Terminator Salvation

Overall score:

Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard and Helena Bonham Carter
Screenplay by John D. Brancatto & Michael Ferris
Directed by McG

Terminator 2: Judgment Day was one of the best sequels ever made, and a tough act to follow. Director Jonathan Mostow learned this the hard way. Terminator: Rise of the Machines had its moments, but then it was also chock full of cheesy in-jokes and just plain wrong-headed bits, and in the end, it felt like its main purpose was to ruin the ending of the second film.

Terminator Salvation is not quite able to reach the heights of the best T2 film in the franchise, However, that's more a reflection of the strength of T2 than on any weakness of the new film, which is quite entertaining in its own right, and probably the second best film in the franchise, even without Arnold Schwarzenegger or James Cameron.

Our story takes place in 2018, with the cataclysmic events of "Judgment Day" finally having taken place, and the surviving members of the human race locked in a war with Skynet, a super-intelligent computer, and with vicious machines called Terminators. There is a rising star in the resistance: John Connor (played by Christian Bale), who many believe is destined to lead the humans to victory. Connor is searching for a young man named Kyle Reese (played by Anton Yelchin), who will eventually travel back in time to become Connor's father. You should probably have at least a passing familiarity with Terminator mythology before trying to follow this one.

Reese, as it turns out, has hooked up with a drifter named Marcus Wright (played by Australian actor Sam Worthington), who has just awoken into this post-apocalyptic world, and has a dark past. When Reese is captured by the machines, Wright searches for the legendary John Connor to help him rescue his friend.

Director Joseph McGinty Nichol, who still insists on going by the ridiculous moniker "McG", is not James Cameron, but he's a lot better than you might expect given his past efforts. He stages spectacular, eye-popping action scenes with considerable flair, in a style that is equal parts Terminator 2 and Saving Private Ryan. And the visual effects are almost flawless (to elaborate on the word almost would be to give away too much). When it comes to battling robots, the new Transformers film will have a lot to live up to. Bale, as expected, is quite good, finally giving us a John Connor who is a strong leader instead of a whiny kid or a slacker. More surprising is Worthington, who nearly steals the movie from Bale in what is likely to be a star-making performance. Moon Bloodgood and Bryce Dallas Howard provide able support, though Helena Bonham Carter is a bit hokey in a small role.

Terminator Salvation is very likely to be one of the most entertaining films of summer 2009, and is one of the most action packed thrill-rides to come along in the last few summers. Its PG-13 rating should not be mistaken for any kind of lowering of intensity level or action--merely the unmissed absence of a few choice words.

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Written by Patrick & Paul Gibbs on May 21st, 2009