"Terminator" is not the franchise with the brilliant sequels anymore

Rating: 6/10 (13 June 2009)

Somewhere in the back of my mind I had this idea that because "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" was not only one of the best sequels, but one of the best movies ever, that this would apply for the whole franchise. Well, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" pretty much put an end to that thought, but then filmmakers didn't really try to enter new territory with that movie. All they did was to remake "Terminator 2" (badly) and tack on a different ending. Now, "Terminator Salvation" is where the story could really have moved forward and the quality of the franchise might have picked up again.
Learning that McG of all people would direct this movie, my hopes were pretty much destroyed before I ever saw the trailer for this movie. I mean, who thought that any fan would be happy with that decision? Who saw "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and decided this was the guy to direct a "Terminator"-movie? Hollywood-politics I guess. Then Christian Bale was attached to this project, and at least he's an A-list actor, probably the biggest A-list actor around these days, but then he already is Batman, so why does he have to be John Connor, too?
The foreshadowing wasn't all that promising. I didn't really look for scoop or anything from then on, but went into the cinema unprepared - well, as unprepared as you can be. Of course, some plot points and "cameo" surprises had already been revealed to me. What can you do. Anyway, I went into the movie without prejudices and with high hopes. Truth be told, it could have been worse, but it SHOULD have been a much better movie.
"Terminator Salvation" actually is a new chapter. A completely different movie to its predecessors that took place in our time. Those movies were road movies, edge-of-your-seat-hunts and fights between two opponents. This movie is a futuristic war movie. Suspense had to be replaced by action and explosions, and that premise could only mean that the fourth chapter in the saga would be very, very different.
The most disappointing thing about "Terminator Salvation" (what has the title got to do with anything, BTW?) is that it screws around too much. The PG-13 rating harms the movie a lot. These Terminators aren't brutal death machines. They merely push people around and capture them. They're not as focused and threatening as the T-800 and the T-1000 were in parts 1 and 2. The timeline has been f_cked up completely by now. Some plot points lead nowhere, some characters aren't fleshed out (John Connor's wife, Marcus' love interest), others have only vague backstories (what exactly did Marcus do to deserve the death sentence? Who is Helena Bonham Carters character and what are her intentions?) And what's with all these characters anyway? Marcus, Star, the submarine captain? What have these people got to do with the "Terminator" canon?
Not everything has been done wrong, though. You can see that scriptwriters really tried to satisfy fans and put in references to previous parts, but it just doesn't work most of the time. These references aren't made with style. They are shoved down our throats, like when the classic theme is used to introduce the T-800. It's almost like a parody bit. "You Could Be Mine" by Guns N' Roses is used, too, but instead of putting it to a kickas§-moment, it's just kind of random, as if McG wanted it to be somewhere in the movie, but couldn't be bothered to find a good place for it.
The ending, however, is the biggest problem with "Terminator Salvation". Apparently it's the result of numerous last-minute-re-writes. As a viewer you'll be completely confused about what's going on. What was Skynets's plan? What was anybody's plan for that matter? Then there's a fight with a single Terminator (in a factory of Terminators) and a silly climax involving the near death of one character, which feels tacked on and not thought through.
In the end, "Terminator Salvation" isn't much better or worse than part 3, but the lukewarm, box office result has shown that this isn't the movie fans have been waiting for. Making two more movies like this one seems pointless. TS may as well be the end of a franchise that once stood out for its one unbelievably great sequel.