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DVT kicks a whole lot of rumpus! Movie review by Roger Eggbert - Chicago Fun-Times How do you revive two dying movie franchises? Throw two of your favorite film franchises into a blender, press GO and then serve. That's the result with DVT; the soon-to-be famous acronym for Darth Vader vs. Terminator. In the long list of protagonist vs. protagonist movies; the clash of the Titans between larger than life sci-fi characters or, creatures, i.e: King Kong vs. Godzilla, Freddy vs. Jason, Alien vs. Predator, the once rumored Superman vs. Batman, and heck, Max Cady vs. Norman Bates (my idea), alas, we get Darth Vader vs. Terminator. Come to think of it, Terminator vs. Predator could kick some rumpus too. Here, everything AND the kitchen sink is thrown into the final mix. Everything we know about Darth Vader and the Terminator is shown in full cinematic glory. Taking for granted that you obviously know who these famous sci-fi characters are, there is no need for extensive background information.
T-800 aka the Terminator robot is sent back in time to complete the mission of all missions (more info on that later). The time machine errs and ends up sending the T-800 so far back that he ends up spinning thru space a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Our T-800 fumbles thru a time warp and winds up in a jungle on the planet of Naboo. Again, if you are familiar with the Star Wars franchise you'll have an idea on what the planet Naboo is all about. It was once home to master Jedi Yoda. Now completely lost and making unexpected and somewhat violent discoveries in the jungles of Naboo, the Terminator ends up becoming a pupil of the world's most famous digital puppet: Sir master Yoda who attempts to teach our T-800 the mysteries of the Force. Our T-800 cannot compute or understand what is this thing called the Force and therefore, another famous robot by the name of C-3PO gives the T-800 a new, much more advanced brain chip. These two machines end up knowing how to "bond" in a brotherly way in one of several comic relief scenes. The Terminator informs master Yoda that his original mission was to go back to 1939 and assassinate Hitler. However, Yoda and C-3PO have no idea what the hell he is referring to. The time warp voyage ended up screwing up his internal hard drive. So, before I continue, allow me to do a recap. Darth Vader died in episode 6 of the Star Wars franchise also known as Return of the Jedi. Thus, this means that DVT takes place between episodes 3 and 4. Or, between Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars : A New Hope. This story occurs BEFORE the appearance of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. There lies the Star Wars' saga continuity logic. Without giving too much away, I will reveal that our T-800 is reprogrammed to find a way to assassinate Darth Vader. But, will he succeed? I won't reveal WHO wins the battle but I will admit that with today's advances in digital technology, the duel between Darth Vader and Terminator is, arguably, one of the best sci-fi action sequences ever put on film. Or, in this case, transferred to film since the original footage was shot on digital tape. Nevertheless, it rivals any sword fight or light saber duel ever assembled in the past.
I do have to admit that my favorite scene in DVT contains a very humorous attempt by the T-800 to put on a Stormchaser armor suit while battling a herd of robotic
laser-firing orbs (like the ones seen in Phantom of the Menace). The result ends up being a cross between
Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon and Abbott & Costello meet
Frankenstein. I have to give it to Mr. George Lucas and Mr. James Cameron for finally teaming up. DVT is surely the best of the action sci-fi bubble gum summer
pictures EVER. It contains some of the most priceless moments ever captured on celluloid. Heck, its conclusion hints there might even be a sequel.
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An illustration of
Arnold
by artist
André Houle.
Click on
AH
for more of his images.
For everything on
Arnold
click on the
Global Arnold
link.
For everything on
The Terminator
click on The
Terminator Files
link.
Pyrodactyls! Rocky Vs. Jaws
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