Surving SkyNet

The year is 2018... Judgement day has come and gone, and yet the machines' relentless and murderous quest to see the extermination of the human race continues....


John Connor (Christian Bale) is the fated leader of the human resistance against SkyNet and its army of terminators. Seen by most as the prophetic leader of the resistance Connor has learned to trust no one. It is this that makes the entrance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) part human, part machine so difficult. As the film unfolds we see Connor deciding to 'follow his heart' as he joins Wright (bent on redemption) on an search and rescue (later destroy) mission into the heart of SkyNet's operation centre.

McG's Terminator Salvation made a tidy US$ 105 495 000.00 at the box office. Despite what seems to be a financial success (certainly true in South African terms) the film has met with mostly critical if not scathing review. I suspect the film targets an audience of a lower age than any of the film's prequels (the lack of theatre blood is noticeable.) However, my own critique lies not in the film making per se (the make-up, CGI and special effects are fantastic!), but is rather, levelled at its' robotic storyline. The film just lacks heart...

Ours is a world defined by the heartfelt narrative keys of relational storytelling. One can't be blamed for thinking that, in the mind of the scriptwriters, the heart of good film making is blowing stuff up. The film falls short by doing special effects at the expense of narrative.

The fact that Marcus Wright is part human part machine postures the film for a thoughtful exploration of theme of technologically modified humanity, cyborgs and the like (c.f. the ongoing work of Kevin Warwick of Redding University). Disappointingly, here too it fails any prospect of thoughtful dialogue is in the words of a fellow reviewer '...smothered in quasi-religious symbolism and primary-school philosophising'.

Hopefully this is last, and the terminator will not be back...

Angels & Demons

My daughters are in the fortunate position to have both their grandmothers within visiting distance. I on the other hand am fortunate because grandmothers make the best babysitters. (My appreciation for extended family has grown and is growing exponentially since having children!) Friday night saw the girls sleeping at their grandparents. My wife I: pizza and a movie...



Angels & Demons is actually the prequel to The Da Vinci Code, and casts Robert Langdon as a protector of the Catholic Church rather than attempting to exposing it. This novel is in the opinion of many, a far better read than The Da Vinci Code. Either way both stories are popular conspiracy theories posing as historical fact.

Ron Howard’s first Dan Brown adaptation failed miserably, not least at the box office. His decision to have another go with Angels & Demons is nothing short of bold. Turning a prequel into a sequel takes big ‘cahones’. Sadly, it seems that the fate of Angels & Demons may be similar to that of The Da Vinci code. At best, it (Angels & Demons) has received a 39% rating.

All that said, the film is fast paced with some good cinematography. (You get to see some of the best of Rome and her churches.) Tom Hanks once again fills the shoes Robert Langdon who is called upon by the Vatican to help them in their fight against one of the churches’ ancient enemies... The illuminati. According to the film the illuminati were a secret society of enlightened scientists who were persecuted by the Catholic Church. They have now returned to avenge themselves and destroy the church. This science conquers faith motif falls short, with the message of the film being that although science and faith are never going to be lovers, they can at least flirt a little.

In the final analysis though being unable to rely on preposterous claims (sorry, no Mrs Jesus here!) Angels & Demons falls short, offering to viewers little more than mindless entertainment, the opportunity to eat fresh popcorn while holding hands in the dark and a significantly lighter wallet. As a result I doubt whether Ron Howard and his team will make an appearance the Oscars.