Glazed over for some reason.

Rating: 9/10 (13 April 2013)

Folks, the fan boys were wrong.
First, different director. FYI, Cameron was dragged into the second one by Arnie and co, and don't even bring up the third installment. So really, you can only hold James Cameron responsible for the first entry into the series. Don't believe me, read the articles on how many times the rights have changed companies for this series, and what they originally sold for! That being said, if I didn't recognize McG's proficiency as a directer, I do now.
The tone and setting of the movie are grainy, beige, post-apocalyptic, dystopian world after Judgement Day. Judgement Day has occurred, but on a different time frame thanks to the previous events of the past movies changing the course of history. This time, we see the world as it would be after those events, including the persecution and enslavement of humanity by the entity known as Skynet. Characters in the film reflect this world, wearing clothes from consignment, military garb, etc. T models, HKs, along with a slew of new robotic baddies, and even the famed T-600s make their way into the film, all thanks to the creative mind and final entry of the historically significant Stan Winston, appearing in probably his last cameo before his passing. And all those robots look as bad-ass as anything else Stan's development team has come up with. While the film may not have the same blue hue that Terminator and T2 had, it definitely has it's own saturation and faded feel to it.
Sound is straight Terminator. Danny Elfman is back, including the five notes everybody remembers. This time, terminators make clenching sound when turning and moving, something distinct and unfortunately not reproducible in text for a review. Explosions, lows, and metal clashes sound like they should. Between Bale and Worthington there's plenty of screaming to get your inner aggro on; I think the development team's talent recruitment purposefully selected these two for yelling beyond their recommendations from directors. All in all, it sounds like the franchise should.
Talent in this movie is big. Even without Arnold's on-screen presence, there's enough drama and nuance delivered by the main cast to keep people in-thralled. Even Jadagrace grows on you, in-sort of a Newt-esque style, despite delivering no dialog. (If you don't know who the "Newt" is I'm referring to, go watch some movies.) Sam and Christian keep things very manly and in constant control over their respective situations, even during conflict between each other. The new girls to the series, Moon Bloodgood and Bryce Dallas Howard, are both dramatic and very hot. The chemistry between Sam and Moon is especially hot, and it's a shame they didn't deliver a little more relationship time between the two. Common makes for a solid sidekick, but sadly this installment follows Hollywood's formula for sticking black men in second, or just straight killing them off early, *SPOILER* as is the case for Terry Crews, who we see dead for three seconds in the first eight minutes of the film. *END SPOILER* (If that ruined or spoiled anything for you, your an idiot.) Lastly, Anton Yelchin could be a dead ringer for Micheal Beihn in the near future. Not only did he nail Kyle Reese's mannerisms from the first film, a combination of the make-up department and genetics made him look exactly how a younger Micheal Beihn would have looked. Linda Hamilton returns for an uncredited voice over.
The plot is all over the place, and for good reason. We don't know what's going on until towards the middle and end of the movie, even though there's plenty of throwback's, familiar narrative, and plot devices to allude to what's really happening. That's all I can say without ruining things for people who haven't watched yet. Like all installments of the franchise, the characters are either traveling to a destination for an operative, or in hot pursuit by (a) terminator(s). The fundamental why is answered later on. Pacing is solid, we have high and low intensity moments all through out. At no time will you watch the clock, I promise you. I did of course watch the Director's Cut, which does have several more moments of glorious near R-rated cinematography. Live action sequences are fairly long and well spliced together, during a particular sequence, the cameramen had to chase after Moon and Sam for several minutes under stunt fire! Or so it seems from the superb cut job. There is no longer a mother son, nor father son relationship between characters. Instead we get heterosexual lover and bromance dramas popping up.
Now, pundits against this movie are idiots. Minor canonical imperfections aside, this entry gave us something old and a lot more new. Throwbacks are all over the place, from lines, to stunts, to events, to returning actors, characters, and even creators. Remember this movie went through over five re-writes before it was shot, and the rights to the series have been sold more times than provinces in South Africa. Even after all that, Sam Worthington was recommended by Cameron when contacted by McG, Stan Winston came back to make more movie magic, Danny Elfman returned for the score, Linda Hamilton for the sheer iconic flair, and even another unmentioned actor found their way into production. The T-600s and 800s look impressive, and despite one intentionally shooting it's foot, they come off menacing. All the other baddies deliver quick dosages of wanton carnage at the blink of an eye, reinforcing the "kill or be killed" attitude of the series. Even the climaxes of battles, while being very much throwback driven, have awesome and unpredictable outcomes. The angst against this movie is purely nostalgia driven, and nothing more. I also loved the first movie, and had every toy from the line-up when T2 came out back in 1991.
Superb flick, and I'd recommend it if you haven't seen or rented it yet.