I've been a fan of Terminator for years, ever since it was first shown on UK TV in fact, I put up with the T3 travesty and thought no more of it.
This series has taken me by as much surprise as the new Battleststar did however. The acting is brilliant and believable, the special effects are top notch, the camera work is emotive and moody - I can't say enough good things about this show.
There have been some genuinely chilling moments, just as you start to feel that Cameron is taking on human qualities, she walks away from an innocent being murdered, but then we see her trying to Ballet dance and being watched by a hiding human.
One good thing, in the cannon of the terminator stories, this carries on straight after T2, T3 never happened in this time line, a great blessing.
I really cannot express what a pleasant thrill it was to sit down and watch something so good.
5/5 - go get it now :)
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I've been a fan of Terminator for years, ever since it was first shown ok UK TV in fact, I put up with the T3 travesty and thought no more of it.
This series has taken me by as much surprise as the new Battleststar did however. The acting is brilliant and believable, the special effects are top notch, the camera work is emotive and moody - I can't say enough good things about this show.
There have been some genuinely chilling moments, just as you start to feel that Cameron is taking on human qualities, she walks away from an innocent being murdered, but then we see her trying to Ballet dance and being watched by a hiding human.
I really cannot express what a pleasant thrill it was to sit down and watch something so good.
5/5 - go get it now :)
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First...This box set, R1, of season one of the show is the version to go for if you want all the extras. Don`t bother with the R2 box set unless all you want is deleted scenes. As for the show itself well I think its fantastic infact I`d rate this show higher than the third Terminator film. I can`t wait for season 2 to come to UK screens so I watch them online. As I write this I`ve seen season 2 ep 1 and 2 and wow it gets better..
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The Terminator saga is one of the longest running and well created predestination paradox stories in modern science fiction and it is with great care that they have created The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Set after the events of Terminator 2, the series centres around Sarah's efforts to keep John safe and 'off the radar' while keeping an ever watchful eye out for the Terminators themselves.
John has to deal with growing up, never staying in one pace too long and he feels the tremendous weight on his shoulders and the responsibilities that Sarah is reminding him of.
Help for them arrives in the form of Cameron, a new Terminator sent by John in the future to protect himself in the past.
As the show progresses we begin to see just how complex the paradox has become and the frightening levels which the machines are prepared to go to win.
Not content with sending the T-1000 back, the machines have sent others into the past and their missions are not all about John and the Resistance.
The Resistance themselves appear to have sent their own troops back, some as far as sixty years in order to prepare for the coming war.
Behind all the events in Sarah and John's lives are the investigations of FBI Agent Ellis, who is beginning to piece together the parts of Sarah's past and is coming to understand what she is running from. The best episode for him is in The Demon Hand where he catches up with Doctor Silberman, now played by Bruce Davison, to talk about Sarah's stay in the mental hospital.
The show runs along at a good pace, with carefully thought out scripts and a talent for twists and turns. The most shocking cliffhanger comes in at the end of Queen's Gambit when we discover the identity of one of the Resistance fighters. There are some flashes of the future which begin to explain certain events but while they answer some questions, they give you more to think about. That said, the final ten seconds of the final epsiode 'What he Beheld' are also shocking in their suddenness.
The series is intended as a continuation of Terminator 2 but the writers have already specified that the events from the pilot episode will place the series in a parallel timeline to those events established by Terminator 3 so the remainder of the movie franchise will not have any direct baring on the show.
The three main stars of the show do very well indeed. There was some debate that Lena Headey was not suitable for the role but after a couple of episodes there is no doubt at all that she is Sarah Connor. Thomas Dekker (Zach in Heroes) is well cast as a young John Connor. His interplay with Cameron is excellent and you can see the beginnings of the man that will one day lead the Resistance. Summer Glau is okay as Cameron but sometimes she seems to play the part as either River (from Firefly) or Tess (from The 4400) which is a shame as it almost makes it seem like she cannot bring anything else to her performance. That said, she has a Terminator stare that just makes you want to run a mile.
Due to the writer's strike season 1 only ran for 9 episodes with Pilot, Gnothi Seauton (it means know thyself), The Turk, Heavy Metal, Queen's Gambit, Dungeons And Dragons, The Demon Hand, Vick's Chip and ends with What he Beheld.
So, for fans of the Terminator saga or some good science fiction, The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a must.
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another one of those shows you start to watch to see what it's like (Stargate SG-1/Atlantis, Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and find yourself a fan as it grabs you, and i agree with so many people, that this is a great alternative to T3 (A Film that in itself had only two major leauge excellence's - Kristana Lokens Shadowed Bum/Leather Clad form, and the ending that personally for me picked up my ineterst where they don't stop Judgement Day... it comes full circle to the whole thing that i think is anot only mentioned in T3 but T2 also - Judgement Day is Inevitable) and has little in common with the series... (Despite the fact that this is supposed to be different - Sarah Connor Being Dead in the year 2007 seems to have been nicked from T3...)
The Extra's on Blu-Ray are miles better too, where the DVD had a few measly deleted scenes... (don't belive the Blu-ray Special Features on Amazon.co.uk... they have more on the disc than they let on...)
firstly you hhave more deleted scenes (as well as and extended cut of the first seasons 7th episode: "The Demon Hand"), as well as Commentaries on "Pilot", "Turk" and "What He Beheld", 3 Part Making of Featurette: "Making the Chronnicles", Cast Audition Tapes, Storyboard Animatic, Summer Glau's Ballett Rehersal (Listed as Dance on the case) and a Gag Reel (Poor Summer Glau - Every time she's in something a Gag Reel is on the DVD: ANGEL: Season 3 (Though she doesn't appear in Outtakes Reel), FIREFLY: The Complete Series, SERENITY, and Now T:TSCC)
all in all i would say to any TERMINATOR Fan, Buy this if you have a PLAYSTATION 3, Blu-Ray Player or a Blu-Ray Laptop (all three if your lucky people)... buy the Blu-Ray rather than the DVD - You Won't be dissapointed...
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This series is set in an alternative timeline to Terminator 3 and begins a couple of years after Terminator 2. If you enjoyed the story behind the Terminator movies and don't just like to sit and watch things being blown up, then this series is great and definitely worth watching. Not to say that it doesn't feature a fair bit of action, the action just isn't its main focus. The show is very much about the characters, if you normally just skip past all the story and look for the fires and the mini-guns, this series may seem dull to you.
This Blu-Ray is definitely worth the extra over the DVD version, not only is the quality much better but the extra content you get with it are worth the money themselves.
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I expected this to be yet another weary exercise in squeezing money out of the Terminator franchise but it turned out to be engaging and very good as a show in its own right.
While using the basic premise from TI and II, it is not hamstrung by sticking slavishly to its predecessors. The acting is top notch and the occasionally subtle and not so subtle tension that develops over the humanity of a machine is light years away from how the viewer is slapped in the face by the same theme in the movies.
It's also refreshing to see some character development. The action is still there but there's less reliance on big bangs to keep any viewers with a gnat's attention span glued to the screen. While this is at least part down to the budgetary demands of the TV format, the show conveys the impression that this approach was what was wanted anyway.
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This is a jaw-dropping amazing Blu-Ray version of one of the greatest (if not the greatest) Sci-Fi show ever created.
This show is nearly perfect! A complex and thrilling story, strong characters with intriguing sides, amazing action, brilliant image, gorgeous sound track.... IMHO a must have for a SciFi fan!
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Obviously I can't comment on the DVD itself, as I am writing this 2 months before release. But having seen the entire series on Virgin 1, I would urge any Terminator fan who missed it to grab a copy as soon as you can.
This could have been some awful cash-in, or could have missed the point completely (like the ill-fated 'Flash Gordon' series). But it is actually superb. It is really obvious that the people behind it are fans themselves, respectful of the source material, and yet simply wanting to continue the story in a new direction.
All 3 of the main actors are excellent in their roles - I had absolutely no problem accepting Lana Headey as Sarah Connor - she does a great job of portraying someone with the weight of the world on her shoulders, who nevertheless knows that she can't afford to give up. Thomas Dekker is totally believable as John - trying to come to terms with his 'future hero' persona, whilst still a confused teenager at heart.
And Summer Glau - what can I say? She was fantastic in 'Firefly/Serenity', memorable in 'The 4400', and here she just excels herself. As the protector from the future, she makes a totally believable android - a bit like Arnie in T2, she is basically ruthless, with John having to teach her about compassion and what is acceptable. But better than that, you are never entirely sure whether you should trust her - apart from anything else, she DOESN'T always do what John asks her. And the writers keep on giving little hints that she may have been compromised in some way, which adds a real edge to the whole series.
The series is very exciting, with great action scenes, and the plot neatly intertwines an overall 'arc' with individual stories. Add to this occasional glimpses of the 'future' that they are trying to avoid, and you have something that you really can't afford to miss. The only real down-side is that they only made 9 episodes, because of the US writers' strike, and so it ends without actually resolving anything. But on the strength of what has been made so far, I would hope that a 2nd series would be a no-brainer. And if that is true, you'll want to have boned up on the first series well in advance!
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Lena Headey had a hard job to fit into the character of Sarah Connor and many said she didn't have the physique to pull it off, but she does and with some real attitude.
The script writing is surprisingly good and if you're not paying attention then much will bypass you. Many questions are also left wanting at the end which are certainly intriguing and I truly hope they make more soon.
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