Customer Reviews

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

While this show isn't yet on par with say Battlestar Galactica, it isn't bad at all. I felt the story was an interesting twist on the Movie series, with a time paradox subplot. Great looking cast, good special effects, and so far a well written show. (Luckily the episodes were already in the can before the writers went on stike.)If you hate the idea of time traveling cyborgs, this show is not for you. However if you enjoy a good sci- fi tale, I think you'll be glad you watched.

By the by, I enjoyed this better the on the second viewing when I paid a bit closer attention to the sub-plots.

Update 3/05/08

Arrgh!
A great season ends with everything up in the air and I want more!

Although there were some elements of the show that were for me a bit less than perfect, overall this was a great show when almost every show on TV was off for the strike. This show is very entertaining, I have watched each episode at least twice.

I can't wait for the next season!

The show is awesome. I like it a lot as that it is an interesting spin on the whole terminator series. Actually, when I first heard the premise I thought it would be dumb. But they actually made it into something more interesting than an action movie.

Note: To unbox users, you can stream for free the most recent episodes from fox's website.

I couldn't find the first 3 episodes at the time this review was written so I'm probably going to buy it from this site.

I did not expect this to be a good show, let alone a great one! The story line is suspenseful. At times, it is quite predictable, but some moments are jaw-dropping in their wittiness and ability to twist and turn. It's a great show!

This show is a nice surprise given the crap that it could have been. I've enjoyed the effects and the story has a nice twist to it that has made it more than just a fill in the blanks between T2 and doomsday show. I've read a few reviews that didn't like the good terminator, but I don't agree. She's good and seems to have something more going on with her programming than meets the eye.

If you liked T2, you'll like this.

Before you read on, you must know that I haven't seen all the Terminator Movies (yet) and can't give a balanced review of the show in relation to the movies, and the universe's chronology. (However, I am soon to watch them.)


I have found the series interesting and entertaining so far (6 episodes.) It's action packed, and examining the John and Sarah Connor universe in a more serialized fashion is definatly interesting. There is the typical TV plot of a mother and a teenage son coming to terms with each other, however; being on the run from the future and the present keeps things moving pretty quickly.


Summer Glau, in her typical fashion, steals the show at times. (I'm a huge fan from Firefly/Serenity.) Her take on being a female Terminator is hilarious, and poignant at times. Her movement acting is incredible, and my favorite part of most episodes is a "robot fight." Her struggle to "socially adapt" to living as a human High School student is compelling.


My biggest beef with the show is their overuse of the music from the movies... its fine at first, but after a few episodes of the same refrains and themes, and it gets a bit annoying....


Some have commented that the acting is flat. I don't necessarily think so. It is subdued and serious, as is the plot, which is essentially dramatic... although the show uses dark comedy quite a bit as well. (Trying to keep John alive is pretty much the plot.) The actors, I feel, do a good job of balancing the drama, action, and occasional humourous moment. In my opinion, the acting is probably stronger than the writing, and the actors probably save the show.


So what's my conclusion? Well, if your a sci-fi buff like me, looking for something entertaining to watch... go for it. This show will probably never be a sci-fi classic (if it survives FOX), but its built out of a movie universe that is classic which makes it entertaining. I would place it solidly in the "B" movie/tv catagory of sci-fi... but if you, like me, enjoy a bit of camp... you'll be entertained.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is actually better than I thought it would be, while not exactly heavy on the story-telling it does a pretty good job at appealing to the Terminator fanboy within me. It has its issues, such as inconsistencies and too much devotion to a subplot surrounding the suicide of one of John's classmates. But other than that it's not bad and it makes for a better continuation than T3, which was the bigger disappointment in my opinion. In fact, the biggest issue I had when approaching this series was the belief that it would be nothing more than a prequel to Rise of the Machines.

The things I like about this show are the insight you get into the Terminator universe, such as a look into the future war that's more detailed and personal than the fifty second movie prologues, and the action (especially robot-on-robot fights). I also like the character interactions; Sarah treats John more like a recruit than a son, a huge factor in their strained relationship, and distrusts the Terminator Cameron, causing her to regard her with an outlook that ranges from mildly stoic humor at her naiive behavior to thinly veiled hostility for her callousness. Likewise, John and his cyborg body-guard share an unusual relationship rife with sexual tension and awkward situations.

I've also got to give props to the acting, especially the leads. Summer Glau fits right in as the stone-faced Terminatrix who seems to be keeping her fair share of secrets from the connors (she reminds of River from Firefly). Also, Lena Headley does a fine job playing Sarah. I've heard complaints that she isn't as tough as Linda Hamilton was during T2, but I say she does just fine. After all, Sarah isn't just a hardened warrior, but also a doting mother and a heart-broken woman longing for her lost lover, and I think Lena manages to capture a ballance of all three of those aspects of her character.

But I think the best acting goes to Thomas Dekker and his fantastic performance as the franchise's central figure. Dekker manages to create a version of John Connor that acts and behaves as I would expect a teenage savior would act. His character has matured since T2, no longer the foul-mouthed kid he was, and has become a young man burdened with knowledge of his own fate as well as tremendous expectations from his mother. He now finds himself at a crossroads between the normal life he desperately seeks, and becoming the hero he's expected to be.

All in all, Terminator: TSCC has a lot going for it with the movies' fanbase (especially for those who felt dissatisfied with T3), but I don't foresee it becoming the next ground-breaking hit. Regardless, even though it doesn't exactly have Tim Kring calibur writing behind it, it has made for a nice change of pace from the reruns and reality shows that have sprung up since the writers strike. It's no 24 or Heroes, certainly, but it provides the Monday night action I'm looking for until both shows return next Fall.

Sarah starts in T1 as an '80's party girl and must transform into a warrior to protect her son. Circumstances change a person, and Sarah and John have had some of the most extreme experiences. I look forward to learning how a boy handles being a teenager with a destiny, how a mother tries to give a her son as normal a life as possible in the midst of crisis, how a hero is made.

Summer Glau, of Serenity fame, plays the odd characters well and has the physicality to convince us she is a terminator.

John needs to not to be overshadowed by the two strong female roles. This is his coming of age story, and the focus should remain on him.

This is an awesome series. Of course, if you aren't into The Terminator, it's not for you, as it is a great weekly series that shows the life of Sarah and her son, that must save the world in the future. Currently, She has been transported to 2007 from 1999 by a female robot her son met at school while in hiding, as the teacher ended up being the bad robot... The good robot told her she died in 2005 of cancer, however, I believe she was killed. So, they are now in 2007 and must keep him alive while trying to find and destroy the technology that started the robotic takeover and destruction of the human race, as robots became smarter than humans... they learn, and communicate with each other. Today, in the REAL world, there are already little robots that have been built that communicate with each other to perform tasks. Since there are already, in the real world, robots that communicate and 'learn', and perform tasks based on the data that they 'learn' and act on that data, anything is possible as this world is vastly getting to the point where robotics will be making 'too many' decisions on their own... who knows... will they 'learn' that they are smarter than humans and 'really' try to kill off humans? After all... they already,again, have robotics that communicate and act, and learn off of each other! What are we getting into, in the REAL world... could this series actually become reality? That is the way technology is headed! Think about it...

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles released this year has several things going for it...

1. Good Storyline
2. Good Music
3. Great Special Effects
4. Good Actors
5. The Writter's Strike providing little network competition.

This show blurs the line between television and movie going experience in an one hour addrenaline roller-coaster. The characters, though awkward to associate other actors in the place of previous actors, do a good job of stepping into the shoes of the roles laid out for them. My only wish is that the writters give the character John Connor a little bigger pair of... you know. It is difficult to believe that the previous character played by Eddie Furlong had more guts than an older John Connor.

Otherwise balanced, the music, action and drama pull you into a well know franchise that will certainly make it's way back to the big screen in the near future.

I believe this has a lot of potential and hope they don't screw it up. I always wanted a series on the future world and struggle. Maybe we will get some more in this series especially when it comes time to explain Cameron. It would have been better if they didn't even have a Terminator at first, after all this story is all the same. Just show their problems with typical life "on the run" and build up to the Terminator entrance in a couple of episodes instead of making that the starting point. I hope they plan to slow this down some too. We can't have big firefights and explosions in every episode and expect to keep people coming back.

One person mentioned no "character development", but there are two movies worth of character building for the main cast. As for the new players, you do have to give them time to build, and hopefully they will. I want something more than a simple monologue, in a moment of weakness, explaining their past. I am also not aware of any series that have fully developed characters in two episodes. I hope it will be addressed like Lost, where over many episodes you will "flashback" to understand the characters because there are many questions left to be answered. I am looking forward to finding out why James Ellison (Richard T. Jones) is so focused on hunting down Sarah and John.

Overall I hope they have a good story planned for us and start explaining some things they have just taken for granted. You can't just make people know stuff because they need to. I personally was rather disturbed that Cameron was searching for 73 days to find them. John could easily tell her where he was and when.

Ironically the Terminator is the worst part. Part of the whole story is seeing how he finds them. We see him sitting around a PC once that magically feeds him what he needs to know. He can't have the whole world hacked feeding him information on Sarah and John and if this is how it will go then please stop. You missed one of the main parts of the story.

Lena Hadley - Who would have thought she could fit this role so well. I think she goes a long way to imitating Linda Hamilton's part. When I watch Lena and listen to her talk, I can see Linda's version of Sarah. I think a lot of people are expecting her to be more like T2. You have to remember that when this series begins (After T2) she believes that the future has been changed. She doesn't have a reason to be afraid and run from the impending doom, just police. Her lack of emotion except towards John and Kyle Reece is expected.

Thomas Decker - This is a good start for a new John Conner as long as they plan to develop him really well. They do need to toughen him up some to foreshadow his future persona instead of running scared all the time. At this point Edward Furlong (T2) resembled the future John more than this one. They have already touched on his Teenage rebellion some and that is the right direction but they are trying to make him too innocent and helpless. At some point I want to watch Thomas and see John the Confident Leader. Even if it is just in certain situations.

Cameron - This was actually brilliant. At first I was thinking this was just a cheap way to get more beauty on the screen, which Summer Glau does not lack at all. She has that type of surrealistic beauty that haunts you and seems to work for the role. After her previous role as "River" in Firefly, she should be able to pull this character off and make it her own. After really thinking about this position, a beautiful Terminator to protect a young man makes sense. A stronger bond can be formed this way. He will be more likely to listen and follow with fewer reservations. This is another character I am really looking forward to knowing more about. She made it quite clear that she is not the "normal" terminator which we have already seen some hints of.

Aaron Cash - Where did they find this guy? Apparently he is no stranger to Sci-Fi roles and it shows here. He imitates the Terminator we all have come to love. Yep, this is a lean mean version of Arnie and at no time in this series have I ever believed he is human. The only downside is they have made this terminator slightly less focused which makes you wonder why he makes a couple of the decisions he did. I really hope this is a long fight for him and they show us more of how he works, thinks, and hunts cause this guy is good. Besides, we really need to know his connections and how he is getting the information he is or they might as well flush this series.

Music - They have kept this true to the series. I have enjoyed what I heard so far.

Overall I am giving this a 4 because so far it is not bad and leaves me with hope. This would easily be a 5 if they weren't trying so hard to make a mini-movie in each episode that leaves gaps in the story. Personally I thought this was Sarah Conner Chronicles, not another run from the Terminator movie. He doesn't have to be right on their heels shooting everything up in every episode.