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Terminator Salvation | 2009 | PG-13 | - 2.7.4
In this fourth installment in the "Terminator" series the war between humanity and the machines rages on. The leader of the resistance (Christian Bale) faces time-traveling paradoxes, which he is trying to unravel with the help of a recording left by his mother. Also with Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Common, Helena Bonham Carter and Bryce Dallas Howard. Directed by McG. [1:55]
SEX/NUDITY 2 - A man kisses a woman. A husband and his wife hug and kiss in a couple of scenes.
► We see a nude man/machine (bare chest, legs and back are shown and his groin area is in heavy shadow). A nude man covered in mud walks (the outline of his chest and groin area are visible but not in much detail). A woman opens her jacket to examine a wound and reveals cleavage. A dead man lies bare-chested after another man has removed his clothes.
► A woman snuggles against a man's chest (to keep warm) and he seems uncomfortable. A man grabs a woman's face and caresses it.
► A man tells a woman that he'll agree to sign a paper in exchange for a kiss.
VIOLENCE/GORE 7 - Machines are robot-like and most have metallic skeletal structure and glowing red eyes; some have a human appearance with a "skin" covering the metal skeleton, some are more eel-like with sharp pointed "fingers" on the front and long metallic "tails," they are super strong and we hear that it requires severing the back of the "neck" to kill them.
► A man is stabbed through the back with a metal bar (we hear a squishing sound and see blood on the metal as it sticks out of his chest; he twitches and gurgles while lying on the floor).
► A man shoots a man/machine twice, the man/machine yells and moans but is not harmed, a woman shoots the man/machine, again, and he seems uninjured. A man/machine's hand is shot and reveals a metal skeleton. A teen boy, being held on a table by a machine stabs it in the back of the "neck" disabling it. A man chained to planks and dangling over a deep hole is shown to be missing much of his skin and we see a metal skeletal structure. A man/machine is shot repeatedly, blowing the skin off it and revealing its metal framework.
► A man trying to escape a prison is shot and slumps over a wall.
► Three men hold guns on a woman, they fight with punches and kicks, she is thrown to the ground and held by the hair, another man attacks the men punching and kicking and head-butting them, and one man is shot in the leg (he moans and flails).
► A woman and a man run through a minefield, there are many explosions and they are shot at, and the woman is shot in the leg and falls to the ground. A landmine explodes and a man is thrown through the air (we see him later with blood in his mouth and on his face). A machine scratches deep cuts in a man's face (we see blood). Many eel-like machines crash into a helicopter that's flying low over water, one man is pulled out of the helicopter and we see him flailing underwater; another man is pulled under and we see the water turn red from blood.
► A huge metal claw breaks through the roof of a building, grabs a woman and takes her away; others are grabbed as well and dropped into a large metal container. A man is thrown by a machine and slammed to the ground. A large metal claw grabs a man, he's dropped into water and he bounces and flips. A man stands alone in a street and calls out to someone that turns out to be a machine that opens fire on him; he jumps clear of the bullets and hides. A machine fires a gun at three people who run through rubble, the machine is pulled by the leg into the air by a rope, it continues to fire, it shoots its own foot off and falls to the ground, and it is then crushed by a heavy metal train part; it continues to shoot, and eventually it shoots its own head off. A machine grabs a man by the leg and throws him into a rock, the man shoots at the machine, it crawls toward him, and the man continues to shoot it until it's disabled. A man/machine fights a machine, striking it with a metal bar, and the man/machine is struck hard in the chest (we see a bit of splatter) and falls to the floor motionless. A man and a machine fight, and the man is thrown and struck repeatedly and thrown over a railing. A man/machine chained to planks is dropped into a deep hole, he is shot at as he and a woman run through a tunnel and flames are sprayed into the tunnel (they get out OK).
► A man takes off in a helicopter, it is struck, spins out of control and crashes on the ground; the man crawls out and seems OK. During an attack, people run and scream in fear, a car strikes a man, several cars filled with people explode, others are thrown by explosions, and a car is thrown into the air in flames.
► Many people are forced to walk through narrow walkways while armed machines stand guard. Armed men land and exit helicopters while shooting at machines on the ground; one machine falls after being struck and is crushed under a helicopter, a man shoots a machine in the head (we see the red light in its eyes fade), and large antennas are struck by gunfire and explode. A man is knocked off his motorcycle and another man speeds away.
► We see a mushroom cloud in the distance after a large explosion. A gas tanker spills gas on the ground, and the gas is ignited and causes a huge explosion that engulfs a large machine. A large explosion causes many structures to collapse and they are engulfed in flames.
► Flying vessels fight in mid-air, one is shot and bursts into flames, the pilot ejects and crashes into a tree, dangles briefly, and cuts the parachute cables and falls to the ground uninjured. A man in water is nearly struck by debris after a mid-air explosion. A motorcycle machine is clotheslined and crashes. A submarine filled with men is shot at and explodes and we see the vessel split in half and debris floating in the water.
► A man lies dead against a rock (we see wet patches on his clothing) and a dead man slumps over and falls out of a helicopter and to the ground. Armed men enter a dark tunnel and wade through water, and they find a room with human cadavers (we see bodies with gray tinged skin and one has dried blood on surgical wounds). A man/machine grabs the back of his neck and tears at the flesh (we see blood, tissue and hear tearing); he pulls something out and holds the bloody pieces in his hand. A man applies an electrical charge to a man/machine to re-start him. A man is strapped into a medical table for his execution by lethal injection; an IV is inserted in his arm (we see the needle press into the skin), the man's eyes close and the scene ends.
► Three people in a truck are chased by machine-motorcycles: one motorcycle is shot, spins out and crashes, the truck runs into several abandoned vehicles as it speeds away, a teen boy dangles out the door and nearly crashes into an abandoned bus, one motorcycle is caught in a cable attached to the truck and dragged on the ground and is flung into a flying vessel, the truck is pulled, and it crashes into the side of a bridge throwing a teen boy and a young girl out (they land in the claw of a large machine and dropped into a metal container). Three people speed in a car while being chased by a flying vessel, a man throws a tire iron at it, and it is struck and crashes on the ground. A man jumps out of a plane into a raging sea and moments later we see him wet but uninjured inside a submarine.
► We see a machine repair area where an eye is replaced in a metal skull. A machine is drenched in molten metal; it stumbles, then gets up and is sprayed with a cold gas that causes it to freeze. A flying vessel crashes into a hillside, a man shoots at it and it explodes. An eel-like machine thrashes wildly on a table and screeches while people try to hold it still. A man/machine is zapped when he places his hand on a computer panel (we see images moving rapidly on a large screen).
► Several people with guns hold three others at gunpoint and threaten them. A man yells at a young girl. Many people are found locked in large cages.
► A man on death row talks about having been responsible for the death of three people (his brother and two police officers). A man says to another man, "My brother didn't make it did he?" A man talks about the potential of many humans being killed during an attack. We read that a woman died from cancer. A man kisses a woman and says, "That's what death tastes like." A man tries to communicate with other men over a radio and says, "They need to answer even if they're dead." People confined in a metal container begin to panic and one man says, "They are going to kill us. We are in a cattle car and they're taking us to slaughter."
► A woman appears sick and it is implied that she has cancer (she wears a scarf on her head and we see that she doesn't have hair and her skin is tinged gray). We see X-ray images of humans in a medical lab. Most scenes throughout the movie show cities in rubble, people dirty and wearing tattered clothing, surviving on meager food supplies. A badly damaged shell of a building collapses when a large flying vessel flies near it. A machine steps on a human skull on the ground and crushes it.
LANGUAGE 4 - 1 nearly indecipherable F-word, 4 scatological terms, 1 anatomical term, 8 mild obscenities.
SUBSTANCE USE - There are a few scenes that show IVs inserted and fluid passing through hypodermic needles.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Death penalty, guilt, machines, organ donation, progress, collateral damage, war, feeling alone, survival, second chances, winning a war at all cost.
MESSAGE - Some wars never end, especially when time-travel is involved.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
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