Slightly disappointed with this (Spoilers only if you haven't seen Terminator 3)

Rating: 6/10 (30 May 2009)

I was a little unhappy with Salvation for a few reasons, but there were some good things about the movie. THe action scenes were top notch. THe special effects had a gritty look, probably to give us the look of a world destroyed and overrun with machines, and that was a good thing as well. T4 is definitely a wonderful action epic, and Sam Worthington gives a good performance, but I still felt underwhelmed by the movie for the simple fact that the story had little substance. The other actors besides Worthington were rather shallow as well.
Let's talk about the story first and why it was weak. I get that the world has ended, and the first three films gave us a lot of plot leading up to this. WHat I would've liked T4 to do was give us more of a story about Worthington's character and how he came to be what he is. I also would've liked to see a little back story that led to the point where JOhn COnnor (Bale) ends up being when we first see him is this bleak future. If you remember the ending in T3 the world was destroyed while COnnor and his girlfriend were saved in a bunker. T4 starts off with COnnor already pretty famous, as if he'd been doing this for years. What happened between T3 and the time before the events in T4? I would've liked to see more of this and maybe a little less special effects. The new Star Trek did this well.
Now onto the acting. As I said above, with the exception of WOrthington, the rest of the acting was shallow and disappointing. Bale does not escape criticism here. He does a lot of shouting, but little else. THere's an excellent fight sequence involving him and a Terminator at the end, but nothing else he does really stands out. After Dark Knight, and his turn in other films, I know he can do better. Anton Yelchin plays Kyle Reese. Some people like his acting here, but like Bale, he did a lot of shouting and not much else. I liked his character in Star Trek a lot more. THe real hero of this film is Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright. A character who has some of his own secrets, and brings a lot to the table with his performance here.
Good action scenes and good special effects are all to be found in T4. However if you're looking for a story of some kind and a little better acting from more than just one character, well you will be disappointed. Otherwise, knock yourself out.