Star Trek and Terminator Salvation - The Future Left Behind
Joy Fleishhacker -- School Library Journal, 6/3/2009
Where No Movie Has Gone Before: Star TrekTrekkies and newbies rejoice! This sci-fi franchise has been successfully—and exuberantly—rebooted with Paramount Pictures’ May 2009 release of Star Trek (PG-13), directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.
Featuring the characters from Gene Roddenberry’s original television series, the film chronicles the early days of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto). It looks like these two drastically different, strong-minded individuals will become devoted enemies, until they are brought together aboard the USS Enterprise with other (familiar to fans) crew members to combat a rogue Romulan (Eric Bana) from the future who threatens the United Federation of Planets. The official Web site provides an enticing introduction the film’s sleek look, rousing soundtrack, and appealingly reinvigorated characters. Links transport teens to a universe of games and activities. For diehard Trekkies, a “Production Notes” section provides a fascinating look at the challenges of fitting this film into the Star Trek canon and comments on the design of numerous sets and visual effects.Book Tie-ins
Movie fans will travel at maximum warp speed through the pages of Alan Dean Foster’s Star Trek (Pocket Books), a novelization that captures the film’s intelligent dialogue, full-thruster action, and dynamic characterizations. This veteran sci-fi author clearly delineates the details of the plot and the story’s futuristic settings, while simultaneously focusing on the fledgling crews’ intriguing, often volatile interpersonal relationships. The result is a book that will satisfy both experienced Star Trek readers and those who are making first contact. An unabridged audio version of the novel, read by cast member Zachary Quinto, is available on compact disk (S & S Audio).
Those who want to know more about Nero, the menacing and enigmatic Romulan who seems bent on the destruction of the universe, will find the answers in Star Trek: Countdown, published by IDW. With a story by Orci and Kurtzman, Mike Johnson and Tim Jones as writers, and artwork by David Messina, this graphic novel prequel portrays the events leading up to the movie through dramatic dialogue and crisp panel illustrations in metallic hues. Nero’s relationship with Ambassador Spock is explored, as is the Romulan’s transformation from civic-minded family man into havoc-wreaking vigilante. Appearances by several characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation help to firmly plug this tale into the Star Trek database.A Different Kind of Future: Terminator Salvation
Part post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller and part war drama, Terminator Salvation (PG-13), from the Halcyon Company and Warner Bros., also premiered in movie theaters in May. Directed by Joseph McGinty Nichol (McG), this is the fourth film in the Terminator series, which began in 1984 with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s now-legendary portrayal of the automated assassin. Serving as both a prequel and sequel to its predecessors (it’s another one of those time-travel brain busters), Terminator Salvation is set in 2018, after Judgment Day, when much of Earth’s population has been destroyed by Skynet, a sentient artificial intelligence network. Small bands of humans, led by John Connor (Christian Bale), unite to battle armies of robotic Terminators. Meanwhile, a teenaged version of the first film’s hero, Kyle Reese (played by Anton Yelchin), has forged an uneasy alliance with Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a mysterious stranger from the past. Send teens to the official Web site for a look at the action, previews, links to forums, and more.
Book Tie-ins
Film goers who want to delve more deeply into the spectacular visual effects and edge-of-your-seat storytelling will enjoy browsing Terminator Salvation: The Official Movie Companion, published by Titan Books. Tara Bennett’s thoughtful text places the motion picture in context with its precursors and explores various aspects of filmmaking, including set design (“the devastated post-nuclear environment functions as a silent character”) and the creation of an array of shiver-inducing Terminators. The book is packed with quotes from production staff, and one particularly interesting chapter describes the nuts and bolts of filming a specific action sequence. In-depth profiles include observations about how each character fits into the story, commentary on the casting process, and reflections from the actors about how they approached their roles. Dynamic film stills, production photos, storyboards, and other illustrations appear throughout. Bennett’s The Art of Terminator Salvation (Titan), a handsome oversize volume, is filled with full-color illustrations, storyboards, and photos that take readers from conception art through to the finished product. The images are spectacular, and the remarks from the director and his production staff vibrantly illustrate the thought processes and detail intrinsic to the film’s creative design.Alan Dean Foster has penned the novelization of Terminator Salvation (Titan), based on the screenplay by John Brancato and Michael Ferris. As suits the subject matter, Foster’s writing style here is much more gritty and no-nonsense. Staccato sentences and down-to-earth dialogue keep the action moving quickly and maintain the suspenseful, all-or-nothing tone. Terminator Salvation: From the Ashes (Titan), the official movie prequel written by Timothy Zahn, follows many of the characters—including John and Kate Connor; teenager Kyle Reese; and his young companion, Star—in an adventure that takes place before the film’s events. Gripping action scenes are set against a backdrop of relentless danger, as the shell-shocked humans struggle to organize and survive in the post-Judgment Day world.
For graphic novel fans, Terminator Salvation: Sand in the Gears, another movie prequel, depicts the efforts of Resistance fighters on a global scale. Whether planning an assault on a Terminator factory in Detroit or working to destroy a uranium mine in Niger, courageous individuals set aside their pre-Judgment Day differences and join together to defeat their common enemy. Dara Naraghi’s tough-talking dialogue (with some strong language) and Alan Robinson’s rough-and-tumble artwork (with lots of explosions and severed limbs) keep the story moving at full speed.Are your readers looking for more man versus machine mayhem? Through the years, Dark Horse
Comics has published several graphic novels that expand upon the Terminator mythos. Some of these adventures, created by writers and artists including John Arcudi, Matt Wagner, James Robinson, and Paul Gulacy, have been collected together and reissued in two eye-catching, action-packed Omnibus volumes. These imaginative interpretations of the Terminator premise feature hard-hitting dialogue, illustrations in a whirlwind of artistic styles, and delightfully unexpected plot twists. Graphic visual content and strong language make these books appropriate for mature readers.Pub Info
FOSTER, Alan Dean. Star Trek. based on the screenplay by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman. Pocket Books. 2009. pap. $15. ISBN 978-1-4391-5886-9.
_____. Star Trek. read by Zachary Quinto. Simon & Schuster Audio. 2009. Compact disk. $29.99. ISBN 978-0-7435-9834-7.
JOHNSON, Mike & Tim Jones. Star Trek: Countdown. Story by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman. illus. by David Messina. IDW Publishing, dist. by Diamond Book Distributors. 2009. pap. $17.99. ISBN 978-160010420-6.
BENNETT, Tara. Terminator Salvation: The Official Movie Companion. Titan Books. 2009. Tr $29.95. ISBN 97818485620208; pap. $19.95. ISBN 9781848560819.
_____. The Art of Terminator Salvation. Titan Books. 2009. Tr $35. ISBN 9781848560826.
FOSTER, Alan Dean. Terminator Salvation: The Official Movie Novelization. based on the screenplay by John Brancato & Michael Ferris. Titan Books. 2009. pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-1848560857.
ZAHN, Timothy. Terminator Salvation: From the Ashes. Titan Books. 2009. pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-1848560864.
NARAGHI, Dara. Terminator Salvation Movie Prequel: Sand in the Gears. illus. by Alan Robinson. IDW Publishing, dist. by Diamond Book Distributors. 2009. pap. $17.99. ISBN 978-160010433-6.
The Terminator Omnibus: Volume 1. Dark Horse Books. 2008. pap. $24.95. ISBN 978-1-59307-916-1.
The Terminator Omnibus: Volume 2. Dark Horse Books. 2008. pap. $24.95. ISBN 978-1-59307-917-8.
