Lots of noise and destruction. That's about it.

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 2009)

Good action film, great special effects. The problem? It's not a very good "Terminator" movie. It plays out like any one of a hundred post-apocalyptic shoot-em-ups. Stock characters, minimal character development, action sequences revved up beyond belief really just for the sake of the eye-candy of the special effects, and lapses in logic (both geographic and common sense) that undermine the integrity of the story.
I wanted to like this film. I was VERY impressed with the CGI. But in the earlier "Terminator" films the effects served the story. In this film, the story exists simply to provide framework for the action set pieces and effects. Lots of frosting, very little cake.
And by the way, Moon Bloodgood is as smoking hot as any actress with a ridiculous professional name will probably ever be.
There are a few characters that exist for NO REASON AT ALL except to probably please focus groups (as in the case of the small child) or to perhaps lure in an older viewer or two who assumes that the presence of a "serious actress" (Jane Alexander) will lend some gravitas to the proceedings. As badly as the Skynet machines wanted to kill Connor, I wanted to erase that little kid from the movie. The kid looks like she could be another child of a certain Hollywood acting couple. This kid is given almost nothing to do, says nothing, and really just slows the film (and the characters watching out for her) down. Jane Alexander is on screen for about two minutes and is of no real consequence.
Plenty of "yeah, right" moments in this film.
If you can find a local theater with a huge screen and killer sound system, you will be impressed by the visuals and the deafening sound. If you are looking for a good, compelling story that doesn't take frequent liberties with logic or narrative tightness (not to mention originality -- see paragraph one) then you've come to the wrong movie.