Every time I hear something new about Terminator 4, I change my mind about the film.
McG = Bad
Christian Bale = Good
No Arnold Schwarzenegger = Bad
Paul Haggis scripting = Good
PG-13 rating = Bad
Some days it’s good news, other days it’s bad. This movie is making me schizophrenic.
Today is a bad day. It has been announced that Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins will be rated… PG-13. This will be the first time that a film in the franchise hasn’t had an R rating.
The reason?
Money, of course!
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Derek Anderson head of Halcyon Co. says:
“Our merchandising program will be the largest to date for The Terminator. We won’t force it. We are carrying on in the tradition of the mythology, with an exciting approach to the action. If we can make a compelling film to reach the widest audience, why wouldn’t we do it?”
What does that really mean?
They want the teenage dollar.
After the large boxoffice “kerching” of Live Free or Die Hard (or as it was known here in the UK - Die Hard 4.0) after it scored over $380 million with a PG-13 rating, it seems that Halcyon feels they don’t need the graphic rating that drove the first three films in the franchise to a $1 billion worldwide gross.
Halcyon wants video games, action figures and different tie-ins when the film is released next May.
I say - didn’t they have all these things back in 1991 when Terminator 2 was released?
You bet your ass they did. I still have the video game, the board-game, the action figures and the collectors cards!
I feel that it’s just another way of covering all bets with these big budget films, and to make matters worse, they didn’t even discuss the possible rating with Warner Bros, the film’s domestic distributor.
While Christopher Nolan seems to be pushing the edges of PG-13 with the new Batman, I don’t think that McG has the same hard edge. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’d place my bets on the man behind Memento, The Prestige, Insomnia and Batman Begins before the dude behind Charlie’s Angels any day.
Time will tell, but seeing as the film started production today, we should be seeing some on set snaps pretty soon.
Pray people, that one of the greatest Sci-Fi franchises isn’t cheapened further.
Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins opens on May 22, 2009.
Source: Variety
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18 Comments
Niall, I think this Terminator sequel has bigger problems than a PG-13 rating.
Also (IMO) todays PG-13 was last decades R rating. So….that might not be a factor in the gore/violence catagory.
The title alone leads me to believe that if “that” was approved then the script more than likely sucks. (Why? because that’s a pretty lame/retarded title). Does anyone on Earth disagree????
Throwing Christian Bale into this dosnt blow me away ether. (Too me he’s Bruce Wayne not John Connor) I think after TDK this year, its going to be hard to see him as any other character. (His prob more than mine). I seem to remember Micheal Keaton backing away from more Batman because he didn’t want to be typecast.
One thing I realised watching Iron Man this weekend. If you don’t have a tight script all the explosions and lasers are meaningless.
I’m a huge Terminator fan but this looks like a over marketed, over researched pile of smeg…..
In a way, I hope this bombs..its not the direction I want to see so screw um…
Go sell you action figures on Mars for all I care.
I can put up with the liberties the tv show is taking but I’m not going to hold back if they screw up the films… So far it looks like their screwing it up.
Am not too sure if its worth following up the 3rd movie to be honest.
The new TV show seems to be doing a pretty good job of filling in some of the backstory which could have feasably took place between T2 and T3.
Fact remains though that Terminater as a movie franchise is much better with Cameran at the helm, and well a terminator minus arnie well am not that sure to be honest.
Gentlemen, keep in mind TERMINATOR: SALVATION will be going up head-to-head against the NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM sequel for the Memorial Day weekend box-office.
They’re going to need those young male film-goers to be able to get into T4 if they stand any chance of kicking’s Ben Stiller’s ass.
Jamie
I don’t think a PG-13 Rating is really all that big a deal. I disagree with your list altogether.
McG = Bad
Christian Bale = Good
No Arnold Schwarzenegger = Awesome
Paul Haggis scripting = Good
PG-13 rating = Doesn’t matter
Only thing negative going for this movie at the moment is MCG.
Also to the guy who said that Christian Bale will always be Batman. You are the reason so many great actors get screwed over when they play a big role. Christian is a huge talent who can play anything open your eyes a little bit. I strongly suggest you go back and watch American Psycho and Equalibrium.
Yeah Jamie good point. There also going to need a good script.
Seeing how we will be picking this apart on the Rant.
I’m sure the Sarrah Connor Cronicles had something to do with this rating change as well.
Equalibrium, you’ve got to be kidding me. That movie sucked sucked and sucked again. Using that in your comment made me laugh. (Please anyone else like Equalibrium?). I remember the cover art on the dvd says “better than the Matrix”. Hahahaaaaaa. What a joke. I wouldn’t go off like this if I hadn’t seen that film. I have and it was horrible.
And like I said (its his prob more than mine).
When I saw “3:10 to Yuma”, I realised that Bale could play any role, I’m just saying that TDK is going to be so galvanising that Bale, like Robert Downey Jr is going to become Batman in the eyes of a majority of fans. And personally I’m seeing toooooo much of Bale lately.
Having him as John Connor is weak and desperate. (IMO)
And that’s all it is. Just my dumb opinion. Nothin personal.
I will say that eveytime I see Downey Jr now I’m thinking Tony Stark. I guess I’m bad for doing that…..
Equalibrium. Man I can’t get over that one. Lol.
Actually Equilibrium is a cult classic and most people find it to be a great movie. It has a lot of great reviews and generally gets rated pretty well on movie sites. The performances and the story were excellent. Maybe you just don’t like complex stories or you were not smart enough to figure out the message.
Daniel your cracking me up!!!
What cult adopted Equalibrium as a classic? I don’t even see it reviewed on Screen Rant. At least not in the bottom three catagories.
Equalibrium (spell check), marketed as the successor to the Matrix Trilogy. Also one of Bales first sci_fi films.
If I remember correctly, Bale played a high ranking cop in a futuristic uber-controlled state run society. He was framed for something against the state, they end up using his wife against him and at the end he kills Taylor Diggs in front of his boss to prove he’s innocent , or is he?
Where’s the message? We shouldn’t head into the NWO, yeah I agree.
Daniel I prob said sucked a few too many times earlyer but I remember seeing this on dvd and it was B-movie grade maybe….
But that’s just my diggs.
Equalibrium:
One thing its has in common with cult classics is that the dvd is out of print?
Actually that is probably the most inaccurate synopsis I have ever seen.
In this world emotion,art and most other things that bring forth emotion have been outlawed. Bale doesn’t kill the guy to prove his innocents at that point they already know he isn’t innocent. Bale brings forth the revolution. He wasn’t framed at all he framed the other guy.
Well Daniel I pretty much got it down. George Orwells, 1984 meets Logans Run, trys to be the Matrix.
Btw that was off the top of my head. I’m surprised I was that close….
Glad you liked Equalibrium.
Sorry, 790, but I really liked Equilibrium too. I get your points, especially about tagging onto the Matrix, that did seem to hinder it (pity it hadn’t come after the sequels!)
However I do get what you’re saying - Bale is playing an iconic figure this year, and then going to be playing the leader of the humans, the first to portray John Connor as the great figure we hear about from Reece.
If he acts in any way like Bruce - tough and grim while preparing to face the foe - it will be tough.
I also agree with Daniel and other comments about McG. Anytime something good about this movie comes up, I remember who in charge and lose the will to get excited.
Steven that’s cool. I just thought the entire film was hoeky bigtime. It looked like they were going for Kill Bill meets Neo from the Matrix. I mean come on everyones dressed like Neo with the long trench coats and slick back hair. The plot was so lifted from 1984. It was horrible.
But everyones has there own flavor.
790, I actually enjoyed Equilibrium too.
I have the perfect title for Terminator 4, Terminator 4: The Nail in the Coffin. :o)
790,
i would prefer T4 the nail in the coffin WE PROMISE!:)
Yeah Gary your right.
I know its gonna suck…..
Breaks my heart…..
this could be such a great movie, it has monster potential but this PG-13 is going to kill it. Im in a campaign to force the studio to change the rating to R…please help save the film: https://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/terminator-4-r-rated-only
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