and the R-rated
Director's cut, which is three minutes longer (118 minutes), with bonus material including Maximum Movie Mode, a
video commentary in which director McG talks about the film while it plays, featurettes, a video archive, and a
digital comic of the first issue of the official movie prequel comic. Both versions include a digital copy of the
theatrical cut for portable media players.[121] Target Stores will be the only retailer to carry the Director's Cut on
DVD.[122] On its first week of retail, Terminator Salvation debuted at the top spot of the Blu-Ray charts, and on
second in the DVD charts, behind Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.[123]
[edit] Tie-ins
Rubens Barrichello driving his Brawn GP car Brawn BGP 001 with Terminator Salvation sponsorship at the Spanish
GP.
In addition to the novelization by Alan Dean Foster, a prequel novel titled From the Ashes by Timothy Zahn was
released.[124][125] IDW Publishing released a four-issue prequel comic, as well as an adaptation.[126] It follows
Connor rallying together the resistance in 2017, as well as examining normal people overcoming their intolerances to
defeat Skynet.[127] Playmates Toys, Sideshow Collectibles, Hot Toys, Character Options, and DC Unlimited produced
merchandise,[128][129] while Chrysler, Sony, Pizza Hut, and 7-Eleven are among the product placement
partners.[130][131] On May 23, 2009, a roller coaster named after the film opened at Six Flags Magic
Mountain.[132]
A third-person shooter video game of the same name was released on the same week of the release of the
film.[133] Christian Bale declined to lend his voice, so Gideon Emery voiced the character of John Connor. The
game, however, features the voices of Common and Moon Bloodgood as Barnes and Blair Williams,
respectively.[134] Despite not appearing in the film, Rose McGowan voiced the character of Angie Salter, an
ex-high school teacher.[135] The game is set in 2016, after the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and
before the events of Terminator Salvation.
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