RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR - "Disney For the Mass Hysteria"

For this return to "Rants & Ravings About Horror" I decided to tackle instead my misgivings about the Disney Corporation but be on the look out for new and exciting "rants" coming throughout the rest of 2020 and beyond!

Most people know I’m generally not a fan of the Disney Corporation.  I’m not going to lie.  I didn’t grow up on Disney animation and I generally have no fondness for most their films post Beauty & The Beast (1991) which I still think is their last great masterpiece.  I’m an animation lover and studied animation from all over the world in college and therefore I’ve eventually watched most of what Disney has produced but their films just aren’t really all that good either for children nor “family” audiences.   They generally appeal to all audiences while at the same time never appealing to any one audience.  This is not the main reason why I just don’t care for Disney product.  This is just one of the many reasons and it came up recently (again)in conversation that I just “hate” on Disney which isn’t entirely true but I thought it would be a great time (again) to give a voice to my opinion.

First off, the Disney Corporation is an amazing corporation that engulfs hundreds of different and diverse companies that keep artist and creatives with steady jobs, fair wages, and places of advancement.  While in college (and when I was studying animation) I even wanted to apply to the Disney Animation internship program in California that fosters the future of animation and where most of the interns end up with a job at the studio.  I didn’t turn my application in but I still have it (stuffed in some box somewhere).  If you’re a hard worker and dedicated I’ve heard that it is a place that keeps people employed but like all corporations it really cares about the bottom line which is maximizing profits.

There is nothing wrong with maximizing profits.  It’s the way of all big businesses and the rule of capitalism so you can’t fault anyone for that.  But what you can fault them is the way they flaunt this to the world and how they want to protect their “family” image at the cost of everything else.  They hide their dirty secrets under red tape or subsidiaries or they bury them altogether and never acknowledge their existence.  It is no secret that the Miramax owned company refused to release David Cronenberg’s film Crash (1996) because the director refused to make the necessary cuts to get to an R-Rating.  Instead the company dumps the film in limited release (meaning specialty theaters) as if it never existed with a rating of NC-17 (the dreaded rating).  Also, for the longest time the Disney Company refused to release their WWII propaganda animated films to the public as it would hurt their “family friendly” image.  These films were a testament to the time in which they were made and every major studio was producing these types of films to boost morale at home and abroad.  Just look at the “Why We Fight” film series that had such a luminary visionary like Frank Capra (director of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It’s a Wonderful Life) at the forefront.  You also will never see Disney give an official release for Song of the South (1946), the less said about the history of this debacle the better.  This is a small sampling of the films Disney has buried.

This brings me to Studio Ghibli which for a time the company distributed in the US (and some other territories).  Studio Ghibli is one of the premiere animation studios in the world producing some of the best films that don’t rely on anthropomorphized characters, musical numbers, and CGI animation and technology.  They create brilliant works of animation that rely on original stories with captivating characters in unique worlds of wonder and imagination.  Everything that the Disney studio lacks.  Studio Ghibli being a major competitor, Disney bought up the distribution rights and released their films in limited capacity even after dubbing them all in English and never giving them the due respect they earned.  I was lucky enough to have seen most all of the Disney released Studio Ghibli films in art-house theaters.  These are films that have garnered awards throughout the entire world yet here in the US were treated as the bothersome stepson.  I was glad when the rights were sold to GKIDS in 2011 (when Disney was pretty much done with them) and they’ve given all the films in the library substantial re-releases that continue to this day.

Now I could also go into the huge Pixar/Disney debacle which is more closer to home for most Americans but for the longest time Pixar films were only distributed by Disney until the two corporations came to a mutually beneficial agreement whereby Pixar is a subsidiary of Disney and that Pixar is now obligated to produce two sequels in their catalog of films for every one original film.  This has cheapened the brand whereby Pixar used to produce one film every few years and each film was simply amazing but now for every Brave (2012) you get a Monsters University (2013) and Cars 2 (2011) or for every Coco (2017) there is a Incredibles 2 (2018) and Toy Story 4 (2019).  Now some of these sequels are good but to be honest, did we really need a Toy Story 4 after the amazing way Toy Story 3 (2010) ended and the less said about Cars 3 (2017) the better.  Pixar has produced some genuine masterpieces in Toy Story (1995), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009) and Finding Nemo (2003) but pretty much everything else is meh.

Disney’s biggest live action competitor was probably 20^th Century Fox’s Star Wars franchise which they never released a film against at the Box Office (except for maybe an animated film as counter programming which works in a business sense).  When George Lucas sold Disney all of Lucasarts (and its subsidiaries) it was like Christmas forever for the company!  One of their chief competitors at the Box Office was gone and now in their own hands.  And the first thing that came to Disney’s mind is to franchise.  Let’s make a new sequel trilogy, spin-off movies, television series, new toys, and of course a Baby Yoda!  Now, there have been questions from fans about just how good the last five films released by Disney actually are.  I loved The Force Awakens (2015) and enjoyed the hell out of Solo (2018) but there wasn’t anything original, captivating, or awe inspiring in any of them as they borrowed so heavily from other films in the franchise.  They had better actors, better CGI, and better action but they all were kind of “hollow” which is what happens when you try to appeal to everyone while appealing to no one.  There is a sense that these films need only to merely engage and entertain while presenting nothing new other than introducing lens flare to the universe.  Now the one thing I did love about the franchise is how inclusive the films have been to all races, genders, etc. and as an African American I can appreciate that as the original trilogy pretty much only had Billy Dee Williams.  Unfortunately, I haven’t bothered with The Mandalorian as when I heard mention of a Baby Yoda the only thought I had was of Ewoks and Gungans and I said, “No thank you.”

The same can be said in regards to the MCU.  If these films had come out in the ‘90s I probably would have taken to them more but I’ve not read a Marvel or DC comic in almost thirty years and therefore I have an image in my brain of what I remember what these characters were and not how much they’ve been re-invented in the last three decades.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved The Avengers (2012), Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014) & Captain America: Civil War (2016), Captain Marvel (2019), and both Guardians of the Galaxy films (which are the best in the entire franchise) but pretty much everything else is meh.  I hate the Iron Man and Thor films (although the 3^rd Thor film is very fun), Doctor Strange was visually stunning but hollow, Black Panther had one of the greatest ensemble casts of all the films but it’s over reliance on CGI killed it for me (although it has one of the best openings of any of the MCU films), Homecoming was inspired but man did I hate Far From Home and let’s be honest – did we really need yet another reboot of Spider-Man this soon?  Ant Man was completely forgettable except for Michael Pena who makes the film work although Ant Man & Wasp was a great recovery film.  I know there was a Hulk film somewhere but I remember nothing about it.  The greatest thing about the MCU franchise is the Agent Carter show which I loved and all the Netflix shows in The Defenders universe (which Kevin Feige wants to claim are no longer in the same universe any more).  The MCU is now like a one-stop shopping for candy-colored, delicious confections whose taste lasts for but a few moments before leaving  you hollow afterwards.  Infinity War and Endgame were not that bad but that’s because of Josh Brolin.  The one thing I have to give it to Disney in regards to the MCU is the inclusivity of the entire franchise but I also blame them (and Feige) for cancelling all the Hulu, Freeform, and Netflix shows as they weren’t created by Feige so therefore don’t belong in his MCU.

Now that I’ve touched on Disney’s handling of Pixar, propaganda films, MCU, Star Wars, and Studio Ghibli, I could go into more but I think you’re seeing the picture.  This hasn’t even touched the 20^th Century Studios acquisitions which has both good and bad vibes.  For MCU fans they love the fact that The X-Men and Fantastic Four and other Fox properties can now be incorporated into the MCU.  But what does that mean for the hugely successful Deadpool franchise which was Rated-R and other properties like the Alien and Predator franchises which don’t fit into the Family Friendly Disney image; I guess there is always Hulu.  For comic fans, what will happen to Boom! Studios (which Disney has a minority stake in) and will that be incorporated into Marvel comics and/or will Feige try to incorporate those characters into MCU as well or simply ignore them altogether? Will 20^th Century Animation and Blue Sky Studios be integrated into Walt Disney Animation Studios or shuttered altogether?  How will FX Networks be integrated into Disney/ABC/A&E or will its contents be dumped to Hulu (which is majority owned by Disney now)?  Will National Geographic Partners become part of Disney Nature and/or be re-branded?  The only thing that seems safe and untouchable is ESPN Inc. and everything included with that.   I’m not going to even touch the music and media publishing accounts.  What Disney sees as competition they either acquire or they destroy or sometimes both.  The danger is that the more assets that Disney acquires the less diversified the product for the consumer to choose from.

It’s like a town that has no Mom & Pop stores but only a Super Walmart and a Super Target.  You have two chooses to choose from that give you the same exact products with no variety but at a cheap cost so everyone can afford them.  Great cost!  Low prices! Cheap products!  Maximum profits!

Now, still, there is nothing inherently wrong with this as that’s what the consumer sometimes wants and they don’t mind paying for the same thing each year as long as it’s dressed up in a new pretty color.  If this is all that you have in your town then that’s all you ever want but you have to acknowledge that that is not all you NEED.  You need a choice.  You need variety.  You need diversification.  What we don’t need is the appearance of something we need which is a hollow and insincere gesture, which is what the Disney Corporation provides.  What we need is a genuine offering that is honest and truthful.

Right now, people are claiming they want this through our politics, a transparent police department in every city, a genuine health care plan that actually works for the people, the end of racism, ageism, and sexism.  These are the things people need.  People don’t need Disney, which encompasses almost every facet of our daily lives in some form or fashion, to continue slamming the same trash time and time again down our throats through their business practices, their politics, and their treatment of their employees (because they aren’t transparent when it comes to their own internal systematic racism, sexism, ageism, etc.); they’re just better at covering it up like candy-colored, delicious confections.

Now none of this minimizes the fact that the Disney Corporation is the most successful film studio in the world (probably cruise line and theme parks as well, just to name a few) but this shouldn’t blind you to everything else that they do as well behind closed doors and hostile take-overs.

***

Now getting back to my original opening whereas I mentioned I didn’t grow up on Disney.  That’s not entirely true.  We had the Disney channel in our home because my parents (like most parents) thought they needed to have it because of the four children in our house hold.  My siblings and I could care less about watching Disney, so my parents stopped paying for it.  I actually got much of my animation culture from public television and HBO (back in the day when they acquired content to distribute).  I grew up on the more profound animated films of Animal Farm (1954), Charlotte’s Web (1973), The Camel Boy (1974), Dot & the Kangaroo (1977), The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Hobbit (1977), The Snowman (1982), and many, many more.  HBO had some of the most diversified animation available as they acquired stuff from all over the world and being a military brat I was also exposed to the Black & White Speed Racer and AstroBoy (which played on every public television everywhere on base) so that was my early exposure to Japanese anime.  I didn’t grow up with the musicality of Disney animation and therefore don’t believe I really missed out on anything.  I’ve seen maybe 85% of all the Disney/Pixar animated films and still believe this as I just think other countries were more diversified in their offerings then and especially now.

Now, I don’t expect anyone to go out there and stop watching Disney product or boycott their films (as I’m sure they are doing right now with the live action Mulan film - #BoycottMulan) but if I’ve informed just one person about Disney practices and or made one person understand my thoughts on the whole thing than it will have been worth it.

In fact, I’m looking forward to an X-Men Vs Avengers film and think that if Disney can find a way to do a sequel to Aliens that doesn’t involve the Ripley character and isn’t a remake/reboot then I’m there!  

"Rants & Ravings About Horror" - “The Controversy Over BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016)”

“The Controversy Over BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016)”

Let me first just say that since this is being released as a “Rants & Ravings About Horror” article that it still belongs within the confines of this column because it’s still a “rant” and a “raving” and if you’ve been a long tern reader you know I occasionally like to write about the fantasy and superhero films that make an impact and no superhero film has made as polarizing an impact as Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).  Many of you will be surprised to know that I actually thought the film was really good and one of the more interesting comic book based films that have recently been released but I will also say that despite the fact that I enjoyed the film, the film itself deserves all the criticisms that it is receiving from detractors.

In order to examine why this is I’m going to first take a look at the “bad” criticisms of the film before looking at the good so if you are someone who hasn’t seen the film yet and don’t want any spoilers I suggest you stop reading now.  For everyone else let’s just dive right in. 

WHY IS THE FILM GETTING BAD PRESS?

After making a tremendous splash at the Box Office its first week of release, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice quickly faded in its second weekend due to many different factors.  The biggest drop being that the second largest film market in the world – China, dropped the film from mos  China is where the film had its second biggest debut next to the US so when the film disappeared from most of those screens in that country the film took a big hit.  The executives behind this debacle should have seen this coming and waited until after the Chinese festivals to release the film. By the time these festivals are over and the film does manage to get more screens again (if it does) the damage will already be done.  You may not think this is that big of a deal but in actuality China is the second largest market for international films and is expected to become number one within the next five years due to the fact that they are continuing to build more theaters to support the need in the country whereas here in the US we are at an over saturation point.

t of its theaters in order to support local films during their time of holiday spectacle.

The film is getting great reviews from “fan boys” but scathing reviews from general audiences.  Let’s define the difference.  A “fan boy” will not only be those people who read comics and know the ends and outs of every comic book character there is but it also includes audiences who love superhero films and go see them all on the big screen.  General audiences may see one or two superhero films a year (if that many) and it will probably be with a group of friends or they like the actor in the film more than the concept of the film itself (i.e. the popularity of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man).  These general audiences have never read Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and only know of Superman through the Christopher Reeves films and probably The Adventures of Lois & Clark and Smallville and Batman from the original Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher films (but probably thought the Christopher Nolan films were a little too dark).  General audiences are who buy multiple tickets and propel films to extraordinary box office receipts through word of mouth and telling their friends.  Fan boys see the film once and then buy a bootleg of the film so they can watch the film again a hundred times (some do revisit the film on the big screen from time to time).  I hate to say this but Batman V. Superman is a dark and brooding film about dark and brooding characters that think philosophical about their place in the world while doing so through violence and complete disregard to all the other characters in the film.  That and the fact that Superman dies in the film nailed the coffin shut on the overall future prospects of this film.  Add to the fact that the film is neither fun nor contain any moments of humor to break up the dark moody characters and you have a film that’s too dark for its own good.  

Another theme permeating through the film is terrorism and World ideologies about a God-like figure and you’ve created a film that speaks to both religious and political opinions which to most people a superhero film should never do.  Plus they kill Superman at the end!?!  Anyone who has read the boring and badly written comic book storyline Superman: Doomsday knows that Superman dies at the end.  It was a great concept (although badly written) that opened the doors for a whole bunch of different storylines in the Superman comics (I won’t go into any of that here) but general audiences have no clue about any of this; they just know Superman dies at the end and what parent is going to let their child go see a dark and brooding comic book film where Superman dies at the end?  If I had children I wouldn’t let any of them under the age of thirteen go see this film and I wouldn’t pay to let my children go see this film.  

Unfortunately, for general audiences who bring families and friends to the theater this is not a film that they are going to see nor recommend to others because their impression will be that it is not a film that families should go see with their children (unless they are demented parents who don’t mind taking their young children to see films like the R-Rated Deadpool).  Since studios and Warner Bros., in general, rely on this demographic to fuel the success of their films they should have expected the polarizing response to the film and the quick box office drop.  This is not a film a studio should have put a reported $250 million into to produce if they thought it would make at least $1 billion back on its return.

 

WHAT THE FILM GOT RIGHT.

All the above being said, I pretty much loved most of what the film had to say.  Zack Snyder is a very capable director with a very dark vision of everything he does.  He’s directed two of the best and most faithful comic book films with 300 and Watchman (and crafted one of the best horror film remakes with Dawn of the Dead) but those films are obscure to mainstream audiences and were already R-Rated in tone so the violence and mayhem was expected.  Snyder is lucky that I’ve always looked at Superman as a pansy and sissy and too altruistic character that’s too patriotic and bland (for the most part I feel the same way about the comic book version of Captain America).  When Snyder released his film Man of Steel I was hoping he’d do something interesting with the bland and uninteresting farm-boy and for the most part he did.  He melded an origin story within the confines of a coming of age story about a character who doesn’t know his place in the world and is just learning it.  This is a very similar journey that the original young Peter Parker had to go through when the character was in high school (a fact I’m actually looking forward to for the new version of Spider-Man).  General audiences were mixed on this film as well and “hard core” Superman fan boys (from what I know) hated what Snyder did with the character especially considering that he was responsible for the death of so many people (something never reflected in previous films).  Snyder was obviously influenced by the success of the Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy, which is based on a darker character (who is always moody and brooding), but to utilize those same aesthetics for a Superman film was a bolder move.  Man of Steel was a success allowing Snyder to bring his style to the ultimate match up of Batman verses Superman.  Sounds like a great idea.

What I love about Snyder and his films are that like Nolan he has no interest in telling a simple superhero story.  His films have deeper meaning and thought put into them (even Sucker Punch so give that film another look if you don’t believe me).  Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice gets to the heart of what “justice” means in today’s world filled with terrorists and religious ideologies run rampant.  There is no clear cut black and white but everything is in the grey.  He uses these themes to not only compare and contrast the ideologies of Batman and Superman but to also compare and contrast their ideas of justice with that of God-like divinity and atheism as personified through the damaged Lex Luther who wants to destroy them both using his “god-like” ability to create Doomsday and destroy a God (Superman) through Krytonite.  Snyder’s film also touches upon family (Bruce Wayne’s link to his mother and Clark Kent’s to his, both named Martha) and the things that also ground us to Earth which in Superman’s case is Lois Lane, the woman he loves and will do anything for.  By the end of the film Superman sacrifices himself to save the people of Earth from the destruction caused by Doomsday; Superman has been grappling with his place in the world for the whole film and it isn’t until this moment that he realizes where he belongs and what it is he was meant to do.  Batman’s journey is one born from violence, not only from that of watching his parents die in front of him but also watching his friends and co-workers die at the hands of Superman’s fight with General Zod.  Bruce Wayne needs to put a face to the violence and unfortunately it is Superman (an alien being he doesn’t understand and whom desperate people look to as a God) a man he comes to hate and will do anything to destroy.  Wayne’s journey is a different one yet also parallels that of Clark Kent and which culminates when they are forced to battle each other.  Snyder’s themes come to a logical head at the end of the film and end the way they should.

*****

Some people also try to criticize the actors.  Everyone seems to be perfectly fine with Ben Affleck as Batman, which is funny considering the backlash of when he was announced as the latest actor to put on the suit.  I’ve never been a huge Affleck fan but I’ve always maintained that pretty much anyone can play Batman and get away with it.  Warner Bros. is lucky that Batman, and maybe James Bond and Jack Ryan, is one of the few characters that anyone can take over and the public won’t go too crazy over.  Henry Cavill’s performance has not faired quite as well with most people claiming him to be too wooden but I think that is deliberate and actually perfect for the character.  Cavill is playing an alien being that doesn’t understand all of human emotions and what it means to be human; that’s the point of the whole film which is to watch him grow and understand this through his relationship with Lois Lane and his experience with Batman (a contrast between normal human and “super”-human).  If Cavill’s performance was the same as Affleck’s then there would be no way to tell the two apart.  This is part of showing the complexities between the two characters.   One (Batman) fights for humanity as a human and the other (Superman) fights for humanity as an alien.  I thought they both did the perfect job at representing their characters and showing a change between them by the end.  If you are still believe Cavill is not a good actor then you weren’t paying attention to the amazing dream sequence where Superman kills two people in front of Batman whom he believes killed Lois.

Although not given as much to do this go around Amy Adams does a fine job as Lois Lane and for the first time we get to see a genuine relationship between the two characters.  Their relationship seems like a real one between a human and alien and never comes off as hokey.  The relationship between Bruce Wayne and his Butler Alfred (Jeremy Irons) has never been as properly interpreted than in this film.  In the comics Alfred was/is always helping Bruce with his “toys” but none of this has been portrayed in any of the other films.  Snyder loves to pull from the actual comics because he’s just as big a fan as the rest of us.  It’s a small detail but an important one nevertheless.

 

Now, getting into the other things that I like and dislike about the film.

Although I loved every minute of seeing Wonder Woman in the final act of the film there is no reason why she even needs to be in the film other than to set up future films.  I’ve kind of gotten sick of all the “franchise” films setting up future films with scenes and bonuses that not only add to the film’s running time but also have little if nothing to do with the current film being told.  Case in point, the scene of the Flash going back in time to warn Bruce Wayne or the apocalyptic nightmare of a future world that Wayne has.  The only dream sequence I thought was fantastic was the opening one in which we see Wayne as a child when he discovers his destiny (Young Bruce being lifted through the cavern by bats was a fantastic touch).

Although none of the meta-humans storylines figure into this film I actually really liked the video clip reveals of Aquaman and Cyborg and look forward to both of these films.  The one thing I did like is the final scene of the film with Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince at Clark Kent’s grave deciding they need to form the “Justice League”.  Marvel has handled this type of bonus better by putting these style scenes at the end credits of their films so it’s just a little something extra for the fans but here it’s added time that should have been better spent on Martha Kent and the ramifications of everything she’s gone through especially the death of her son.

 

I actually really enjoyed this version of Lex Luther.  Most people are criticizing Jessie Eisenberg’s performance but it melds really well with a character bent on destroying the God-like Superman and Batman (or characters that think they are God); this is an aspect of the character from the comics which has never been explored until now.  Now in prison the character can prepare even darker schemes.

*****

Overall, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice is a film I enjoyed very much despite originally having no interest in the film other than it being directed by Zack Snyder with a score by Hans Zimmer (one of my favorite living composers).  It was better than expected but deserves all the polarizing criticisms that it is getting.  If Warner Bros. doesn’t want this type of backlash then they should have invested in a safer director to handle the film (maybe McG or Michael Bay).  This being said, I think Snyder is the worst choice for the Justice League film which doesn’t need to be dark and brooding but a big adventure film with lots of action and humor to differentiate all the different characters.  I would be more interested in learning how Snyder would resurrect Superman in a solo Man of Steel sequel examining the themes he’s already put in place from these two films.  Instead, after the dismal response of Batman V. Superman I wouldn’t be surprised if Snyder was forced into compromises with his vision in order to satisfy a more mainstream (and thus profitable) audience.  This would be a shame as Snyder is not a director whose style and vision you want to limit and make more “mainstream.”

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR - “A Look at the Fall of the Terminator Franchise”

I’ve been a fan of the Terminator franchise since the original film The Terminator (1984).  It was a refreshing look at a post-apocalyptic world ruled by robots that took place in the modern world.  Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) improved upon the original film and expanded the mythology.  What I love about the films is not just the amazing action sequences but the suspense and thriller aspects as well as the fact that each film was aiming to show audiences things they had never seen before both in terms of story and action.  Neither film was predictable and both were exciting even though the original film had more elements of a horror film verses the more action oriented sequel. 

We’ll stop here a moment to take a look at where the franchise went from there which was in the four-color comic book realm with the amazing series The Terminator from NOW Comics published from ’88 to ’90 which told stories about new characters in John Conner’s resistance movement.  NOW Comics also produced the fondly remembered series The Burning Earth before relinquishing the rights to Dark Horse Comics.  Dark Horse Comics produced comics from ’90 to present day giving stories both using characters from the films and branching out to new stories and expanding the mythology from the films unlike the NOW Comics stories which existed for the most part in their own alternate universe.   The comics saw the Terminators battle everyone from Superman, Robocop, Aliens & Predators, and various other characters from other universes.  Other comics from other publishers include Marvel who produced the comic adaptation for the film Terminator 2 while Malibu and Dynamite Comics published sequel comics to the second film.  Beckett Comics did the comics based on the third film Rise of the Machines while IDW Publishing did comics based on the forth film Salvation.  As can be seen, the rights for the films ended up getting split among multiple publishers while the main rights stayed with Dark Horse the longest.

I mention the comics as they are the place where the most freedom for the franchise can be seen.  The stories expand past the main characters of the original film to present a whole world of characters that contribute to the resistance as well as the different types of Terminators developed by Skynet.  This is something that subsequent films have failed to do.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) is, in my opinion, the worst of all the films.  There was nothing in that film that was new to the story or added to the mythology in a major way.  They created a new Terminator which they foreshadowed the way in which she would be killed half way through the film.  The main characters were less interesting and as typical the story revolves around John Conner.  These elements are not as interesting considering that the previous two films had gone a long way in telling all of this info already.  The action sequences are not as innovative and very little suspense is had, which is surprising considering how much suspense and great action sequences director Jonathon Mostow had in his previous films Breakdown (1997) and U-571 (2000).

The forth film Terminator: Salvation (2009) is the first to actually be set in a post-apocalyptic world of the future but it still relies on telling the story of John Conner.  This film introduces a new hybrid human/Terminator in Marcus Wright which many thought odd considering that he was built before the regular Terminators.  I used to agree with this, but the film showcased a lot of different generations of Terminators and (finally) showed the future in all its devastation.  I really enjoyed this film as it wanted to establish more of the mythology while expanding the parameters of what a Terminator film could be.  This film was designed to jump start a new franchise but its lukewarm response killed that idea.

The most recent film Terminator: Genysis (2015) was another attempt to jump start the franchise once again by re-writing events that had come before in previous films and focusing on Sarah Conner (the protagonist of the original film) and Kyle Reese (Sarah’s savior of the original film and father of John Conner).  By re-writing and changing events from the previous films this film was designed as a way to start the franchise over from the beginning (similar to the rebooted Star Trek franchise).  Although there are some interesting concepts to be had in the film it is hampered by poor acting and too many comedic elements designed to appeal to a younger audience.  This is not a good film but not nearly as bad as Rise of the Machines.  This film also received a lukewarm response and the sequel has been shelved for the time being.  I’m sure that there will be another film soon and it will probably try to re-start the franchise again but in my opinion, the only way for this franchise to survive (again) is to just start from a new vantage point with new characters.

For me, it is a shame that the studios are so afraid to try something new with the films and just tell a new and compelling story within the same world.  I may not have liked the film Jurassic World (2015) but there is no denying that they took a chance ditching all the characters from the original trilogy for something new. 

What made me stop and take a look at the Terminator franchise is that I just finished reading the Terminator: Salvation – The Final Battle (volumes 1 & 2) which is the sequel to the film.  Considering that the original idea was to craft a new franchise from the film, this story is the closest audiences are going to see what a sequel could have been.  Written by J. Michael Straczynski with artwork by Pete Woods this is a massive twelve part story that explains how the character of Marcus Wright was created and for what purpose including an all new villain that threatens Skynet and the Resistance forcing them into an alliance.  Straczynski manages to make sense of all the elements of the film while also crafting the battle to end all battles.  This is a smart and creative story which jumps time periods but has a whole set of new characters to compliment the John Connor story.  Anyone who enjoyed the Salvation film will enjoy the way it is finished in this story.  In fact, this is one of the best Terminator stories thus far crafted for the comics’ medium.  The Final Battle proves that there is enough story left in the world of the Terminator if writers (and by extension the Studio) are willing to take chances.

Regardless of whenever the next Terminator film arrives there will always be comics (and novels) that extend the franchise.  The world of the Terminator is rich with so many possibilities that it would be a shame if we fans didn’t have these options.