TERMINATOR SALVATION (2009)

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"Lacks plot, character development, and sci fi elements however it is an entertaining action flick"

Terminator Salvation is lacking depth and plot however it has enough action and a simplistic yet coherant story for me to appreciate it as an excelllent action film. Terminator and T-2: Judgement Day are viewed as some of the best sci fi films of all time and audiences were disappointed with the third installment Rise Of The Machines so those of you hoping Terminator Salvation redeems T-3 don't hold your breath it is miles better then T-3 however it still has many flaws and pales in comparison to the first two films.

The acting in the film is nothing outstanding but it is good and believable Sam Worthington portrays Marcus Wright perfectly and uses the themes of guilt and angst to get us rooting for Marcus he truly is the up and comming actor James Cameron has said he would be he is tough, intelligent, and a damn good actor he is the stand out character and gives the best performance in the entire film. Christian Bale is good and convincing however he plays a very mundane role John Connor pretty much screams commands and gives uplifting radio speeches Bale uses his "Batman" voice giving us nothing new or complex but seeing a confidant and assertive John Connor is dfantastic after Nick Stahl whiny, bitchy "why me?" John Connor in T-3. Bryce Dallas Howard was a minimal character as Kate Connor but managed to pull off a good performance as did pretty much everybody Moon Bloodgood, and Common all gave sdolid performances however their characters were very one dimensional hopefully in later sequels they get more focus. helena Bonham Carter has a nice cameo and has great onscreen chemistry with Sam Worthington. Anton Yelchin pulls off a phenominal Kyle Reese he's assertive and ballsy and immitates the old Kyle Reese but not to the extent that it's a direct impression but moreso mannerisms.

The movie is lacking heart it shows some with the Marcus Wright storyline but the movie feels incredibly pointless and needs a breather. I think three or four big long action sequences would have worked better and given the film more time to focus on character development and plot instead of the endless onslaught of action scenes and few bits of dialogue. I'm not against nonstop action in fact i love it but their has to be plot in between Crank managed to tell it's plot at lightning fast pace while having non stop action sequences, T-4 has a very complex and interesting part so skipping through it to get more action was not a good idea. The writing is for the most part lazy and unfulfilling.

McG has done a fantastic job with direction here his use of camera angles during action sequences is incredible, the scope and look of the film is downright flawless think Fallout 3 with machines. I think he did a fantastic job helming this film if given better writers and a better script this could have been the best Terminator film of them all but sadly haters of the film will blame McG for it's shortcommings which is wrong because the director did the best with what was given to him.

Overall the special effects and action is phenominal with flawless CGI and intense camera angles however it fails as a Terminator film because it lacks plot, science fiction elements, and character development.