Terminator Salvation (2009)

Director: McG

Cast: Christian Bale as John Connor, Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright, Moon Bloodgood as Blair Williams, Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Serena Kogan, Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese, Jadagrace as Star, Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate Connor, Common as Barnes, Jane Alexander as Virginia, Michael Ironside as General Ashdown, Ivan G'Vera as General Losenko (as Ivan Gvera), Chris Browning as Morrison, Dorian Nkono as David, Beth Bailey as Lisa, Victor J. Ho as Mark (as Victor Ho)

Terminator Salvation is not a bad movie. Our nations top critics would
have you believe so but having seen the film for myself I'm glad to
report otherwise. On the other hand, Terminator Salvation is not a
great movie either. In other words, it occupies a gray middle ground
between the two. it is a film that certainly has its very fine moments
as well as some faults.

Let's start with the good. Regardless of what you think of the film's
director McG, you cannot deny the man's ability to depict on screen
action. The action scenes and special effects are some of the best I've
seen, as he really knows what he's doing behind the camera when the
time comes to thrill the audience. This alone warrants enough reason to
see this movie in theaters. You'll know what I'm talking about once you
see it. Anton Yelchin steals the show as Kyle Reese. He delivers the
best performance in the film by far. This kid is the real deal and
barring some unforeseen tragedy, he will be a big, big star in the near
future. The film's pace is brisk, as McG keeps the plot moving at a
nice clip. This, though, acts both as a gift and a curse. More on the
pace in a minute.

Unfortunately, my praise for this film pretty much ends there. Bale is
not half bad as the hero John Connor. At times his performance feels
somewhat flat but I think that this may have been a premeditated choice
on his part to depict Connor as war weary. He's not bad in this role as
critics would have you believe. The other film's characters
unfortunately lack depth. They were very thinly written and one
dimensional. And this is where the film's main problems lie. The script
feels half baked. The story presented here isn't half bad, it's just
that it seems rushed. A revision or two would have probably helped to
flesh out the story and characters more. And lastly, there's the pace.
As I mentioned earlier, the film moves along at a nice clip. You'll
never be bored. The fault I find with this is that is that the
filmmakers never stop to smell the roses. They'll never let the points
their trying to make resonate for a minute because before you know it
there's another chase or another Terminator will present itself and try
to kill everyone. And as a result the film lacks the emotional depth
that was ever so present in T2 and even a bit in T3. Some will say that
I'm nitpicking here but I'd rather watch a movie that depicts great
action AND makes me think rather than a movie that just has great
action scenes. The last five minutes of the film are lacking as well.
Simply a weak ending.

All in all though, I enjoyed this movie. I had a good time and was able
to live with the film's faults because the action scenes were that
good. If only McG had demanded a better script from the film's writers
we could have had a truly epic Terminator film. Instead we've only been
presented with a somewhat good Terminator movie. Fun to watch but about
as deep as a puddle. Here's hoping McG gets to take another crack at
this franchise because he shows some real promise here. Next time
though, I hope he has the good sense to demand a better screenplay.