Not bad, but not a memorable classic.

Rating: 6/10 (9 February 2015)

Upon seeing the trailer of Terminator Salvation, I wasn't expecting too much of this movie. When I checked out Terminator Salvation, I was right. Terminator Salvation has been reduced to a popcorn movie thanks to director McG (Charlie's Angels). Though there are various homages and references to the previous Terminator movies and we finally get a look at what the world is like post-Judgement day, it still lacks the heart and soul of its predecessors.
Terminator Salvation takes place in a post-apocalyptic 2018. Christian Bale takes over from Edward Furlong and Nick Stahl as John Connor, now a soldier who is living up to the expectations set by his deceased mother. He still carries tapes of his deceased mother Sarah Connor (an uncredited Linda Hamilton) and the future of mankind weighs heavily on his shoulders. At the same time, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) who was a prisoner on death row who was executed in 2003 but has since been resurrected as a cyborg sent to infiltrate the human resistance. Before Marcus was executed, he agrees to donate his body for a secret project led by an ex-Cyberdyne Systems scientist Dr. Serena Kogan (Helena Bonham Carter). Along the way, Marcus is assisted by a young survivor Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin who is channeling a young Michael Biehn from the 1984 Terminator) and a mute girl Star (Jadagrace Berry). When Skynet prepares a final attack to wipe out mankind, John Connor rallies the remaining survivors to unite and launch an all out assault on Skynet. John Connor must also contend with General Ashdown (Michael Ironside ), the current leader of the Resistance.
It was great to see a cameo of a CGI-Arnold Schwarzenegger as the original Terminator. There were plenty of great homages and references to The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) which saves the movie from being a total disappointment. It's clear that McG was not the right choice for the Terminator franchise as he has reduced Terminator Salvation to a popcorn movie. While I acknowledge that James Cameron is an unbeatable act to follow, surely a better director could have been picked. Perhaps McG should have studied James Cameron's methods as to what made the Terminator movies so successful. Another pet hate of mine is watering down the violence to attract a wider audience. The Terminator movies have a reputation for being violent. Full stop. Don't water the subject matter down just to attract a wider audience, otherwise you risk alienating a lot of loyal fans. The fear factor that was present through Terminator and Terminator 2 is gone. Instead, you have kids fighting in the war.
Terminator Salvation was also (in)famous for a controversial incident involving Christian Bale profanity-laden spray directed at cinematographer Shane Hurlbut which was recorded and leaked onto the internet. Christian Bale has since apologised to Shane Hurlbut and also made a public apology for his inexcusable behaviour.
That aside, though Terminator Salvation wasn't the best of the Terminator franchise. It wasn't that bad of a movie compared to other sequels that are considered the worst, however it wasn't that memorable. It's enough to pass the time.
6/10.