Terminator Salvation: Review By The Angry Movie Dork

Oct 12th, 2009 by The Angry Movie Dork
The movie was...
  • OVERALL
    3.5
    GREAT
  • Story
  • Acting
  • Directing
  • Visuals
The original Terminator along with it's sequel, Terminator 2: Judgement Day are prime examples of what a good sci-fi should be. Well-shot action sequences with great visuals and cgi, and most importantly well-developed characters who we care for, and a story that pulls you in and never let's go. I know alot of people dislike Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines but I thought it was okay. It was no where near as good as the first two, but it held my interest, had a few twists and turns along the way, and I was never bored. Nonetheless, I was dissapointed by the lack of inovation this time around and it seemed like a pretty pointless addition to the franchise. Now, onto Terminator Salvation.

The fourth installment of the Terminator series follows an adult John Connor (played by Christian Bale) as he attempts to organize a human resistance force which could prove to be mankind's last true hope in the war against the machines. Opening in the year 2018, Terminator Salvation finds John Connor's certainty about the future shaken by the sudden appearance of a mysterious stranger named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), whose last memory is of sitting on death row and awaiting execution. Unable to determine whether Marcus was sent from the future or rescued from the past, Connor begins to wonder whether there is still any hope left for the human race as the robots grow more powerful and aggressive than ever before. It appears that Skynet is preparing a devastating final attack designed to eliminate the human resistance once and for all, leaving Connor and Marcus with no choice but to strike back at the cybernetic heart of Skynet's operations. Once there, the two battle-scarred soldiers discover a devastating secret regarding the potential annihilation of all humankind.

Let's start with the director, his name is McG, yeah I know it sounds like some kind of a burger, but being serious here, his directing surprised me. Unlike alot of action films we get these days where it's either too close or we can't see anything that's going on or it's just too shaky. These action scenes look fantastic and are some of the best I've seen this year. I also liked the mood and dark atmosphere of this post apocalyptic future. While the film had alot going for it, it also had its fair share of flaws, flaws that kept it from being such a great film. The acting, with the exception of Sam Worthington as Marcus, was average at its very best and there was so little heart in the characters. Christian Bale gave a pretty weak performance. Oh, and if Batman's voice bothered you, prepare yourself. The plot is just like the trailer revealed (and an unnecessarily long text explanation reiterates). It also had some pretty big plotholes. There were some things the characters and even machines did that just didn't make any sense. I also wished they could've played the original theme song at least once. It was more then just a theme song. It was an unforgettable score that helped you visualize an apocalyptic future. A future where machines rose from the ashes of a nuclear fire and began exterminating mankind. It gave us a sense of fear and hope. Here, we get this uninspiring, flat theme that just fails to inspire anything human.

Now the movie isn't stupid. It's great they didn't give us the same old story where a Terminator goes back to protect Conner; that's been done to death already. And like I said earlier, the action scenes were great. It's simply flawed. Hopefully, the next film will take a new and better direction. So just see it when it comes out on DVD; it'll be less dissapointing and should save you money.

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Comments (5)

  1. MarcusWright

    For some reason now-a-days, if you don't tell a single joke in a film, it is considered junk by "critics".

    I really wish the internet was filled with much more civilized dialogue (on average). How can you try to discuss each other's PERSONAL enjoyment of a piece of ENTERTAINMENT (movie) when all one can do is use foul language and write in an offensive manner without any specific context?

    So, anyways, I think T4 is very entertaining & ties well into the Terminator Saga/Mythos with some original surprises.

    2 years agoby @marcuswrightFlag

  2. SupermanEmpire

    "best shot action film this decade", HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....honestly I almost pissed my pants to that comment, dude I can't argue about this film with you and expect a fair debate, Your f*cken blog name is Marcus Wright for Gods sake. Big guy, just know that you never have to sacrifice artistic quality, even in action films...McG is a talentless hack...I'm serious when I say that, his vision is limited to two or three minute sequences...this film was a set of four or five of these sequences very poorly strewn together. In short McG's should stick to three minute POP music videos and leave films like this one to the real artists. You can have a Sci-fi/Action film challenge the idea of integrating drama, great dialog and acting...decent example of a true ARTIST who pulled that off this year Neil Blomkamp with his film District 9. Dude bottom line, I wanted McG to show us so badly that he had this film covered, that maybe just maybe he had the necessary artistic vision, talent, and commitment to this project...he didn't. Plain and simple, he is not a talent, and if they give him the next film they are f*cking nuts. To many Niels out there to blow another one of these potencial break-outs on the producer of the "OC"

    2 years agoby @supermanempireFlag

  3. MarcusWright

    Good review & largely disagree with 2nd commenter. Anybody can destroy science fiction art by tearing open "plot holes" as wide as they want. People can nitpick this film (T4) just as they did T3 in comparison to T1/T2 because the film isn't directed by James Cameron but, bottom line, you have to accept that it is NOT James Cameron and judge accordingly. Having said that, I was surprised how well McG directed T4 (best shot action film this decade) and found it to be a great instalment to the 25 year old saga that fits in quite well & successfully introduces lots of new elements. Bale played John Connor just as you'd expect him in his mid-30s, after all the abnormal hardship he's been thru in his life, and his initial complete lack of trust with Marcus Wright (one of the fantastic new elements to the saga) was handled with very good consideration.
    Danny Elfman's T4 score was better than Marco Beltrami's T3 score. I have been waiting for some nice various "human-side" acoustic renditions of Terminator themes and they were good to hear for the first time.
    Was the lacking on "heart-wrenching & epically emotional dialogue"...sure, but I found the actors likable & believable and the plot was original for the saga, very interesting, & well thought out. You have to watch T1 thru T3 just prior to T4 and CANNOT expect EVERY entry in the saga to bring you COMPLETELY up to speed!...hence, "saga".
    Remember, any Terminator film is ultimately just an action movie that makes you think a little bit, even almighty T2. Ultimately, if you're the type who believes that any & every film is in direct competition/comparison with each other, then any argument over opinion is over before it ever begins.

    Would luv to see McG continue his visceral & gripping vision of the Terminator future war. Going back in time at all is done. My opinion for what to see in T5 and T6: sending Kyle Reese back thru time and the conclusion (good or bad) to the war, respectively. Some deep dialogue on the consequences of our reliance, ethics, & faith in technology would be welcome but is not required for an action movie---I think the premise alone of the Terminator world speaks volumes.

    2 years agoby @marcuswrightFlag

  4. SupermanEmpire

    It's flawed because it has no human heart beat. The dialog and character development were sh*t. Bale was used in a way that lacked effectiveness...and those plot holes you spoke of were scattered on this film like a slice of swiss f*cken cheese. I agree the action and effects were amazing, Mc-Gay at least got that right. Hopefully they turn this franchise back over to an artist of this medium, Terminator is more then just pop rocks spilled into coke. Decent review though.

    2 years agoby @supermanempireFlag

  5. Rlt9009

    Good review.

    2 years agoby @rlt9009Flag