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  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Action Movies
  4. terminator salvation

Terminator Salvation Trailer Breakdown

Features
By Total Film published 9 December 2008

totalfilm.com picks the new trailer to bits

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Man out of time

Man out of time

After some bleak, judgement day footage unspools, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) wonders what's happened to the world. So has he been out of commission for judgement day? And what's he been up to? He's a suspicious bloke, that one.

Page 1 of 15
Page 1 of 15
John takes out a Terminator

John takes out a Terminator

One of several shots familiar from the first trailer as John takes out a Terminator by first landing a helicopter on it, then shooting it straight in its metal noggin. You'd think he has something against these robo-types...

Page 2 of 15
Page 2 of 15
Mechano-cycles

Mechano-cycles

Lethal-looking mechano-cycles scream towards camera and roar down a destroyed street. This is something very different for the franchise. "We are outnumbered by machines," laments Connor.

Page 3 of 15
Page 3 of 15
"And we have all lost so very much..."

"And we have all lost so very much..."

Our introduction to one of Connor's less-than-merry band of humans: Barnes, played by rapper Common.

Page 4 of 15
Page 4 of 15
The Iconic Imagery Emerges

The Iconic Imagery Emerges

Can you say "Iconic"? Human skulls crushed beneath the treads of what appears to be an early Hunter-Killer.

Page 5 of 15
Page 5 of 15
Father / Son Relationships

Father / Son Relationships

"Who are you?" screams a very young-looking Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin). "John Connor" replies John. Well, obviously.

Page 6 of 15
Page 6 of 15
The Platoon Moment

The Platoon Moment

Someone- likely Connor or one of his troops, throws their arms up and screams into a storm. "Something has changed," says John over the footage.

Page 7 of 15
Page 7 of 15
Change In Time

Change In Time

Those hands have been busy," comments Connor. Looks like Skynet's minions have indeed shifted the timeline.

Page 8 of 15
Page 8 of 15
John's Other Half

John's Other Half

Bryce Dallas Howard's Kate Connor. She's screaming her husband's name. Oh, and she looks pregnant, too. Unlike the leaked trailer, the official promo doesn't give her any dialogue.

Page 9 of 15
Page 9 of 15
Who Is Marcus?

Who Is Marcus?

"You tried killing my mother... you killed my father" says John over images of Reese and Marcus. Is he talking to Marcus? And does this mean Marcus has a... technological background?

Page 10 of 15
Page 10 of 15
Blair Williams Revealed

Blair Williams Revealed

"If we stay the course, we are dead!" shouts Connor over an image of Moon Bloodgood's Blair Williams reacting to something off-camera.

Page 11 of 15
Page 11 of 15
The Terminator's Skull

The Terminator's Skull

A pan down to a dazed Connor lying next to a recognizable Terminator skull. It looks like they woke up together after a drunken night out. Cut back to Connor on the radio: "We are all dead!"

Page 12 of 15
Page 12 of 15
"This war ends... tonight"

"This war ends... tonight"

Bale brings out his Batman voice. A Terminator is crushed by falling masonry. Looks painful.

Page 13 of 15
Page 13 of 15
Earlier Model

Earlier Model

What looks like one of the early Terminators stares eerily through the rain.

Page 14 of 15
Page 14 of 15
The Transforminator

The Transforminator

And your money shot: A 50-foot Terminator towers over Connor and co.

Page 15 of 15
Page 15 of 15
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The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

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