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  • Movie Review: ‘Borderlands’

    Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg and Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis in 'Borderlands'.
    (L to R) Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg and Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis in ‘Borderlands’. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes. Copyright: ©2021 Lionsgate.

    Opening in theaters on August 9th is ‘Borderlands,’ directed by Eli Roth and starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Edgar Ramirez, Jack Black, and Ariana Greenblatt.

    Related Article: Director Eli Roth Talks ‘Thanksgiving’ Blu-ray and the Upcoming Sequel

    Initial Thoughts

    Cate Blanchett as Lilith in 'Borderlands'.
    Cate Blanchett as Lilith in ‘Borderlands’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate. Copyright: © 2024 Lionsgate.

    A loud, clattering, off-brand mash-up of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,’ and other recent tentpoles, ‘Borderlands’ is based on the hugely successful first-person shooter video game franchise launched in 2009 by Gearbox Software. Fans of the game can assess how faithful the movie, mostly directed by horror auteur Eli Roth (‘Thanksgiving’), is to the game, but as a film this fails on a number of levels.

    ‘Borderlands’ is simply dull, thanks to a bland script and setting, cheap-looking production values, and a cast that seems terrific on paper but veers between performances that are either bored or overwrought. Filmed more than three years ago in the spring and summer of 2021, ‘Borderlands’ collected dust until Tim Miller (‘Deadpool’) came on to direct reshoots in early 2023 when Roth proved unavailable. Either way, with recent video game adaptations like ‘Fallout’ and ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ earning praise for their approach to translating their games to the screen, ‘Borderlands’ is a disappointing throwback, a film that looks and plays like it came out of the 1990s, right down to the crappy CG and the pounding heavy metal needle drops.

    Story and Direction

    Eli Roth on the set of 'Borderlands'.
    Eli Roth on the set of ‘Borderlands’. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes. Copyright: ©2021 Lionsgate.

    As Cate Blanchett’s expository voice-over tells us at the beginning, a long-extinct alien race named the Eridians used to rule the galaxy, leaving behind some powerful artifacts hidden in secret “Vaults” throughout the cosmos that ruthless corporations like Atlas and Dahl, along with independent “Vault Hunters,” are interested in obtaining. Blanchett herself plays Lilith, a bounty hunter who is hired by Atlas himself (Edgar Ramirez) to ostensibly find his kidnapped daughter, Tina (Ariana Greenblatt). She’s gone missing on the planet Pandora (yes, same name as the planet in the ‘Avatar’ movies) along with the soldier sent to retrieve her, Roland (Kevin Hart).

    Pandora also happens to be Lilith’s home world, and when she arrives there she finds it to be devastated by corporate mining and colonization efforts, with gangs of former prison laborers known as Psychos now roaming the land. She also finds Tina in short order, along with Roland, but the girl does not want to be rescued and shows her resistance by hurling explosive stuffed bunnies in Lilith’s direction. Nevertheless, Lilith, Tina, and Roland eventually team up – along with Tina’s self-styled bodyguard and former Psycho Krieg (Florian Munteanu), an eccentric scientist named Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), and a motormouth robot named Claptrap (voiced by Jack Black) – to block Atlas’s real agenda, which is to find a Vault hidden on Pandora and unlock the unimaginable power stored within.

    The problem with ‘Borderlands,’ as with many video game adaptations, is that the movie must do a lot of world-building in a short period of time, leading to things like that voice-over narration and reams of expository dialogue. ‘Borderlands’ falls victim to this early on, mixing and matching characters from various editions of the game in a stop-and-start narrative that either comes to a crashing halt to explain its convoluted mythology or races from one frenetic action scene to another without balancing the two effectively. This leaves no room for any real character development, and while a pro like Blanchett tries hard, the cast falls into the ‘lovable band of rogues and misfits’ trope without doing anything to make it unique.

    Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, and Kevin Hart as Roland in 'Borderlands'.
    (L to R) Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, and Kevin Hart as Roland in ‘Borderlands’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate. Copyright: ©2021 Lionsgate.

    The movie is also hampered by its production values, which look cheap, constricted, and derivative despite a reported $120 million budget. Set on a world devastated by indifferent corporate colonizing, the movie looks like it was shot in perhaps two quarries made to look like junkyards (one character even asks at one point if there’s a way to escape that doesn’t involve schlepping through garbage). The post-apocalyptic wasteland has been done to death, and the fact that the Psychos resemble extras from the recent ‘Mad Max’ movies doesn’t help.

    If Roth (or Miller) isn’t shooting in one of the film’s two junkyards, then they’re staging sequences in murky underground corridors and hallways that cinematographer Rogier Stoffers can’t solve. The result is an especially drab film all around. Adding to the problems, ‘Borderlands’ is rated PG-13, so Roth isn’t able to indulge his proclivities for copious amounts of blood and gore; the choppy editing suggests that much of this is being held back for a future ‘uncut’ release.

    A finale laden with mediocre CGI only exacerbates the sense that this is a production where things went south pretty quickly, and the movie rapidly descends into a kind of numbing, generic rhythm that is thankfully only ameliorated by its relatively brief 100-minute runtime.

    The Cast

    Kevin Hart as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, and Cate Blanchett as Lilith in 'Borderlands'.
    (L to R) Kevin Hart as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, and Cate Blanchett as Lilith in ‘Borderlands’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate. Copyright: ©2021 Lionsgate.

    We’re not exactly sure how Cate Blanchett got roped into this, although she and Jack Black both starred in Roth’s slapdash 2018 Y/A fantasy, ‘The House with a Clock in Its Walls.’ Whatever her reasons, we’re not going to place this among the Australian actor’s finest performances. She’s good, never less than professional, but at times she doesn’t seem to know how seriously she should be taking any of it, and her CG-infused arc near the end of the film just ends up looking silly.

    Jack Black has no such problems: for one thing, he’s never onscreen since he’s the voice of the R2-D2/BB-8 hybrid robot known as Claptrap, and as such gets the film’s best and funniest lines. Claptrap acts as a commentator on the action, edging close to a ‘Deadpool’-like breaking of the fourth wall (although it never happens) and offering up a stream of patter that alternates between sarcastic quips and ill-time bursts of into. But even Black’s energetic routine gets wearisome after 100 minutes or so of listening to Claptrap babble on.

    We’re not sure what Jamie Lee Curtis is doing as the usually reliable actor plays Tannis as a weird combination of loopy and wearily cynical, with the two sides of her admittedly thin personality never meshing well. Kevin Hart is curiously low-energy, although he does pull off a few decent action moves, and while we dislike giving the thumbs-down to a young actor, Ariana Greenblatt (‘Barbie’) delivers an incredibly annoying, tic-laden performance as Tiny Tina, a character so poorly developed and inconsistently written that her central role in the story makes her faulty work even more grating.

    Final Thoughts

    Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Kevin Hart as Roland, Florian Munteanu as Krieg and Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis in 'Borderlands'.
    (L to R) Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Kevin Hart as Roland, Florian Munteanu as Krieg and Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis in ‘Borderlands’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate. Copyright: ©2021 Lionsgate.

    We should have known we were in trouble the minute we saw Avi Arad listed as a producer on ‘Borderlands.’ While Arad was instrumental in the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was long gone by the time it became a cultural phenomenon. He’s instead continued to plunder his stake in the Sony Spider-Man Universe with lackluster misfires like the ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ and ‘Venom’ films, along with 2002’s equally forgettable adaptation of the ‘Uncharted’ video game.

    ‘Borderlands’ fits neatly into that filmography as a generic, soulless sci-fi actioner that really lacks any sort of distinctive personality or creative spark (a quick online search reveals that fans of the game are also disgruntled with what they’ve seen of the movie via trailers and clips). And while Eli Roth is no one’s idea of a great filmmaker, he’s out of his element here and unable to deploy the deliberately sleazy horror/exploitation tropes that at least make films like ‘Hostel’ and ‘The Green Inferno’ identifiable as his. ‘Borderlands’ is simply product, manufactured to cash in on a successful property without any understanding of what makes that property popular or why it should appeal to non-gamers.

    ‘Borderlands’ receives 2.5 out of 10 stars.

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    What is the plot of ‘Borderlands’?

    Bounty hunter Lilith (Cate Blanchett) is hired by interstellar business mogul Atlas (Edgar Ramírez) to find his missing daughter and the soldier-for-hire, Roland (Kevin Hart), who was sent to rescue her. The mission takes Lilith back to her ruined home planet, Pandora, where she reluctantly teams with Roland, a muscleman named Krieg (Florian Munteanu), a loopy scientist named Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), a wisecracking robot (Jack Black), and the girl herself, Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), to battle monsters and vicious marauders while searching for a secret that could unleash unimaginable power.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Borderlands’?

    • Cate Blanchett as Lilith
    • Kevin Hart as Roland
    • Jack Black as the voice of Claptrap
    • Edgar Ramírez as Atlas
    • Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis
    • Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina
    • Florian Munteanu as Krieg
    • Gina Gershon as Mad Moxxi
    Florian Munteanu as Krieg, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland and Claptrap voiced by Jack Black in 'Borderlands'.
    (L to R) Florian Munteanu as Krieg, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland and Claptrap voiced by Jack Black in ‘Borderlands’. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes. Copyright: ©2021 Lionsgate.

    Other Movies and TV Shows based on video games: 

    Buy Tickets: ‘Borderlands’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Cate Blanchett Movies on Amazon

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  • Director Eli Roth Hands Over ‘Borderlands’ Re-Shoots

    Lionsgate's 'Borderlands.'
    Lionsgate’s ‘Borderlands.’

    There has been some disturbed chatter in the last couple of days about video game adaptation ‘Borderlands’, which ‘Hostel’ and ‘Cabin Fever’ director Eli Roth shot way back in 2021 (it was long enough ago that star Cate Blanchett has had time to shoot ‘Tár’, which has just hit theaters).

    But with word that Roth has stepped away from the film ahead of some re-shoots, there was naturally concern that it’s all gone a little wrong and that the director has somehow been fired.

    Lionsgate is stepping up to do a little damage control and now comes word via Deadline that it’s more to do with a schedule clash.

    Roth, you see, is finally ready to make the full-length movie ‘Thanksgiving’, spawned from a fake trailer he made to contribute to Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’ ‘Grindhouse’.

    It was popular enough that there was talk of a full movie based on the trailer, but while Roth has sometimes mentioned it, he’s finally ready to make it a reality.

    ‘Thanksgiving’––in fake trailer form at least––features a slasher who makes his own carving board out of the inhabitants of a Massachusetts town during the annual turkey day. One of the pivotal scenes involved Roth himself, separated from his head while in the throes of passion with a date in a convertible.

    Director and actor Eli Roth and Brad Pitt in 'Inglourious Basterds.'
    (L to R) Director and actor Eli Roth and Brad Pitt in ‘Inglourious Basterds.’

    Now, of course, there could be more to it than anyone is willing to admit––given the long post-production process of ‘Borderlands’, surely there has been time for Roth to schedule making ‘Thanksgiving’ so that it doesn’t clash with ‘Borderlands’. But movie shooting schedules can be tough to figure out with so much that needs to happen, so perhaps it really is just timing.

    Still, the addition of Tim Miller––who last made ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’––is an interesting one. He’s got plenty of experience with the sort of effects load that might be involved in even re-shoots of something along the lines of the game adaptation.

    ‘Borderlands’ adapts the popular game title and stars Blanchett as Lilith, an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful man Atlas (Edgar Ramirez).

    Lilith forms an alliance with an unexpected team – Roland (Kevin Hart), a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Florian Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap (Jack Black), a persistently wiseass robot.

    These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other.

    Naturally, ‘Borderlands’ has yet to announce a release date, but it’ll certainly need to impress to keep up with the current trend of successful movies and shows based on games.

    Cate Blanchett as treasure hunter Lilith in Lionsgate's 'Borderlands.'
    Cate Blanchett as treasure hunter Lilith in Lionsgate’s ‘Borderlands.’
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  • James Cameron Says he’s Considering Another ‘Terminator’ Reboot

    Edward Furlong as John Connor and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator in director James Cameron's 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day.'
    (L to R) Edward Furlong as John Connor and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator in director James Cameron’s ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day.’

    James Cameron is going to be spending most of his future filmmaking time on Pandora, or at least virtually, making the various sequels to ‘Avatar’ and its new follow-up, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, which has recently hit theaters.

    But he still has his mind on other franchises that he’s launched or helped along in the years past, including ‘Alita: Battle Angel’. And, if anyone else really wants to touch the subject after the abject failure of ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’, another movie set in the world of Skynet and dangerous technology.

    Talking on the ‘Smartless’ podcast, Cameron admitted that he’d at least had discussions about a potential next ‘Terminator’ movie, though it sounds like it’ll have less to do with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s killer cyborg.

    “If I were to do another ‘Terminator’ film and maybe try to launch that franchise again, which is in discussion, but nothing has been decided, I would make it much more about the AI side of it than bad robots gone crazy,” Cameron told the hosts.

    And he’s also recently been candid about the fate––pun intended––of ‘Dark Fate’, admitting that it had its own issues.

    Linda Hamilton in 'Terminator: Dark Fate.'
    Linda Hamilton in ‘Terminator: Dark Fate.’

    The movie, directed by ‘Deadpool’s Tim Miller and for which Cameron helped crank out the story and worked as producer, was not a big success at the box office, though the filmmaker seems happy that it got made at all.

    “I think, I’m actually reasonably happy with the film. Tim and I had our battles and we’ve both spoken about that, but the crazy thing is we’re still pals. Which is weird. I liked him before the movie, didn’t like him very much during the movie, and I like him now, and I think he feels the same way,” Cameron told Deadline.

    And he’s also open as to why it didn’t work completely. “I think the problem, and I’m going to wear this one, is that I refused to do it without Arnold. Tim didn’t want Arnold, but I said, “Look, I don’t want that. Arnold and I have been friends for 40 years, and I could hear it, and it would go like this: ‘Jim, I can’t believe you’re making a Terminator movie without me.’ ” Cameron laughs. “It just didn’t mean that much to me to do it, but I said, ‘If you guys could see your way clear to bringing Arnold back and then, you know, I’d be happy to be involved.’ ”

    But it snowballed from there, according to Cameron… “And then Tim wanted Linda (Hamilton). I think what happened is I think the movie could have survived having Linda in it, I think it could have survived having Arnold in it, but when you put Linda and Arnold in it and then, you know, she’s 60-something, he’s 70-something, all of a sudden it wasn’t your ‘Terminator’ movie, it wasn’t even your dad’s ‘Terminator’ movie, it was your granddad’s ‘Terminator’ movie,” he admits. “And we didn’t see that. We loved it, we thought it was cool, you know, that we were making this sort of direct sequel to a movie that came out in 1991. And young moviegoing audiences weren’t born. They wouldn’t even have been born for another 10 years.”

    Director James Cameron for 'Avatar: The Way of Water.'
    Director James Cameron for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, meanwhile, is doing a little bit better at the box office, though perhaps not with an opening (here in the States at least) as big as it might have been––or that it needs to really earn its expansive budget back.

    ‘The Way of Water’ opened with $134 million after its first weekend, certainly impressive (in an era of fewer movies seeing big numbers), but below Disney’s expectations. And below Cameron’s own real hopes. The director himself had said before its launch that the movie would “have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history” to break even, and this is certainly not that.

    Still, as has been said many times before, no one should count out James Cameron. The movie has still enjoyed the sixth best opening ever for December, the month’s best non-MCU and non- ‘Star Wars’ opening, was 74% ahead of the first ‘Avatar’ ($77 million) and 5.5% ahead of this year’s own box office champ, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ ($127 million).

    Internationally the film opened to $301 million, bringing the global weekend total to $435 million. It’s the second biggest global start of the year, right at the tail of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ $442 million global bow.

    Jake Sully and Neteyam in 20th Century Studios' 'Avatar: The Way of Water.'
    (L to R): Jake Sully and Neteyam in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    And it has been swamping cinema takings in places such as the UK, where it debuted at No. 1 with a gargantuan £11.1 million ($13.5 million). In fairness, no other studio dared open a big release against it, and the film faces little major competition in the coming couple of weeks, so it could well hold on and keep earning big bucks, especially if good word of mouth works in its favor.

    Reviews for the movie across the spectrum from outright pans to raves, somewhat in keeping with the original movie, which, let’s not forget, went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time, until it was unseated by ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and managed to reclaim the title thanks to re-releases.

    Cameron’s latest effectively has the holiday period to itself, at least in terms of major, all-audience releases, so there’s plenty of opportunity ahead for it to scoop up cash like a Pandoran Nalutsa glides through the ocean, hovering up plants and small animals.

    With big spectacle and a desire for audiences to see its distinctive, technologically advanced visuals in theaters, expect ‘The Way of Water’ to stay afloat for a while yet. And even if it doesn’t live up to the 2009 movie’s Biggest Movie Ever, it’s far from a flop. Cameron has said he’d let market forces decide if the ‘Avatar’ universe would continue; the fact that he’s still at work on a third (and the others) suggests that his latest effort is being rewarded.

    Whatever it ends up titled, the third ‘Avatar’ outing is scheduled for release on December 20th, 2024.

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  • ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Director Promises R-Rating

    ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Director Promises R-Rating

    Paramount Pictures

    The next Terminator film will definitely not be family-friendly.

    “Terminator: Dark Fate” director Tim Miller has announced that the upcoming film will be rated R. He dropped that MPAA rating bomb during a San Diego Comic-Con panel on Thursday, Variety reports. Fans in Hall H were reportedly excited to hear the news.

    The franchise started off with a string of R-rated films. In fact, 1984’s “The Terminator,” 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” and 2003’s “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” all received the rating from the MPAA. However, they were followed by 2009’s “Terminator Salvation” and 2015’s “Terminator: Genisys,” both of which received the more mild rating of PG-13. Fans didn’t approve of the change, and apparently Miller didn’t, either.

    “The DNA of ‘Terminator’ is an R-rated f–king movie,” he said at Comic-Con.

    The other big news to come out of the panel is that Edward Furlong will be back, reprising his role as John Connor from “Terminator 2,” as CNBC reports. The celebration of both announcements has already begun on Twitter:

    “Terminator: Dark Fate” is slated to hit theaters on Nov. 1.

    For all of our San Diego Comic Con coverage, please click here!

    [via: Variety]

  • Every ‘Terminator’ Movie, Ranked

    Every ‘Terminator’ Movie, Ranked

    Universal/Warner Bros/TriStar

    The “Terminator” franchise, like some kind of robotic killing machine, will just not die. What began as a wonderful one-off in 1984 has blossomed into a franchise that fans and filmmakers keep returning to, with varying degrees of success, one that incorporates spin-offs, sequels, television series and theme park attractions. This year sees another new installment, “Terminator: Dark Fate,” which will be produced by James Cameron and sees the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, together for the first time since 1991. Obviously, we are very excited. And we thought we’d look back on the entire franchise. Come with us if you want to live.

    6. ‘Terminator Salvation’ (2009)

    Warner Bros/Columbia

    Most notable for the screaming match star Christian Bale got into with director McG (“THINK for one f*cking second”), “Terminator Salvation” was an attempt, around the same time as “Batman Begins,” to reboot the franchise in a dark, aggressively gritty way. (Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan’s brother and a key collaborator on his Dark Knight Trilogy, overhauled the script during production.) Lacking any of the key technicians or performers from the original films (besides Industrial Light & Magic, who admittedly pulled off some impressive stuff, including a weird pseudo-cameo from 1984 Arnold), it was an attempt to make a “Terminator” film for modern audiences and the results were … unpleasant. This, they argued, was the movie we’d all been waiting for, one set during the brutal battle beween the humans and the machines. But in the other movies it was never this dusty. Bale (as John Connor) and Sam Worthington (as a robot that turns good) are charisma-vacuums, leaving Anton Yelchin as a young Kyle Reese to do most of the heavy lifting. Thankfully the subsequent sequels have ignored this movie completely, just like almost everyone else.

    5. ‘Terminator Genysis’ (2015)

    Paramount

    Again, this concept seemed cool: thanks to the time travel mechanics of the series, they were able to revisit key moments from both the original “Terminator” and “T2,” only this time replaced with (mostly) new actors. But whew boy was it awful. Beyond wrapping your mind around the time travel logistics (something that “Avengers: Endgame” both smartly avoided and did with much more gusto), the whole thing feels limp and unconvincing, and old man Arnold as the Terminator (refashioned as Sarah Connor’s guardian angel) was just odd, especially when he had to interact with the younger version of himself. Matt Smith was kind of fun as the embodiment of Skynet and it’s that fun, always hinted at but never fully engaged with, that keeps it from being the absolute lowest on this list. But beyond that … just say no to “Terminator Genysis.”

    4. ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’ (2003)

    Warner Bros.

    After much hand-wringing by Cameron over a third installment and the rights being sold off due to a bankruptcy, eventually “Terminator 3” was put into development, and while Schwarzenegger tried to get Cameron involved in some capacity, the filmmaker refused. Instead, the series was, for the first time, handed over to a different director, in this case “U-571” filmmaker Jonathan Mostow (the script was by “The Game” writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris). At the time the most expensive movie ever greenlit, the third installment is set on the brink of Judgment Day, with John Connor (now played by Nick Stahl), teaming up with yet another T-800 (Schwarzenegger) and his future wife Kate (Claire Danes) to stop a nearly indestructible female Terminator (Kristanna Loken). (Fun fact: in the original script, she could turn invisible! Take that liquid metal!) For the most part, “Terminator 3” delivers, whether it’s in the surprisingly robust action sequences (that chase with the crane is awesome) or its somber, “Twilight Zone”-y ending, with our main characters accepting the inevitability that, try as you might, you can’t change where things are headed.

    3. ‘T2-3D: Battle Across Time’ (1996)

    Universal Studios

    Sure, this is only a 12-minute theme park attraction, but it’s still the third-best entry in the franchise and one overseen and (mostly) directed by James Cameron. (Effects masters John Bruno and Stan Winston handled the rest.) The attraction opened in Universal Studios Orlando in 1996, just five years after “Terminator 2” had blown us all away. And it really was a cutting-edge attraction, just as revolutionary as the movie that it was based on, combining a 3D film with in-theater stunts, animatronics, and effects, for something that was unlike anything anyone had seen before (or, quite frankly, since). On a per-minute basis, it was also the most expensive movie ever produced (the film alone cost $24 million). Gently continuing the story of the film in ways that the subsequent sequels could never figure out, it saw the main cast return (including Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong and Robert Patrick), including the introduction of a giant, glistening, spider-like Terminator that menacingly threatens an audience full of tourists. It was such a blast and sadly closed at both Universal Studios Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood. But hey, it’s still going strong at Universal Studios Japan. Who’s ready to go to Osaka?

    2. ‘The Terminator’ (1984)

    Orion

    Re-watching “The Terminator,” what’s so startling about it is how raw it is. It’s more or less a low budget horror movie (which makes sense given Cameron’s background working for Roger Corman), dressed up with some time travel plotting and embroidered with philosophical questions about the nature of fate and destiny. That’s not to take away from what an accomplishment it is, though. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the role that would make him a star, boldly embraced the role of a villainous robot, sent back in time to kill a woman (Linda Hamilton) who will one day give birth to the leader of the human resistance. Michael Biehn plays a future-human who returns to the past to help Hamilton and is an underrated element of the franchise. (His scenes were cut from “T2” but remain on the home video special features.) At 107 minutes this thing moves like few Cameron movies since (they are always propulsive but frequently fly by the 2-hour mark), kept aloft by its high concept and low budget.

    1. ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991)

    TriStar Pictures

    “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” serves as the apex of not just the “Terminator” franchise but potentially action filmmaking as a whole. James Cameron’s sequel to his breakthrough “Terminator” was both a mea culpa (after his costly flop “The Abyss”) and an opportunity to use an established franchise to push things forward on both a narrative (this time around, Arnold is the good guy!) and technological level (with Industrial Light & Magic’s genuinely mind-blowing “morph” effects and pretty much anything associated with the T-1000). On the James Cameron scale of grandiosity, it seems somewhat quaint by today’s standards, but at the time it was nothing short of breathtaking and still handily blows you away by the intricate simplicity of its plotting and the bulletproof craftsmanship of everyone involved (even at a time when mainstream action movies were pretty slick, this is the slickest). This is, of course, not to diminish the power of the performances, mostly the transformative roles of both Linda Hamilton (then Cameron’s wife), who turned from a hunted waitress into an aspirational, systematically marginalized freedom fighter, and Schwarzenegger, who brought genuine warmth and dimension to former role as a (literal) killing machine. A marvel on almost every level, it still kick as much ass today as much as it did back in 1991.

  • Junkie XL Will Score ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’

    Junkie XL Will Score ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’

    Junkie XL

    Junkie XL (aka composer Tom Holkenborg), whose credits include “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Alita: Battle Angel” will score the upcoming “Terminator: Dark Fate.”

    That reteams him with director Tim Miller, who worked with Holkenborg on 2016’s “Deadpool.”

    “It’s great to be working on another project with Tim,” Holkenborg said in a statement. “The original Terminators were such iconic movies, and having James Cameron back as a producer with Tim directing is an amazing dream team. It’s going to be a fantastic movie to be part of.”

    “Terminator: Dark Fate” marks series creator Cameron’s return after 28 years: His last involvement with the franchise was 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”

    It also marks the return of original star Linda Hamilton, who hasn’t played Sarah Connor since “T2.” Arnold Schwarzenegger is also back, with newcomers Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, and Diego Boneta.

    It would be great if he Hokenborg includes some of the original Terminator theme created by Brad Fiedel in the first film. (And which was strikingly absent from “Terminator 3:  Rise of the Machines.”)

    For Junkie XL fans in the Los Angeles area, you can catch him at  Synthplex on March 29.

    He’s also known for his remixes, such as Elvis Presley’s “A Little Less Conversation” and “Dealing With the Roster” from “Blade.”

    “Terminator: Dark Fate” opens November 1.

    [Via THR]

  • The ‘Terminator 6’ Title Is Officially Confirmed

    The ‘Terminator 6’ Title Is Officially Confirmed

    Paramount Pictures

    The latest entry in the “Terminator” series is set for release later this year, and it now has an officially confirmed title, and a head-to-head date with another familiar franchise.

    “Terminator 6” has been rebranded as “Terminator: Dark Fate,” which had been the film’s working title. The film, directed by Tim Miller (“Deadpool”) and produced by “Terminator” and “T2” director James Cameron, reunites original stars Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mackenzie Davis and Natalia Reyes also appear, as new characters Grace and Dani, respectively.

    Deadline reports that the flick, currently slated for release on November 1, is holding firm on that schedule, despite the presence of another huge tentpole on that date: Sony’s reboot of “Charlie’s Angels,” directed by Elizabeth Banks (who will also appear as one of several Bosleys). According to the trade, studio Paramount is “extremely confident” in “Dark Fate,” and has no plans to relocate to a less-crowded opening weekend.

    If the film’s creative team is any indication, it certainly seems like that confidence is warranted. In addition to Miller and Cameron’s involvement behind the scenes, longtime superhero screenwriter David S. Goyer (“The Dark Knight,” “Man of Steel) is co-penning the screenplay, alongside Josh Friedman, Billy Ray, and Justin Rhodes.

    We’ll see if “Charlie’s Angels” blinks or not, though it seems as if it and “Dark Fate” are catering to different audiences anyway. The more the merrier for moviegoers.

    [via: Deadline]

  • David Fincher and Tim Miller Team on Animated Netflix Series, ‘Love, Death, and Robots’

    David Fincher and Tim Miller Team on Animated Netflix Series, ‘Love, Death, and Robots’

    Netflix

    David Fincher and “Deadpool” director Tim Miller are teaming up for a new animated anthology series called “Love, Death and Robots” for Netflix. And (no surprise), it won’t be for kids.

    On Twitter, Netflix teased what we’ll see including: Werewolf soldiers! Robots Gone Wild! Alien Spiders! And Blood-Thirsty Demons From Hell!

    Sounds good to us!

    The series is planned as an anthology collection of 18 episodes, ranging from 5-15 minutes. “Some are comedies. Some are tragedies. All of them are incredibly demented and definitely unlike most animation out there,” Netflix promises.

    Each episode will have a different director working in varying  styles of animation: “everything from 2D to photorealistic 3D CGI.” It’s expected to span genres including fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. Fincher and Miller will be executive producers. It’s not clear if they’ll be directing any of the episodes.

    Netflix

    Fincher’s other Netflix project, “Mindhunter,” returns for Season 2 later this year. Fincher will return to direct new eps and he recruited new directors Andrew Dominik and Carl Franklin.

    Miller  is working on the latest reboot of the “Terminator” series. So all killer robots for him all the time.

    [Via IndieWire]

  • ‘Terminator 6’ Set Photos Showcase Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor

    The first photos have emerged from the set of “Terminator 6,” and they make it clear that star Linda Hamilton still has what it takes to play tough-as-nails heroine Sarah Connor.

    The photos debuted on The Terminator Fans, showing Hamilton decked out in full body armor and sporting an interesting new hairstyle. The newest “Terminator” sequel will feature Hamilton reprising the role of Sarah Connor for the first time in 27 years (not counting her uncredited vocal cameo in 2009’s “Terminator Salvation“). The film will serve as a partial reboot of the franchise, taking place several decades after the events of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and ignoring the other sequels, including 2015’s “Terminator Genisys.”

    Arnold Schwarzenegger will also reprise his role as the T-800.

    The new movie will introduce a cast that includes Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, and Diego Luna. “Deadpool” director Tim Miller is helming the film, with James Cameron serving as producer.

    “Terminator 6” is scheduled to open on November 22, 2019.

  • ‘Deadpool’ Director Tim Miller Corrects Reports About His Departure

    Sorry, Kyle Chandler! Apparently you did not deserve to be dragged into the “Deadpool” drama.

    When “Deadpool” director Tim Miller left/was dropped from the sequel, fans were left with the classic reason of “creative differences.” What creative differences? Unnamed sources filled in the blanks, including telling TheWrap that Miller and star Ryan Reynolds clashed over the potential casting of Kyle Chandler as Cable — Miller supposedly wanted him for “Deadpool 2,” Reynolds did not — adding that Miller reportedly wanted a more stylized sequel with Reynolds wanting to focus more on the kind of raunchy comedy that got the first film its R rating.

    Well, hush on all that, kids, ’cause Miller told CG Garage it’s not true.

    Here’s part of Miller’s “Deadpool” director talk (via Collider):

    “I just want to say one thing to the geek audience out there, because it’s important to me what the geeks and nerds of the world think because they are my brothers and sisters. I didn’t want to make some stylized movie that was 3 times the budget. If you read the internet — who cares, really? But for those of you who do, I wanted to make the same kind of movie that we made before because I think that’s the right movie to make for the character. So don’t believe what you read on the internet. […] I wanted to do the same thing [as the first movie]. Kyle Chandler was not going to be Cable. All this stuff that I read kind of kills me.”

    It sucks when “insiders” spread wonky intel, but you also have to wonder where it comes from — how much is half-true, or true to one person but a misinterpretation to another? And how the heck did Kyle Chandler get named so specifically as a source of conflict if he was never going to be Cable? And what did go wrong if Miller wanted the same kind of movie as before?

    Reynolds recently weighed in on the director change, complimenting Miller and really going all-in to praise the new guy, David Leitch. The Deadpool actor/producer made a point to say how much Leitch could do on a smaller budget, which seemed to imply that Miller wanted something else.

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