Movie Review: "Terminator: Salvation" by Jake Jaqua

[from "Theosnet"]

"Salvation" could probably be a "stand-alone" movie, but one would have a hard time with the plot without watching either Terminator 1, 2, and 3(?), or maybe the 2-year Fox TV series.

The plot in "Salvation" is the loosest and poorest of any of them, but I would enjoy watching it regardless. The "machines" and Skynet have all but wiped out the human race with isolated resistence groups here and there and a larger human central command. The key and most interesting character is an android with a human brain (with a chip) and a human heart, that was early on designed by Skynet as an infiltration machine to kill key humans - unbeknownst to the android, who thinks he is totally human (until he is wounded and his inner mechanics are visible. The android's human heart battles with his unconscious programming and wins out in the end, proving himself to be fully human instead of just a programmed machine. That the center of the human nature is in the heart and not brain would agree with Blavatsky (Esoteric Instructions, BCW 12, I believe.)

The Terminator series overall often wax philosophic and even inspired at points (and tell me - if Blavatsky's lodge is sometimes behind inspiring works of literature and movements, wouldn't they also today use our chief cultural medium of movies?) A theme that is repeated often in the series is: "We have no future but what we make ourselves.", and this is a Theosophical teaching of course - or Karma, and our general earth-situation within the context of cycles, past karma, et. al.

"Salvation," however is the weakest of the series in philosophic undercurrent, and even makes a gross ethical feau paux of "means and ends"* at the end of the movie. The android to all's satisfaction has proven it is fully human, yet when the Resistence's leader Connor is injured and needs a new heart, the android offers himself and his heart which the hero Connor accepts. Would anyone with a moral sense accept another human being's life to save his own? - I think not.

Regardless of the weaker plot, any guy with remnants of his macho somatic self would probably like this movie, the action is good and not too rediculous within the SF context.

(* K.H. says somewhere in the MLs that he almost stumbled in his path on the doctrine of "means and ends" (The end does not justify the means.), but was saved by his uncle.)