Directed by McG (which passes for a human name now, apparently) - this expensive $200
million dollar dystopian action film was released in May of 2009, where it grossed $370 million.
The 115-minute adventure follows a group of resistance fighters in the ruined, post-Judgment
Day future, who must work together to battle deadly machines.
To its credit, this PG-13-rated movie took the sci-fi series to its next logical place,
but by doing so, it removed all of the time-travel intrigue and horror elements of its predecessors.
And without Schwarzenegger's involvement...
there's really no point at all.
Sure, the futuristic battle scenes briefly shown during the earlier movies were awesome
- but building an entire story around that concept is like having an ice cream sundae
without the ice cream.
You're just left eating a bowl full of hot fudge... and no one wants that.
The fresh cast is led by non-Americans Christian Bale and Sam Worthington, who attempt their
best American accents throughout.
The former plays resistance leader John Connor, who constantly seems out of breath and angry
for the entire picture, while the latter brings an interesting dynamic as a convicted killer
coming to terms with a new identity.
While Bale's interpretation of the character is a complete departure from what came before
- the men give solid performances, especially in the few scenes they share together, even
though they aren't given a great script to work with.
Anton Yelchin is wonderful playing a younger version of Michael Beihn's character from
part 1, while Moon Bloodgood looks sexy and takes charge as a battle-hardened pilot.
Sharing experience with a new ally, she remarks, "You can focus on what is lost... or you can
fight for what is left."
Rounding out the group is Bryce Dallas Howard - underutilized as Bale's wife, Common is
rarely convincing as a dime-a-dozen solider, Helena Bonham Carter breathes some life into
a present-day prologue, and Linda Hamilton has a voice-only cameo in an uncredited role.
Her involvement is minor, but with such a large disconnect to previous films...
this small bit of continuity is key.
Likewise, I appreciate "Salvation"'s numerous set-ups and references; like an explanation
for John Connor's scars, or where Kyle Reese learned to attach his shotgun to his wrist
- but this attention to detail sometimes blatantly contradicts established canon.
Like one pivotal piece of exposition, where a hard-nosed general - played by Michael Ironside
- explains that Skynet, "like all machines... has an off switch".
Except Nick Stahl explicitly explained in part three that, "There was no system core.
It could not be shut down."
The strengths and weaknesses of this planet-killing robot army seem to change whenever it's convenient
to the plot.
In a drastic tonal shift, this fourth installment is completely humorless... making the non-stop
action feel less enjoyable that it could be.
But when our heroes attempt to escape a giant three-story robot harvester, the ensuing action
is undeniably thrilling.
Since this film doubles as a sort of prequel to previous events, we already know which
characters will survive - robbing most of the movie of any real tension.
Meanwhile, the entire experience is filmed with a very muted color palate - everything
is a boring shade of brown or grey.
This visual decision was a terrible mistake that makes the whole movie look so uninteresting
and bland.
By comparison, here's what it might look like if it were properly saturated.
Honestly, the most memorable part of this entire picture is a brief cameo by the original
Terminator model, computer render using Schwarzenegger's likeness.
Where it not for its title, this would be an overlooked adventure people instantly forget
about - and certainly not worth seeing twice.
"Terminator Salvation" delivers fleeting enjoyment that's disconnected from the franchise.
Now let's check out some of your thoughts.
Calling it a boring disappointment, and the worst entry in the "Terminator" series, you
rated "Salvation" a FOUR out of ten.
I'll be slightly more forgiving with a score of ALRIGHT.