Terminator had a heart this time, unfortunately film didn't

Rating: 9/10 (27 December 2009)

Having missed seeing this movie during its short run at the cinema (the phrase 'tanked at the box office' applies here) I was looking forward to its release on DVD.
I had little idea what the plot was about, except from the trailer they had already spoiled the part where Sam Worthington's character achieved a level of self-awareness. If he was a cyborg, how didn't he notice that he had Terminator-vision, with the red filter, annoying pop-ups and targeting/tagging of everything in sight?
I watched the 'extended version' and was entertained. It was not your formula Terminator film (task-focussed killing machine gets sent back from future, lone good-guy follows, explosions ensue) but gave us a different type of story that I found interesting.
I thought the film lacked humour and the poignant moments we enjoyed in T2 (especially the director's cut). The saddest part of the whole movie was discovering that Stan Winston died last year. (If you are a sci-fi newbie you may have to Google him or search him on IMDb.) A must-see is the DVD special feature - Reforging the Future. I don't think Stan would have been disappointed in the way his work had been carried on. I gained an appreciation for the amount of effort that had gone into producing this movie, especially in the art direction and visual effects departments.
Regarding the film itself, there is little to add to the litany of 'I didn't care about the characters enough' and 'Christian Bale yelled too much' complaints. Seriously folks, this is just a movie, and who goes to a Terminator film for the emotional experience??? I go expecting stuff to get blown up, and for Terminators to do their job and kill people. Stuff did get blown up, but what happened to the killing? PG-13, that's what! Helena Bonham Carter was perfectly cast as a creepy doctor from Cyberdyne, while a curly-haired little girl was an unnecessary inclusion.
I hear that the script was rewritten during filming at the insistence of Christian Bale. There's your Salvation right there. Without that, it would have really bombed and then no more Terminator movies. (Just second-rate made-for-TV stuff with Summer Glau.) As it turned out, T4 Salvation just broke even, and may make some extra $$ if you rent or buy the DVD.
The question to be answered by any review is 'Should I see this movie?' and when? The answers are: if you enjoy a Terminator film, yes. Rent the standard DVD version and wait till you have upgraded your home theatre before you buy the Blu-ray disc for your collection.
And if you think you have wasted your hard-earned dollars, don't blame me. Blame McG and the writers. Then sell your copy on eBay.