Hasta La Vista Baby

Rating: 4/10 (8 June 2009)

He promised he'd be back, and four movies on the Terminator franchise is starting to look rusty. Will it be worth going back for another look into the future, or is it hasta la vista baby for this series? From what we saw in the trailer it's clear that this isn't your average Terminator movies. While the first three were primarily chase movies in which our protagonists were forced to escape and oncoming Terminator. Here it's a full frontal battle movie, everything you remember from the opening sequence of the original movies with the grown John Conner, that is this movie. With one major difference. The originals gave us a sense of envy, Conner was a person given little screen time, very screen time we longed for. Here were given it and I almost feel selfish in saying, we really didn't need this. Bale is the main problem, as much as I love Batman, I feel erroneous to even be saying this but, Christian Bale is atrocious in this movie. It's almost as if it's Bale playing Batman playing John Conner, his excessive tone that makes the movie hard to take serious, even for a Terminator film.
Call me jaded but the reason the first films work so wells is because of their pacing, they create a sense of pathos to begin with only to release hell upon our protagonists, and here the pace is near gone. Playing like your average video game rip off its nothing more than one looming set piece to the other. Don't get me wrong the film looks incredible and McG creates a formidable vision of the future with survival the main priority. Unfortunately any sense of trepidation is tarnished by dreadful one lines that feel out of place in the grand scheme of things, the supporting cast do an admirable job of keeping the foundations of the film upright, Sam Worthington giving and impressive attempt and managing to resonate where other do not, if I didn't know any better I would have had him take Bales place as Conner, but that's just me.Though competent in its B-movie way, Terminator Salvation lacks the humour, heart-tugging moments and visual pleasure that made the first two movies of the series modern pop masterpieces.
Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind. The story is typical fare, including several Terminator time-loops that give the film purpose but no real goal. With no antagonist to fear the film feels pointless, and with a protagonist that you're unable to relate to it acts emotionless. Untimely leading to an unbalanced film. Granted this is a film director by McG, (Charlie's Angels) and for a McG film you get everything you're expected to, the battle scenes are exciting and stimulating while the final 20 minutes a untouchable run that acts as the films strongest point. None of which really matter when taken into context. Sure we get to see everything we came there to see but It all happens in the last 20 minutes and trust me it's a long excruciating wait tarnished with disastrous plot holes, some of the worst dialogue of the summer and character that are so underdeveloped that it would shame that of "Wolverine" Change was inevitable—the established Terminator formula has been squeezed dry in FOX's prime-time The Sarah Conner Chronicles. But among the many things junked in McG's chop-shop is the notion of pleasure: The director describes cutting that "gratuitous moment of a girl taking her top off in an action picture" (God forbid) to get a franchise-first PG-13. He does, however, begin his film with the hook of Worthington clammily kissing a vampire-complexioned, bald-pated Helena Bonham Carter. Bale, doing the "Grrr" voice, is a lesson in how clenched effort does not equal effect. What's remarkable about his leaked freakout—mostly embarrassing in revealing a director who can't Alpha up on his set—is that it's over a performance in McG's "Terminator Salvation." Did the dude sweat this much over Reign of Fire? Verdict: Stylish but shallow, action-packed but without ever being exciting, Terminator Salvation is a movie that looked amazing as a trailer, but doesn't stand up as a 115 minute film. Bales performance is one note and shockingly dismal and it's obvious that this Terminator is showing some rust. The movie suffers from an inevitable tedium, which can best be summarized as: bang-bang-bang; pow, pow; fireball, fireball; ka-boom! It neither adds to nor subtracts from the mythology. And with Judgment Day upon us, there's no more tension, nothing compelling left to explore. By the time Arnie shows up your mind is already made up. For my overall review I give Terminator Salvation 2/5.