Breathtaking action sequences while story goes loose.

Rating: 6/10 (19 December 2009)

This sequel (or should it be prequel?) to the Terminator series is the worst of them all. And I don't write worst because it's bad, because the film in itself is nearly great, I write bad because it doesn't live up to it's predecessors ambitions and that is what it's all about in an x-installment of a series specially so challenging and defiant as Terminator.
Director McG mostly known for his appearances in the film industry as a producer (Charlie's Angels) is given, in my opinion, an overwhelming task, to make a great action flick related at some level with the Terminator franchise. But at what level? Because this postapocalyptic scenario with merciless indestructible robots and desperate on the break of extinction humans just isn't there. Here everything is more settled, with human beings roaming over the Earth just being careful not to cross paths with a Terminator and battles in which you come to ask yourself how can Skynet be so bad at annihilating the human race with all the resources and technology at her disposal. Even in one scene it's the own robots that are escaping from humans chased by a couple of prewar A-10s! Yeah, we are truly super-humans, bright and strong, went it comes to do with desperate suicidal situations. But well, everything here can be forgiven for the main cause, the action (ACTION! ACTION! ACTION!) and that is what McG is so good at if you can forget about the story. MCG as truly shown to everybody that he can do great action. He's really good at it. The problem is he is not all that good in all.
Then comes the plot, who said the story isn't important in action films? Excuse me sir, but this is not just a mid-summer night evasion, it's THE action-sci-fi series. Through the series we came to see compelling characters and heart touching moments alongside with intelligent issues to discuss of when coming out of the cinema. Yet everything here has changed. The two first introductory scenes starring Sam Worthington are truly revealing charged with beautiful Christian symbols, though i'm not Christian, implying the arrival of a savior in an apocalytical era. And from here, everything goes loose, specially the characters as there is no real story apart the one you're thinking out in your head, trying to figure how it will end up while watching the film, that will be surely better than the original one.
Is John Connor (Christian Bale) there? In some sort. He does all the shouting and tries of his best to save the day. Impressive. Thanks a lot and remember John, you are the Resistance, don't forget those words as you will seem as a mute without them. Is Kate Connor there? Yeah but she's pregnant so she won't boder a lot with the action. She's just pregnant and that's it, it's the only thing you need to know even if she appears more than usual in front of the camera. And who's Barnes? Oh yeah, that's the wanna-be lieutenant always stucked to Connor who will give is life for him but not in a biblical sense. Cool hum? Oh, and the hot girl, Blair Williams so charming and yet so cold, she seems even to be brighter and more fully realized than the rest. Sam Worthington – Marcus Wright – is maybe the most interesting character of the whole, but not because the script writer had a bit of imagination left but just because he is supposed to be the key to everything. And yet he fails, and that is what makes fail the story, if there is at least one or two characters that make advance the story with a touching ending this movie could have been easily much better than what it is right now.
I'm terribly sorry if this review as exceeded itself a bit, but hey, it's Terminator, you can write about it in one paragraph. Thanks a lot for you interest and watch the film with an open mind, it's reasonably good, really.