Action over substance

Rating: 5/10 (8 June 2011)

The first couple Terminator films are easily two of the greatest sci-fi/action flicks in history. The problem with the third one, more than anything else, was that it was largely just more of the same; and you can only recycle the same plot so many times before it gets stale. This explains the filmmaker's decision to set this 2009 Fourth installment in the post-apocalyptic future where the machine-controlled Skynet is at war with the surviving humans, otherwise known as The Resistance.
A few characters from the previous films are featured: An older John Conner (Christian Bale), his dad -- Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) -- who's actually just a teenager here (such are the complexities of time travel) and the T-800 Schwarzenegger Terminator (CGI, of course). Beyond these we get some new characters, the best being Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), followed by Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood). Also on hand are Conner's babe Kate (Bryce Dallas Howard), a mute girl named Star and Helena Bonham Carter, who's somehow hooked up with Skynet.
On the surface everything is of the highest filmmaking caliber. The problem is there's not enough character development or intriguing respites. So what we end up with is a plot that's merely an excuse to string together a bunch of cool post-apocalyptic action sequences with people who are constantly grim, shouting and killing, people we neither know nor care about. It's like putting on an extreme metal cd that's full of hyper drumming, buzzsaw riffing & screeching/grunting vocals from beginning to end. It's simply too much. There are no valleys to contrast the over-the-top highs and so it cops a samey-sounding, dull vibe. In other words, the very energy and excitement meant to impress & move the consumer backfires due to extreme overkill. That's why they call it "overKILL." It's a curious thing but all too true.
Be that as it may, there are enough worthwhile elements to give the film a mediocre grade of "C"

Marcus Wright is an intriguing protagonist who thinks there's no good in him until Blair informs him otherwise.

At about the 45-minute mark there's a good campfire scene in the desert between Marcus and Blair sharing a warm moment in a world gone mad. If the film contained more scenes like this it would have been more effective.

There's a decent revelation in the second hour concerning one of the main characters.

Bryce Dallas Howard has a very uniquely beautiful face. She also has better curves now that she's older. (Would I even be mentioning inconsequential stuff like this if the movie were engrossing?)

There are a some interesting ruminations about the nature of being a human and being a machine, or both.

Bottom line: If you love action you'll get it here -- there are motorcycle-bots, fish-bots, giant-bots, flying-bots, Schwarzenegger-bots -- all trying to terminate the protagonists. Strangely none of the myriad action sequences rival the ultra-thrilling ones in the previous three films and it's difficult to discern why beyond the reasons already cited.
The first two films successfully captivate the viewer from the get-go and the suspense builds to avalanche proportions. Even the third installment accomplished this to a lesser degree, although the plot was old-hat by that point (2003); still, it was a decent entry. "Terminator Salvation," on the other hand, fails to ever truly captivate and instead opts for wall-to-wall action, creating dull overkill. That's too bad, but it has it's moments; it's thankfully not as bad as "The Mummy Returns" in this regard. Not to mention it'll likely play better on repeat viewings in light of the convoluted plot.
The theatrical release runs 115 minutes and the director's cut 118 minutes. The film was shot in New Mexico.
Here's how I grade each of the Terminator outings:
T1: A+
T2: A+
T3: B+
T4: C
T5: C+