Summer Movie Posse on ‘Terminator’: ‘A robot’s anguish guarantees my attendance’

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This is Summer Movie Posse week at the Big Picture blog, when we hear -- straight, no chaser -- from a group of local teenagers who watch a batch of summer movie trailers before offering a highly opinionated take on this year’s slate of summer films. (Read yesterday’s post for a more thorough accounting of the Posse’s membership, along with their likes and dislikes.)

In past years, the most popular trailers have almost always been comedies. But this year is different: Action rules.

One of the Posse’s favorite trailers was “Terminator: Salvation,” a futuristic heavyweight slugfest that offers a new spin on the venerable “Terminator” series. (Most of the kids had seen the earlier movies, but only on DVD.) The Posse’s verdict? Thumb’s up. Their grade (out of a possible 60): 53. Here’s some of their thoughts on the subject:

Alex Alexiev, 16: “It’s very cool. I’m a science nerd and I like things that blow up, so I’m ready to see it.”

Jasmine Jafari, 15: “The music was perfect. The machines were very scary. And the voice [on the trailer] really pulled me in, like it was whispering a secret in your ear. Even though I’ve never been a big ‘Terminator’ fan, I loved it. A robot’s anguish guarantees my attendance.”

Michael Philbin, 18: “I’m interested. I’ve never seen what a ‘Terminator’ movie is like without Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

Ben Sassoon, 17: “I liked the fighting scenes, but I’m always interested in the ideas you get from sci-fi films, like that futuristic idea of machines being out in the world and wondering if they will develop a conscience about their actions. It could be pretty cool.”

Molly Philbin, 15: “My only worry is about Christian Bale. I’m not sure I like the idea of him yelling the whole time in that strange, creepy voice. That could get to you after a while.”

Jasmine: “I know what you mean. I haven’t been able to take Christian Bale seriously since he was in ‘Velvet Goldmine.’ ”

Coming next: The Posse weighs in on ‘’Transformers.” We’re not giving away the verdict, but let’s just say that Michael Bay shouldn’t get his hopes up.

The “Terminator” trailer: