Not the train wreck the critics would have you believe but not without its fair share of faults.

Rating: 7/10 (3 June 2009)

Terminator Salvation is not a bad movie. Our nations top critics would have you believe so but having seen the film for myself I'm glad to report otherwise. On the other hand, Terminator Salvation is not a great movie either. In other words, it occupies a gray middle ground between the two. it is a film that certainly has its very fine moments as well as some faults.
Let's start with the good. Regardless of what you think of the film's director McG, you cannot deny the man's ability to depict on screen action. The action scenes and special effects are some of the best I've seen, as he really knows what he's doing behind the camera when the time comes to thrill the audience. This alone warrants enough reason to see this movie in theaters. You'll know what I'm talking about once you see it. Anton Yelchin steals the show as Kyle Reese. He delivers the best performance in the film by far. This kid is the real deal and barring some unforeseen tragedy, he will be a big, big star in the near future. The film's pace is brisk, as McG keeps the plot moving at a nice clip. This, though, acts both as a gift and a curse. More on the pace in a minute.
Unfortunately, my praise for this film pretty much ends there. Bale is not half bad as the hero John Connor. At times his performance feels somewhat flat but I think that this may have been a premeditated choice on his part to depict Connor as war weary. He's not bad in this role as critics would have you believe. The other film's characters unfortunately lack depth. They were very thinly written and one dimensional. And this is where the film's main problems lie. The script feels half baked. The story presented here isn't half bad, it's just that it seems rushed. A revision or two would have probably helped to flesh out the story and characters more. And lastly, there's the pace. As I mentioned earlier, the film moves along at a nice clip. You'll never be bored. The fault I find with this is that is that the filmmakers never stop to smell the roses. They'll never let the points their trying to make resonate for a minute because before you know it there's another chase or another Terminator will present itself and try to kill everyone. And as a result the film lacks the emotional depth that was ever so present in T2 and even a bit in T3. Some will say that I'm nitpicking here but I'd rather watch a movie that depicts great action AND makes me think rather than a movie that just has great action scenes. The last five minutes of the film are lacking as well. Simply a weak ending.
All in all though, I enjoyed this movie. I had a good time and was able to live with the film's faults because the action scenes were that good. If only McG had demanded a better script from the film's writers we could have had a truly epic Terminator film. Instead we've only been presented with a somewhat good Terminator movie. Fun to watch but about as deep as a puddle. Here's hoping McG gets to take another crack at this franchise because he shows some real promise here. Next time though, I hope he has the good sense to demand a better screenplay.