As a Terminator film, it kinda falls flat. As a blockbuster, it entertained the heck out of me.

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2010)

Terminator Salvation was a movie, I was very weary of, for one sole reason, No Arnold. Much to my delight, it managed to pass the time very amiably, and entertain me heavily, for a 100 or so odd minutes. It definitely does not feel like a true Terminator movie, and that did kinda disappoint me, but its so much fun to watch, in the end I didn't really care all that much. There are a few inconsistencies in the film, that hampered the film a little bit, but nothing overly major to where it distracted me. The main quality's Salvation has, is it's entertainment value and the cast. There is so much thrilling action taking place, it really makes you forget about how disappointing it is, due to the lack of Arnold. Having Linda Hamilton do the voice overs for Sarah Connor, was a nice touch, and I also thought it was cool how they planted Arnold's face in the end on the T-800, too bad it wasn't a real cameo. The cast though, is what truly makes this work. If it wasn't for Christian Bale, Anton Yelchin, and Sam Worthington, this film would have been a forgettable action film, in my opinion.
Performances. Christian Bale is the best John Connor yet. He has a few off moments, but for the most part he came through, in a big way. Sam Worthington is excellent as Marcus. His vulnerability, and entering into a realm of unknown, was a treat to watch. Moon Bloodgood is sexy no doubt about that, but she's also a pretty good actress too. Blair doesn't have as much screen time as I'd have like, but she did fine with what she had to do. Helena Bonham Carter receives somewhat top billing, but is rarely in the movie. Anton Yelchin does a fantastic impression of Michael Biehn. For his age, and pressure he had to take over for him, he did an excellent job. Jadagrace is a likable kid actress, go figure!. Her unsureness, and weird quirks were quite cute. Bryce Dallas Howard is mediocre as Kate. She's no Claire Danes, that's for sure. Michael Ironside is a bad ass once more, and about time!.
Bottom line. Terminator Salvation is a very entertaining entry, that I had a good time with. It's disappointing in some cases, but for the most part, I dug every moment. Terminator fans will probably be mixed on how they feel about this movie, but I recommend it highly, for a great night of entertainment.
8/10