A strong story sacrificed to action sequences.

Rating: 5/10 (1 June 2009)

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Terminator Salvation is the secret behind the title. The film is indeed about salvation-- but not the salvation of any familiar character like John Connor or Kyle Reese or even the T-800. Instead, this sequel tackles one of the richest themes of sci-fi: exploring the "humanity" of an artificial man. The secret of Terminator Salvation is that it begins, and crucially ends, with an original character-- a death row inmate called Marcus-- who becomes an entirely new hero in this long-established franchise.
If only the filmmakers had developed and respected that creative storyline. Instead, the idea is all but lost in a relentless, and relentlessly loud (not Danny Elfman's best work), maelstrom of action sequences. Adding to the ear injury is the screenplay. There are few if any memorable quotes, and many truly lame lines. Most memorable are the idiotic shouts of "Hang on!" when everybody was already (DUH!) gripping any available purchase to survive yet another deafening action sequence.
But although this movie disappoints, a lot of obvious talent went into it. I refer not to Christian Bale, who has become Hollywood's true Hoarse Whisperer. I refer to Sam Worthington, who brings a slowly building power to Marcus. It just seems that most of the all-important writing talent ended up on the cutting room floor. Many things do, of course, end up there in any film. But plot and character should not be among them. Sadly, in this case, they seem to have been the earliest victims of the unrelenting CGI.