'Terminator Salvation' Revelations

The final trailer for “Terminator Salvation” has hit the blogosphere. It’s four minutes long and some are saying it reveals too much. Peter Sciretta of Slashfilm.com complains it “basically squeezes the entire film into 4 minutes.” I’ve embedded the trailer below so you can judge for yourself.

[youtube IcYdjHpJUV8 nolink]

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I say, after three previous movies, if anyone’s going to this film to be surprised, they’re probably going to be disappointed. If a film creates a compelling world, knowing the plot does not matter. Call it “The Godfather Effect.” I’ve seen those films (“Godfather I” or “II,” take your pick) dozens of times, yet I’ll always stop and watch them while couchsurfing.

Why? Great characters and a fascinatingly rich world centered on power and family.

While I’m not saying “Salvation” is “The Godfather,” I do like the world of these films. I’m seeing “Salvation” tonight with BH honcho John Nolte and I can’t wait.

Oh, and speaking of revealing too much, “Salvation” director McG tells SciFi Wire a promised nudie scene where Moon Bloodgood takes her shirt off felt gratuitous.

Here’s Moon:

And here’s what McG told SciFi Wire:

There’s a topless scene of Moon Bloodgood that I thought was a very beautiful scene, that Moon thought was a beautiful scene, that we ultimately cut because we didn’t want to fall into any of the cliches of the genre, like “Here’s the scene where the beautiful girl takes her top off.” I thought it was a soft moment between a man and a woman that was designed to echo the Kelly McGillis/Harrison Ford moment in Witness, for God’s sake. They never touch each other; they just notice each other. But, in the end, it felt more like a gratuitous moment of a girl taking her top off in an action picture, and I didn’t want that to convolute the story or the characters.

For the cynics out there who say the studio probably pressured him into it for a PG-13 rating, McG says it ain’t so, honest Injun’:

We were liberated by [Warner Brothers president of production] Jeff Robinov from day one, and I give you my word that there’s no way that Christian or Sam or I, for that matter, would shoot a picture aiming for a rating.