James Cameron on Terminator Sequels: “The Soup’s Kind of Been Pissed In”

Remember Terminator Salvation? Neither do a lot of people. But, believe it or not, a fourth Terminator film actually came out last summer. And you know what? It wasn’t terrible. But when the highlight of your multi-million dollar Hollywood blockbuster is a pseudo-cameo by 1980s-era Arnold Schwarzenegger, it might be time to reroute.

Rights to the Terminator sequels were recently acquired by Pacificor, a hedge fund. David Wisher, who wrote Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, has since revealed that he’s sketched out some ideas for two more films, which would take place after Salvation. Evidently, the series isn’t ready to say “hasta la vista, baby” just yet.

So what does Terminator creator James Cameron think about all of this renewed interest in the franchise he kicked off 26 years ago? The Avatar director told MTV that, in his opinion, the series has “run its course” and he has zero interest in being involved in any future Terminator films.

“[T]he soup's kind of been pissed in a little bit by other filmmakers, so I don’t have any personal desire to go back to it,” Cameron explained. “So I certainly wouldn't want to be a dog in the manger and disallow my friends from making a little money off it. Why would I do that?”

Why indeed. Click here to watch MTV’s interview with Cameron.

The Trouble with Terminators

Remember how I said in my last post that I’d deem Terminator Salvation a success if it delivered “robots and explosions” and “a minimum of facepalm moments”? Well, the movie had plenty of robots (check) and a ton of explosions (double check). As for facepalming stupidity, well, they went overboard (check times three).

Don’t get me wrong, there are those of you out there who might enjoy Terminator Salvation and I won’t hold it against you if you think I’m being harsh toward this mindless summer popcorn flick. But summer movies don’t have to be this mindless—particularly when they’re cashing in on a beloved property like Terminator. To add insult to injury, the phenomenal television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was canceled just days before this overwhelmingly average sequel opened.

However, scorned fans can take comfort in the fact that Terminator Salvation opened in second place at the domestic box office over the Memorial Day weekend with $51.9 million, trailing behind Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. The Associated Press reports that the Ben Stiller comedy toppled the machines, earning over $70 million.

If you’re still unsure as to whether or not Terminator Salvation is worth your cash, check out my review at Broken Frontier. If you’re clamoring for a night at the movies, you’re better off seeing Star Trek again.

Random Bloggery for May 23

Memorial Day weekend came just when I needed it. My stress level has remained fairly high over the past week, and spending my free moments listening to Eminem’s Relapse and reading the latest Chuck Palahniuk novel, Pygmy, has probably only made me even more unhinged. Well, more unhinged than usual.

Despite overall mixed reviews, I’m pretty pumped to see Terminator Salvation this evening. As much as I appreciate fine filmmaking, I’m always partial to robots and explosions. As long as this movie delivers both with a minimum of facepalm moments I’ll deem it a success. I’ll post a full review on Broken Frontier after the holiday. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.

That’s it for me this week. Have a happy and safe Memorial Day!

Terminate Your Arteries!

Wow, the new Terminator movie sure is cheesy. Warner Bros. Pictures is teaming with Pizza Hut to offer fans exclusive footage from the highly anticipated Terminator Salvation, which hits theaters May 21. The five-minute sneak peek is available on pizzahut.com from May 11-30.

The clip shows one of Skynet’s monstrous Harvesters in action and is pretty badass if you’re into giant robots and explosions. It also gives us a glimpse of a young Kyle Reese, played by Star Trek’s Anton Yelchin.

What’s even cooler is that on the day the film hits theaters, Pizza Hut is offering a free medium one-topping pizza to anyone named John or Sarah Connor. All you’ll need is a government-issued I.D. This promotion is too bizarre not to be considered universally awesome.

Free pizza at first seems like an odd way to support the future savior of mankind. Then again, I know that I’m never quite up to fighting for humanity without a slice or two.