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Terminator Salvation opens in the early 2000s with the execution of a criminal named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) and his signing over of his body to a dying scientist (Helena Bonham Carter). Many years later, the machines have risen and a small resistance of humans tries to battle Skynet, fend off waves of deadly robots, and stay alive. John Connor (Christian Bale) has assumed the role of savior and leader that his mother and a few time travelers always told him he would. Believe it or not, Salvation keeps T3: Rise of the Machines in the canon, re-casting Claire Danes with Bryce Dallas Howard as John's wife Kate. Common and Moon Bloodgood also star as resistance fighters.
Connor has long known that there's an essential component to his past, present, and future – Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin). If Kyle doesn't go back and actually impregnate John's mother, well, who knows what will happen? If you follow most movies like this, I think the timeline would collapse and the universe would get sucked into a black hole. Call J.J. Abrams and ask him. John learns that Skynet is targeting a young Reese at the same time that a new figure comes in contact with the future time traveler – a re-born Marcus Wright. The executed man has no idea why he's back or where he is, but anyone with even the vaguest ability to predict anything knows that Marcus is the next wave in Skynet technology – a non-self-aware cyborg.
Does Terminator Salvation look good? Undeniably. There are some powerful sequences, including an attack on survivors at a gas station that gets the heart racing (although the climactic scene plays like a stupid video game with the good guy finding more and more environmental elements to use against the bad one). And Worthington is effective, certainly more than Bale, who gives his most uninspired performance to date. Honestly, his infamous rant showed more passion than this performance. THIS is the savior of the human race? This dull, passion-less character who for some reason sounds a lot like that growling Batman character? This is far and away Bale’s least inspired performance, the first time that this great actor has seriously disappointed.
Ultimately, Terminator Salvation loses the heart of the piece. It trudges forward instead of zipping along like the Cameron films. And it's shockingly humorless. At least the first two Terminator films (and arguably even the third) were FUN. And that's what's missing from this one. There's no sense that you should be having a good time while you watch McG pound you over the head with his $200 million special effects budget. It's a cold set-up for a new line of sequels, not a continuation of an old franchise or even an enjoyable film on its own. How ironic that a Terminator film is so clearly a product of the Hollywood machine.
Rating: ONE AND A HALF BONES
Reviewed by Brian Tallerico (MovieRetriever.com Film Critic)
Release Date: May 21st, 2009
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood, Helena Bonham Carter, Anton Yelchin, Jadagrace, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Common
Director: McG
Writer: John D. Brancato & Michael Ferris
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