Terminator: Throwback Edition

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 2009)

When watching Terminator Salvation, one can't help but get a strange sense of deja vu throughout the course of the film. This isn't so much due to the characters or the story and how it's presented, but more thanks to select scenes that at times feel thrown in for the sake of nostalgia. With that in-mind, it's easy to view this film as more of a tribute to the other Terminator films (namely the first two) more than a truly significant entry in the series.
Probably the film's only truly main issue is the plot itself: it just isn't that significant. Save for showing John Connor and Kyle Reese in the constantly foreshadowed future to give an idea of their characters in the setting. Really the film feels as if it's just trotting along to entertain rather than tell anything. There are a number of action scenes that come up every so often and these are the highlight of the film. From impressive special effects to very good camera shots and enough adrenaline to keep the viewer's eyes glued to the screen, Salvation manages to succeed very well in the action and entertainment aspect.
With regards to the film's characters, they're mostly competent but not effectively used. Sam Worthington and Anton Yelchin are the only two here who are any exceptions to this, with Worthington being the film's most likable character and the only one really close to fleshed out well enough. Anton definitely looks like he's giving his all to try and do justice to Kyle Reese after Michael Beihn superbly played him and he manages to do a surprisingly good job. However, everyone else just comes off as unremarkable and not in the least bit interesting. This isn't helpful, since Christian Bale, as with his predecessors, just can't manage to utilize the potential his character has. Granted, he's probably done the best job out of him, Edward Furlong and Nick Stahl, but even with that said he barely does anything to stand out from the crowd.
As mentioned before, the plot could very easily be argued as completely insignificant. Really all it does is tell part of a potentially endless series of chapters in the long war against the machines. There are also a couple questionings that one might have with the decisions made in the film in regards to the series' continuity (eg. Reese's feelings towards the Terminators in the first film a la "it can't be bargained with...it doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear..." speech don't seem to match up with him knowing Marcus in the film and, in the end, that he was a Terminator). These parts might not be glaringly obvious, but they do lead to some skepticisms with the film and its choice in progression.
While it might sound like I'm beating up on the film and consider it a lousy overall production this isn't the case. In fact, my expectations were quite low and the film did manage to surprise me. There's enough fun to be had with the action scenes and the film is generally entertaining despite it's flaws. The film could certainly have been a lot better and, if anything, we could've certainly done without it. So if you simply want a film that entertains and serves a bit of a tribute to its predecessors, then get in line. But if you're hoping to get a significant installment to the films plot-wise with stakes along the lines of Terminator 2, don't be surprised if you're, well, disappointed.