Solid, but (sadly) not brilliant.

Rating: 6/10 (5 July 2009)

Alright then. I had pretty high hopes for this one, it is definitely not as bad as everyone said (T3 is much much worse). Technically it is certainly above the crop of most summer blockbusters, but cuts away a lot of needed storyline and character development to make room for pure spectacle.
Visually it takes a lot of inspiration from MAD MAX and BLACK HAWK DOWN, which sets it apart from its (Jim Camerons') Origins. Gone is the familiar steely blue and red illuminated imagery, the cold chrome of the Terminators is replaced by a rusty and soot-covered look. It certainly looks very raw and crude, which is fitting for such a post-apocalyptic setting, but the grit is reserved only for the overall look of the film, everything else is well within the confines of its PG-13 rating. The kid-friendly rating means: Violent scenes seem truncated, and the threat by Skynets' Terminators is mellowed down to a degree that is not tolerable anymore. Granted, Jim Camerons original movies were decidedly NOT a Gorefest, but he used the very few violent scenes very artfully. These scenes underlined the menace of these unstoppable killing machines from the future, this feeling of dread is almost gone in the latest installment of the franchise.
The Structure of T4 is a bit disjointed in the first third of the movie. It constantly jumps between the parallel running story lines of Marcus Wright and John Connor. Its certainly not a good thing to have two leading men in one movie, and it shows. I heard that the original draft of T4 had only Marcus Wright as the main man, and John Connor as an unseen Presence off-screen. That would have been the wiser choice, as the constant struggling between the two leads does hurt the movie. Both Christian Bale and Sam Worthington are good actors, but they should have been "seperated", at least for this one.
A word on Christian Bales performance: Some reviewers said that Bale was "overacting", but I think this is not entirely true. When he does his speeches, its certainly chuckle-inducing as the almost Shakespearian tone of some of his lines is a bit corny. ("Devil hands have been busy"). I think he is more effective in his action parts,when he only has to deliver short and snazzy lines. Then he is really good. When you see him argue with Michael Ironside, screaming into the radio, this is more like it.
Another thing is the soundtrack. I'm sorry, but I think Danny Elfman was simply the wrong choice for this project. His refusal (?) to include the famous Terminator Theme by Brad Fiedel is simply unforgivable. Apart from this omission, the soundtrack lacks a certain oomph , it feels like temp music throughout. I listened to it 3-4 Times, but there was simply nothing out of the ordinary. The opening theme is not bad, but it does not sound like Elfman put a lot of work into it. This continues a trend of mediocre Elfman scores, and I have a feeling that he has lost his touch somehow. He is in unfamiliar territory, and it shows.
Overall, TERMINATOR SALVATION is a solid, but definitely not flawless entry into the Series. It has many problems in the story department, and I have a distinct feeling that the upcoming "Director's Cut" will be somewhat better. As I heard there were about 30-40 Minutes cut away from the movie. Of course, a longer version does not mean it will be better by default, but I am very curious what was cut, and if it helps to make the storyline a bit more logical.