A large-scale military film with battles on water, land and in the air, with a computer Schwarzenegger and all kinds of terminators - this is the fourth part of the cult franchise that the actors participating in the filming indicated. “Terminator: May the Savior Come” has all the necessary components: a tightly tailored script, powerful mythology, impressive special effects and harmonious cast.
The fourth part of the saga
The two previous episodes of the mortal war between humanity and machines, shot by James Cameron, have long become cult and textbook, they are deservedly considered the best parts of the franchise. But their intense deadly confrontation, crazy drive were buried by the completely unsuccessful third episode of Rise of the Machines. Director Jonathan Mostow created something unimaginable with the idea, even the actors who took part in the filming agree. “Terminator: May the Savior Come” - the fourth episode of the saga - was filmed by the successor of Mostow and Cameron, directed by McGee, familiar to the viewer from Charlie's Angels. His gloomy brainchild from the near future about the battle of people and machines causes nostalgia for the former “Terminator” and encourages the viewer to sympathize with the new. In fact, McG in an urgent vein restarted the saga - this was felt by the audience, and critics, and the actors involved in the work on the project. “Terminator: May the savior come” came out under the slogan: “The beginning of the end.”
Plot
The plot of the story takes place in 2003. Dr. Serena Kogan (Helena Bonham Carter) goes to the prisoner and sentenced to death Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington). She asks the protagonist to give her mortal body for medical experiments. A year after the events described, SkyNet initiates the third world war, as a result of which almost the entire human civilization perishes. In 2018, sentient cyborgs destroy the survivors. At this time, Marcus regains consciousness, not understanding why he survived. Discouraged by what is happening around him, he almost becomes a victim of the cyborg, but young Kyle Reeves (Anton Yelchin) manages to save him. The teenager introduces Marcus into the course of events, talking not only about the war, but also about the resistance movement led by the legendary John Connor (Christian Bale). Marcus decides to find Connor, not suspecting that he is a pawn in the struggle of cars and people.
Preparation
One of the merit of the director is a chic casting. McG brought together an excellent acting team, perfectly in harmony with the ideas of contemporaries about the near future of mankind. For a greater understanding of the atmosphere of the project and complete immersion in the dark world of the picture, the director obligatory forced him to read Cormack McCarthy’s opus “The Road” and “Do Electricians Dream of Androids” by Philip Dick. Moreover, the whole crew was to read, including all the actors involved. “Terminator: May the Savior Come” could have been different if the creators transferred, as planned, the director and cast from the third part to the film without changes. The producers managed to get the consent of Claire Danes, Nick Steel and Jonathan Mostow. But in 2007 there were fundamental changes in plans. So, the director was McG, the performer of the role of Connor - Christian Bale, known for the blockbuster “Batman: The Beginning”. On the urgent recommendations of D. Cameron, a little-known Australian actor S. Worthington was invited to the role of one of the central characters (later he will become the lead actor in Avatar).
Two icon roles
Sometimes, when you watch Christian Bale play, it seems that John now spreads his wings and rushes to heaven like Batman Bat. It was probably very difficult to play two canonical icon roles, but the actor coped with the task quite successfully. The characters of the Commander-in-Chief (Michael Ironside) and Kyle Reese, played by Anton Yelchin, were successful. Young, at that time 19-year-old, an American actor of Russian origin always dreamed of starring in art-house film projects, but because of his outstanding texture and indicative performance, Anton is invited to star in blockbusters, fantastic action films and thrillers.
Sam Winston Memorial Film
Unlike the third episode, in the fourth part the digital effects were kept to an acceptable minimum. At the same time, the filming process was accompanied by injuries: Sam Worthington managed to hurt his back, Christian Bale broke his arm, and one of the masters of special effects lost his leg during the filming of the explosion. At the same time, the film was dedicated to the memory of Sam Winston - one of the leading masters of special effects, who participated in the filming process of the first "Terminator" and died during the shooting.
I`ll be back
It is possible that the first Cameron "Terminators" for the vast majority of viewers will remain exemplary, but the fourth episode is an opportunity to plunge into the past very briefly, in which robots understood human emotions and feelings. The film needs to be watched at least in order to find out if the Schwarzenegger terminator appears in it.