Saturday, June 06, 2009

Terminator Conflict

Terminator: Salvation [Theatrical Release]
Not a usual fan of sci-fi, I was tremendously impressed by Terminator Salvation.

Christian Bale headlines the cast. But I was more impressed by Sam Worthington, an actor from Oz/Australia. He's set for more film releases.

The plot on this is great, from a writer's point of view. Enemies or unlikely candidates, in this case, Christian and Sam, are pitted against each other initially. Christian's role never varied, never had that many internal conflicts, but Sam's character did.


Without giving away the twist in Sam's role, his conflict creates more characterization, in my opinion. He has to make choices right along about how he is going to react to any situation.

Christian's character knows what he will do, he has a single goal, the survival of humanity.

But at each turn, Sam Worthington's character must decide what he will do and in my opinion, his role creates the better hero and a better character.

Inner conflict, the choices one makes, is a defining quality.

As for acting, Sam Worthington's facial reactions, especially his eyes relay where he is in his current conflict.

Good movie for writers to watch, comparing conflicts and what makes a real hero. Well, I guess saving the world from a nuclear devastation created by machines might be the standard hero.