Terminator: Salvation

The first question one may ask him or herself about Terminator Salvation...is another Terminator movie really necessary? Considering Terminator 3 was made as somewhat of an afterthought, probably not. Especially when considering this one wouldn't feature Arnold Schwarzenegger...or would it?

So it's post-apocalyptic 2018, and it's a setting we've seen many a time. This version is not particularly any better than usual. In fact, I prefer the dark, ominous version we saw glimpses of in the first two films. Those movies gave us enough of an idea of the future to not warrant an entire movie made about it. But there was money to be made, as most series that go beyond 3 films aim for.

As foretold by the previous films, John Connor (Christian Bale) is a grown man now, battling against Skynet and its army of machines. He is aided by Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood), and a mysterious man named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), who turns out to actually be only partially man. Connor reluctantly accepts his help in an effort to save Kyle Reese, (Anton Yelchin, aka Chekov in Star Trek), who is Connor's father. But at this point, Reese is younger than Connor. I'm not sure how this timeline works exactly, but something seems a bit...off. Perhaps some of you Terminator die hards can help me out here.

The action rarely lets up, and it is enjoyable. The special effects are, as to be expected, excellent. The movie is all spectacle but with little substance. Bale said he went on his rant due to an interruption in the most emotionally intense scene of the film. I'm still not sure which scene that would be. There is very little emotion going on in this film. To be fair, the Terminator films have never been much more than action films. I feel that Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn made for interesting characters though, and Arnold was so perfect as the Terminator it's impossible to imagine the part being played better. Worthington is supposed to be mostly human, but appears to be mostly machine in his role. Moon Bloodgood is entertaining, and certainly has a fantastic name if nothing else. Bale is an incredible actor, but does not have much to work with here. He is simply an action hero, and it's not really his type of role. Batman is much more than an action hero, on the other hand.

The first three Terminator movies had a villain who actually could give the heroes a run for their money. In this one, there is no real villain, except for the brief appearance of a formidable foe. However, it is both a positive and a negative in a way. That formula had become old after the third installment rolled around. However, the suspense is a bit lessened. You know John Connor will succeed because, well, we see an older Kyle Reese in The Terminator. So we really know how it will go down before it does. Which is another reason this movie is a tad unnecessary.

I have mentioned quite a few negatives, but this movie is actually pretty enjoyable. It doesn't try to be any more than what it is, a non-stop action movie. Movies like Star Trek succeeded in becoming something more. Do not expect many deep thoughts to enter your brain during this film. Just try to sit back and watch Christian Bale blow things up.

Rating: 6.5/10