An excellent film, thought not as good as T1/T2

Rating: 10/10 (12 June 2009)

The Terminator franchise is what got me interested in the movies in the first place. The first was a suspenseful cyberpunk thriller, and the second became my favourite movie of all time. The third fell short of intelligence but still solid nonetheless, and the TV series was a good addition to the franchise. Nearing the end of May, the fourth and latest film addition of the beloved sci-fi franchise will open, and viewers are in for a sheer summer spectacle.
I'd like to commend director Joseph McGinty Nichol, aka "McG", for really putting his heart and soul into the project from the moment he signed on. His direction is fluid and packed with emotion throughout. Granted, he DID direct the two MTV-like "Charlie's Angels" movies, but let's not forget he also directed the under-appreciated "We Are Marshall", which had top notch acting from the likes of Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox. This could be his best and biggest film yet.
Here, the overall acting is good and solid, with Christian Bale (again) giving a memorable performance as the heroic and disciplined John Connor. He is NOT the teen John Connor (Ed Furlong and Tom Dekker) and definitely not a hapless "off-the-grid" bum (Nick Stahl). He is a completely new, different, and better John Connor than before. Christian Bale is a terrific actor, in fact one of the very best of the new generation of actors, and he definitely puts heart into this role. I can't wait to see him in "Public Enemies". Sam Worthington plays Marcus. Is he human, or a machine? I can't reveal that, but his performance is great nonetheless. Really full of emotion, and it takes a lot of skill to balance the performances. Not to mention he has a killer physique! No wonder James Cameron picked him for his "Avatar". Bryce Howard is good as Connor's wife/second-in-command, and acts as a shield for Connor. Moon Bloodgood provides some eye candy, gets into some action, and manages to deliver a decent performance all at once. The rest of the cast, Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese, and Helena Bonham Carter, Common, and Michael (surprise!) Ironside rounding out the above-average performances. And this just shows you don't need an action superstar to make a franchise movie successful. Speaking of which, there is a certain "cameo" for which I personally felt relieved.
The screenplay is well written, although it has few cheesy moments, but all is forgiven as most of the story and screenplay is written with so much detail that it literally is a Terminator movie unlike any other. Of course, with a script by T3 penners John Brancato and Michael Ferris, and an uncredited script polish by Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento) you just know that the screenplay is more than bang and cheese. The film is edited very nicely and lets you follows the action without a forced rush. The cinematography is gorgeously dark; it really puts you into the bleak and disturbing future. Add to that a lot (and I mean A LOT) of intense action sequences of which are mostly filmed real, complete with fantastically rendered CGI effects AND giant robots, that are pleasures to watch. Eye candy for the win. Speaking of robots (sorry, I meant CYBORGS), there's literally an army of different models of terminators here, and Terminator geeks will have a field day trying to guess which model is which. And of course, no Terminator film would be complete without Brad Fiedel's iconic theme, to which veteran film composer Danny Elfman truly does justice to, while making some glorious film music of his own.
In short, I had a fantastic time watching it, and definitely would be going back to see it again when it opens. Most of the Terminator fans would definitely NOT be disappointed with this installment, as it is chock-full of action, heavy on heroics, and breathtaking in scope. It will definitely have a long run at the movies, and will give Michael Bay a run for his money. (P.S. I know Transformers have bigger robots, but Terminator: Salvation has a better story) See it on the big screen where it belongs. It is a great movie altogether, not just a perfect summer blockbuster. James Cameron can rest easy, as this franchise shows no sign of slowing down.
Entertainment value: 10/10 Overall: 8/10