Not quite there...

Rating: 7/10 (19 July 2009)

Terminator Salvation is the forth installment in the sci-fi trilogy that started way back in early 80's. Who knew that such a film would become a franchise of it's own spawning TV spin-offs, comic and eventually a fourth film.
How does Terminator: Salvation hold up without it's most recognizable star? It does a decent job, actually...however... be prepared for a different kind of movie.
It starts with a convict named Marcus Wright on death row, the year's 2003, then we shift to 2017, with John Connor, played by Christian Bale, who has greatly matured from the T3 Nick Stahl days, trying to understand what is Skynet plotting and how Marcus who suddenly wakes up in that year, fits in to all of this.
This fourth Terminator movie starts off with a very different kind of scope, the story cuts away between Marcus's POV and John Connor's POV until they cross paths, in which a somewhat predictable twist appears.
Like I said, it's a different movie, we no longer have one relentless machine stalking our heroes as they team up with a slightly inferior model, we kinda only get something along that template near the end of the film.
It's a little disappointing to see that the future doesn't hold as much menace as the other movies have mentioned. The trailer gives a glimpse of despair and complete loss of hope, a bleak picture, but the finished product reveals humanity as capable of facing such a threat as John Connor outsmarts and outfights a Terminator early on, as the movie goes on, machines are most of the times bested, particularly in chase scene with Kyle Reese, Marcus and a little mute girl we never actually get to know, who sorta seems to be thrown in to have a kid character.
Of course, if you're looking for loads of action, T:S delivers just that, but in the scope of a war movie. Some catchphrases from previous films make their timeless appearance. Though slightly out of place, but I have to admit that when Bale says "I'll be back", it does sound kinda cool.
But when I think about the plot, I think they could've done something better. My main beef is that Skynet never had any possible way of knowing that Kyle Reese is Connor's father. It doesn't even make the slightest bit of sense, I mean, was Skynet making a list of hits, was it randomly generated? Was it a coincidence Reese was in the hit list? That was a might big coincidence...
We never know, it's not clear, equally silly is how Marcus was only under influence of Skynet, but never truly controlled by them. They do nothing to stop him. Again, very silly.
Now, acting-wise, as much as I praised Bale in his other films, I have to admit that his modus operandi has become slightly predictable, his deep voice really sinks in, but there was nothing in there that could be considered extreme(this because, that fight with Shane Hulbert was still fresh in everybody's mind), but he passes the test. Finally get to see that brave John Connor, almost Rambo-like, instead of the annoying wimpy teenager, young adult from the Sarah Chronicles series and T3.
The Australian actor who plays Marcus Wright, Sam Worthington, also makes for a great performance, a half-man, half-machine with an identity crisis, at least when the twist arrives.
The rest of the cast do a terrific job and I have to give props to Roland Kickinger with his cameo, with the digital Arnold slapped into his face. I admit, my heart nearly stopped and I felt the urge to shout"Oh, yeah, I payed my ticket to see this!". Short, obvious CG Arnold, but a very nice touch.