The future isn't what it used to be...

Rating: 7/10 (23 July 2009)

It's been a few weeks since I've seen this film, but I remember it being a good 'popcorn' type of movie. In some ways the world it creates is in line with what the re-imagined Star Trek movie did (also released in 2009). So, if you hate what has been done in this movie, it's possible to rationalise and to hope for a better attempt at a sequel-reimagination. If you love this movie, then the world which this movie creates will be your preferred Terminator world.
For me, this is by no means a great movie. It's entertaining but that's about it. Not sure that it has any repeat viewing value. Like I said, the world which this movie creates doesn't seem to gel with what we came to expect based on the earlier movies. Not into the mythology of this series enough to know whether paradoxes or contradictions are created.
By far the most interesting character in this movie is Marcus Wright, played by Sam Worthington. He's a mystery character whom John Connor (played by Christian Bale) does not know whether to trust or not...is Wright a man or a machine? Friend or foe?
For the second time in the last few years, Bale has been upstaged by an Australian co-star...the last time was with Heath Ledger's immortal characterisation of The Joker in "The Dark Knight" Batman movie. It looks to me as if Bale is going down the route of trying to make a lot of money in movies...he's betting that there will be a Terminator series of sequels starring him, and that he'll make a fortune from them. Unfortunately, like Batman, John Connor is rather dull and a blank canvas. The parts which actors would jump at, like The Joker and Marcus Wright, are infinitely more interesting than the box office heroes Bale is playing...perhaps this truth galls Bale so much that he would be inclined to verbally abuse crew members making Terminator: Salvation?
Anyway, lots of action in this movie, which is well done, and I did find the twists that this movie brought up to be interesting. Maybe other fans of this series will find those twists to be more of a problem for them than I did. Can't say that I am locking in viewing any subsequent movies in this series. The Transformers sequel has killed my desire to see any more movies in that franchise. Whilst having more action than this movie, Transformers is a whole lot less interesting and entertaining...but you would never guess that going on its extraordinary box office success.