wni 203199:

Terminator: Salvation (2009): All of the ingredients of a blockbuster were in place with this 4th installation of the Terminator series. Christian Bale (Batman) excels in action movies that portray complex characters. Josh Brolin (The Goonies) appears a star on the rise. However, there were several important weaknesses in this film compared to the more successful films of this series. James Cameron (The Terminator) manages action movies intelligently in a manner that is both thought provoking and entertaining. The script and the direction lack the subtle touch of Cameron and tend to wander through a foggily executed plot. The absence of a prominent female presence, such as Linda Hamilton, also weakens the film. The cast does an adequate job, but their efforts are diluted by a wide array of characters. With no strong central protagonist, this flick fails to deliver at a level expected from its predecessor. The special effects are very convincing, but the thrill of an action film emanates from empathy with the plight of hero and the thrill is gone. 3 stars (12/9/09)

TopaZ in CA:

My brief history with the Terminator Series: First two films: 5 stars. Third film: 4 stars. I know it's fashionable to hate T3, but although the depth of emotion is nonexistent, the action, urgency and real sense of "terminator-ness" is there. But if T3's lack of characterization bothered you, then you will *detest* Terminator: Salvation, as it has even less human moments. It is essentially a war picture, just one filled with breathtaking action choreography and lots of sentient machinery. In this sense, it is the most disconnected from the entire series in terms of tone and theme, and at times, feels like it takes place in an entirely different universe than the first three films. To director Joseph Nicol's credit, any prejudices you may hold against his previous work disappear the moment his pretentious moniker fades off of the title screen. He has now proven himself to be an impeccable action director, and anyone who says otherwise is really just holding a grudge for Charlie's Angels. The writing team, however, never let you stop remembering that they brought you "Catwoman," with one particular dialogue exchange keeping the audience at my screening howling for almost 5 minutes straight: "Oh you strong man with a strong heart, give me some of that body heat." I'm not kidding. If I could cite one glaring flaw (aside from the stupidity of almost every single word in the script), it's that the film's energy peaks at about the halfway point, with a show-stopping 15-minute sequence of gorgeous action that the director is never able to come close to again. If you want this movie to be "T2", then it is zero stars. But *it* wants to be "Saving Private Ryan" as directed by Michael Bay. And in that mission, it succeeds fairly smashingly. 4 stars.

Humbeethecritic:

This movie was better than I expected but still it was just an ok summer movie. Christian Bale was good as John Connor, but the problem was the story was just ok, pretty predictable, and nothing new added to the series. It's just so hard to top Terminator 2. So if you liked the other Terminator movies and have time to kill go see this, if not, you can just wait to rent it.

SyfyFreak:

This is done very well and lots of action to keep it going. Sticks to the original story line and is even pre-Terminator in that it explains Connors hunt for his father before he is sent back to the past. Once again, the synopsis from NF is confusing; Connor is not concerned if Marcus is from the future or the past he is just trying to figure out who this guy is working for as he hunts for his adolescent father. Whose side is Marcus on is the question being asked and the movie although not as good as the Terminator Series is pretty good at keeping up the story line and even setting up the chance of yet another Terminator Movie in the series similar to what was done with Alien.

couchdog53:

Not as good as the first three but then I wasn't expecting it to be, so at least I wasn't disappointed. But oh how I would have loved to be surprised, unfortunately it was not to be. I have read a lot of people say they didn't like T3 so much and I don't know why, since it is my favorite. Next is the original and T2 is my least favorite of the three. But for me all of them are 5* and some of my all-time favorite movies. By comparison this seemed kind of soulless but with lots of over the top action. The story was lacking and even Christian Bale who is a great actor did not shine as John Connor. His character was tough but shallow. Sam Worthington was good as Marcus but there was no explanation of why he did what he did. I want to say more on that point but I don't want to risk a spoiler. Maybe when you see it you will know what I mean. My favorite newcomer was the exquisitely pleasing Moon Bloodgood who's character was one of the most likable. The movie was mostly about the blend of special effects and fast action and reminded me of the Transformer movie although is was not quite that fast and it was better. Is this worthy of the name Terminator? Not really, but judging it on it's own it is a pretty good Sci-Fi action flick and I enjoyed it quite a bit. (5/27/09)

Chuckie13:

This is a watchable movie, mostly because of the action... ok, solely on the action. I was just disappointed, maybe I was expecting too much. The action was good, and entertaining, good effects... but the lack of a big epic action sequence/battle really was a let down. The acting was solid, Bale and Worthington stand out as expected, even though Bale got too close to the Batman voice a couple of times. I am not a fan of Yelchin, kind of took me out of the movie since I had just seen him in Star Trek (and personally, was probably the worse thing about Trek). The story seemed to have too many forced references to the original movies, too many holes in general in my opinion. This may sound like a negative review, but it really isn't. I was entertained, this film is very watchable. It just isn't the big kick @$$ blockbuster that Terminator fans were hoping for.

Netflowers:

The Trailer and advertising have done this film poor service, they chose the wrong clips. This is the best of the TERMINATOR films. Each TERMINATOR film serves up more information on SKYNET, this is the film that begins to pull all of the information gathered in the previous 3 films and the TV version, SARAH CONNORS CHRONICLES. In this film you will find more jaw-dropping action, Terminators that are bigger and badder than anything seen previously, a storyline that makes sense. A storyline that makes you ask who is SKYNET. And will one of our modern day Skynets become self-aware? I loved this film and I give it 5*****STARS.

fuhr:

A movie I wanted to enjoy but still couldn't. Maybe nothing will capture the magic again like T-2 did (loved the original as well but T-2 was just such a great summer film) but I was hoping at least for solid story to go along with Mc-G blowing things up. It didn't. Never helps when trailers give away what, it seems, was supposed to be a shock or twist in the movie, but even if I hadn't known there would still have been too many problems to deal with. Like the fact that they are so worried about time paradoxes that they forgot the whole original movie is based on just that, a paradox. With all the rumors about changed scripts (a couple of which sounded like winners compared to what ended up on the big screen) there wasn't much of a chance Salvation was going to find success. Raise a glass to what was great and to what could have been. "C"

Supercords:

Just because 3 movies, a TV series, and a theme park ride have paved the path before you, doesn?t mean you get to skimp on character development and story. Salvation dives right in, as if the audience has been pining away on our Terminator crush for the past decade, just waiting for the story to continue. They forgot that every movie must be able to stand on it?s own merit, regardless of what?s come before. Lots of robots and explosions up on the screen with little to make the audience care who lives or dies. This was what I was afraid of when I heard MCG was directing. His style may suit the Charlie?s Angels crowd, but it?s not suited for anything with depth. T2 is still the defining Terminator movie in my book. Rating: C

Jeremy Thomas:

To call Terminator Salvation a great film would be a lie. In the days where films such as the Star Trek reboot have raised the bar on science fiction, McG's continuation of the James Cameron franchise simply has too many flaws to claim a place among the top films of the genre. However, great action scenes and a strong sense of continuity with the films that have come before make up for most of those flaws, and the plot continues the story that we know while adding more than enough kicks to keep the audience interested throughout. Christian Bale and Sam Worthington provide good and very good performances respectively and the special effects are breathtaking. The sum of the film adds up to be a very enjoyable summer blockbuster that may not be as smart as it wants to be, but is very far from being a dunce.

moviesorfilm:

I was fully expecting this to be horribly bad but, luckily, it wasn't as bad as the reviews that I read. Bale plays Connor just as I expected--angry, intense--and having in the role was a good choice. Worthington plays Marcus--the potential terminator, very well also. He actually brings more depth and heart to his character than Bale does to Connor. As other reviewers have stated, this movie falters by not giving us much of a backstory to any of the action or the characters we are introduced to. While sometimes I have no problem filling in the blanks on my own, a series like this needs some general direction. I would have liked to have known more about Kyle Reece and where he came from. Part of the good about the movie was the linking of the last three coming from words, phrases and other plot points. I'm sure this movie will be reviewed by thousands of NF fans so I will keep this brief. As a fan of the series, I did enjoy this entry although it was a slight let down. Great action and a satisfying ending--worth the rental.

Peter Olafson:

Sadly, little more than a by-the-numbers action movie. Christian Bale's celebrated on-set rant outstrips his non-performance here, which consists of little more than earnest looks, pretending to fire various weapons, shouting and limping. (In fairness, he's the star more in name than in fact.) There's no near-invincible pursuer in this one, which tamps down the mood, but we're treated to a monster robot clearly inspired by the Transformers movies, an Arnold-like terminator with a computer-generated face, a silent kid who gives plaintive looks and squeezes hands at appropriate times, a rather frail-looking Kyle Reese and a guardian who provides the movie's one moment of genuine pathos. (Unfortunately, the story is told in such a way that we pretty much know Marcus is a good guy before he meets Connor, which takes a lot of sting out of his role.) The big action sequences are OK, if familiar, and fans of the series will enjoy picking out the references to the three earlier movies (some of them quite sly). But, on the whole, this is just too ordinary and predictable fare to give enduring pleasure.

Stubbendeck:

I wasn't expecting much from this one but I have to admit it wasn't half bad. Great action and special effects carry the fourth installment in the franchise and while it stands no comparison to the first two movies it succeeds at thrills and fast pace action. The dialogue leaves a little to be desired but does a decent job of avoiding complete cornyness. Bale and Worthington do a solid job of carrying the movie, even if Bale slips back into his Batman voice from time to time.

T-Bone:

Where is the love for this movie? Of course it is big and dumb. And it is WAY too corporate Hollywood of a movie. All the coolness of the 1st two movies is lost in this movie done in the style of The Transformers films. But it is still a good movie, in spite of nearly everything. The script is written by a 9-year old, the director should be doing tv not $100 million big budget action films in a franchise loved by millions, has some crappy CGI, and has the flow of a videogame. In the end, it is an action packed summer movie that, in this 4th installment of the series, hopefully is not dead after this entertaining, failed film.

simplygreg:

I don't know if it was ambition or hubris; either way this movie is little more than Transformers with a pedigree. You know how you like to invite people join you for a movie? Don't do it for this one. They will all blame you and you will die alone.

RedSun21:

We're finally getting closer to the point where the original (1984) Terminator started it all. John Connor finally meets his father-to-be, and Skynet starts the infiltrator terminator program, using human skin to cover the metallic bodies. A cameo by Arnold was very nicely placed, even though it was really Roland Kickinger, who could be a dead ringer for Schwarzengger. Bale took some criticisms for being too intense in this movie, but it actually plays right in to the character as we see him assume the leadership of the resistance. Nicely done and good direction by McG. A very good improvement on the previous movie, but also incorporating parts of it to keep the entire story in line. I'm starting to wonder, if the humans lose the war, does the storyline become The Matrix?

79c3c281a2:

Second chances theme where a criminal from our time is reanimated during the darkest hours of our fight with Skynet to either save us, or kill us all once and for good. HUGE action (including one scene where I jumped outta my seat), cool nods to the franchise, but a few lapses in logic that, while you CAN dismiss them (suspension of disbelief and all that), they needn't have been there in the first place. Movie F/X has reached the point, nearly perfect, where there's really no longer any reason to even bring it up. Except for one scene with a fun cameo appearance, I never even thought about it. Cast is generally good, but Christian Bale's infamous rant popped into my head a few times during the movie, and while I called out Sam Worthington as an exceptional talent a few years back when he was making independant films in Australia, after seeing him here and in Avatar, I'm not so sure as he seems to have a limited range of expression (might be the roles though, so Sam, prove me wrong!). Huh, sounds like I didn't enjoy the movie, but it's thrilling, exciting, surprising and there's all that HUGE action, so, a better experience than I made it sound!

khr 511294:

I gave this movie a 3 only because I can't give it a 2.5, how people can give it more than 3 is beyond me. The movie shows us that the T-800 is the new guy on the Terminator assembly line with Arnold lending his CG face. Then how did they make "Marcus" who was far more advanced than any other Terminator up to that point at least 10 YEARS EARLIER!

Andsav:

Is terminator an acquired test? I relatively like the first two, but this newest installment seemed kind of tired and slow. My biggest gripe is that it was hard to emotionally engage with the characters. Connor's character seemed to be distant and cold despite being the huma. Worthington as Marcus was more sympathetic and in parts arguably more human. The special effects in this movie were well done, and the action scenes were exiting. I hated that great actors like Bale, Bonham-Carter, and Howard had such limited acting roles. They really could've contributed more to the film not just artistically but emotionally. Off topic, but it was kind of cool to see and Arnold cameo. That was unexpected. In the end, this sci-fi continuation saga of the Connor life is starting to drag. Maybe if something a bit more exiting (kind of seemed like they were channeling Wolverine and his adamantium exoskeleton) would've happened I would have been more pumped up to see it.

xdp 1964909:

Like movie Taco Bell. Spicy visuals & satisifies your action craving, but you'll feel queasy & guilty right after you've gulped it down. I believe the script was written by a sentient robot programmed to develop video games, comic books & sequels. The script seems of comic-book length & depth, full of plot holes, as well as glimpses of interesting character and backstory possibilities that are promptly and frustratingly abandoned. Mainly a series of video-game-like set pieces consisting of obstacle, thinly plausible cure-all objective (nuclear fuel cells), bad-a$$ robot guardians, then convenient rescue by the superhero "cyborg" character who is the ultimate deux-ex-machina. Would like to see what someone besides the Charlie's Angels guy could have done with this franchise. Disappointing.

Jason Bonnema:

Somewhere among the effects the human element gets lost in the shuffle. McG glosses over the heart, which is kind of ironic once you actually see the film. The action sequences are excessive, and some seem like they are just there to go through the motions (as terminators often pop up without generating any fear or tension) feeling more like something from a mild amusement park ride than a futuristic war zone. That being said, I didn't hate Terminator Salvation but I didn't love it either. I think if McG had refined some of the action, toned down the fluff, and put a bit more focus on a few characters then it may have been a stronger effort. But as it stands, the film is still entertaining But I'd be lying if I said I didn't find it disappointing.

lightndark:

This story was done a lot better in I, Robot and The Matrix Trilogy, and I, Robot and the last two Matrix films werenâ??t even that good! This was a poor choice for Christian Bale. All action, no character development, tedious worn-out formula of a story. Bale isnâ??t even really the protagonist. Why would he agree to this stinker? No wonder he was angry on the setâ?¦ Some highlights: In a leveled and crumbling Los Angeles swarming with Terminators and hunter-killer dropships, a two-person team--a teenage boy and a tween girl--manage to survive comfortably... A brand new T-101 (Ahnold-style) uses punches and professional wrestling moves to fight John Connor, toying with him. Arenâ??t they called Terminators for a reason?... â??Come with me if you want to liveâ? and especially â??Iâ??ll be backâ? are used poorly, eliciting groans from the audience. I thought this was a serious action franchise, not a winking, nudging, James Bond-like series with corny references to prior films... Apparently there is no need to match blood types for organ transplants in post-apocalyptic 2018.... None of the characters have any depth to speak of, but the leader of the resistance is a ridiculous one-dimensional caricature of a heartless bloodthirsty general even by the movieâ??s low standards... There are no plot twists; everything plays out exactly the way you expect.

tntbaker1:

I liked this movie more than I was expecting to. It is a different take than the previous movies in that it takes place in the future. I thought the designs on the various terminators were really good and clever. This movie does its best to stay within the overall terminator mythology. Good acting and lots of decent action sequences. Recommend a viewing/rental.

Robertjm:

Sure wish this movie rental company allowed me to use half stars. Not quite good for 3 stars, but think its a little better than 2 stars. For the good: They added some new Terminator characters that were totally cool. Special effects were good. The bad: Very thin plot line that moved alone at an odd pace, rushing to a quick ending.

bluesdawg:

Way better than T3 and possibly even better than T2. This one is a more fitting sequel to the original. It's the future and the battle is raging between the humans and the machines of Skynet. We see mostly the first Terminator model which looks great in CGI along with some cool weaponry. This movie is dark, violent, and gritty, with very little in the way of humor. Bale runs hot and cold for me depending on the role but he does a good job here as John Connor. The story line is necessarily clouded with the inevitable paradox of time travel, so you have to be prepared for that. I gotta give a nod to the audio effects which are really smart and very innovative. These Terminators have a new sort of grinding, whining sound to their mechanisms, good stuff. 4.5 stars ****1/2

Nick :

Despite a terrible ending, this movie was worth watching. Definitely better than T3, which is not saying too much.

javeryt:

Blah. Pretty disappointed with this. The plot is just a complete mess. It barely makes sense. Barely. Bale as Connor is weak. I'm not sure what he is doing, but there is a lot of yelling. Some good things were the special effects for the most part were solid. And the kid playing Kyle Reese was pretty good. Worthington was fine, but he didn't really have much to work with. I also thought the CGI Arnold looked pretty convincing. Sorry if I spoiled that for you, but it's all over the internet. The trailers for this were very strong. Oh well. McG, you win again!

BV 1010957:

Is it as great as James Cameron's "Terminator 2?" No. Is it far better than "Terminator 3?" Definitely. While the other movies only hint of the war against the machines, "Terminator Salvation" takes place in the early stages of that war. This isn't so much the fourth movie of a saga, but more like a stand alone movie that draws inspiration from the original series. Note that you will need to see at least the first two "Terminator" movies for this one to make any sense. If you like the "Mad Max" style film -- gritty, ad hoc, and desolate then you will like "Terminator Salvation." The machines in this movie are not the slick, titanium or liquid metal versions that you see in previous movies. Instead they are more like motorcycles with mini guns. The humans don't look much better as they scrape together whatever military gear survived Judgment Day. Overall, the film has a great look and is exactly how you would picture a post-apocalyptic battle of man vs. machine. I have to agree with other reviews in saying that back stories and character development take a back seat to action sequences and computer graphics. So the shallow depth of the characters won't win it any awards. Believe it or not, John Connor is actually under utilized in this movie and takes a back seat to this unknown character, Marcus Wright. That is unfortunate because Christian Bale has proved in the "Batman" franchise that he has the acting chops to make an interesting, conflicted hero. But the movie does provide an interesting take on the Terminator story and its roots.

CinephileMichela:

The movie is extremely confusing. I read that Christian Bale only agreed to do this film only after the director promise to re-work the script to make it more ?character driven.? I was excited to watch Bale?s performance since I have been a fan for many years. There is not true development of any characters and the story does not make sense. Even if you have watched the previous Terminator movies the story does not add up. Even the special effects and the pyrotechnics look cheap. There is nothing to redeem this waste of time. Skip this movie even if you are looking for a meaningless story.

zay 1303243:

YES, I LIKED this movie- a lot. I thought that Sam Worthington was just as good as Arnold in the first film, and that this was, if not as good as the original, pretty darn close. Definitely beats out T2 and Rise of the Machines. It may not the sequel that many purists wanted to see, but I felt that this films many nods back to the original, as well as love letter to the post-apocalyptic genre (think Road Warrior) in particular were well executed. It may be a bit cliched, but this one definitely mulled over the man-machine dichotomy much better than 2 and 3 also. That's not to say it's a work of art, but it's not as bad as so many want you to believe.

willschiff:

On the reels, the latest installment in the burnt out Terminator franchise fails to deliver despite massive potential. It has been nearly 30 years since the first film hinted at the massive war between the machines and the humans, yet little of it is shown in this cinematic blunder. We aren?t given the needed story that explains Connor?s growth into the hardened warrior-leader of the human resistance. Instead, we?re simply expected to sit down, shut up, and turn off any remaining synapses in order to enjoy this purely visual insult audience intelligence.

Mike Kimmel:

Terminator Salvation is a great summer action movie. Christian Bale delivers a pretty good John Connor, although he sounds very similar to Batman. Sam Worthington gives a lot of "heart" to Marcus Wright's character. The one thing I'm glad the story somewhat stayed away from was the whole, future is the past, that will eventually change the future by sending people through time. Not so much of an issue here. Keeping it short, there are plenty of shout outs to the past Terminator movies, and lots of fun new stuff to keep your eyeballs glued to the screen.

HisDudeness:

The newest installment of the Terminator series is excellent. Yes, some of the reviewers are dead on: it's mindless at times and it does lose focus toward the end. Those are small gripes, though (I'd add two strange voice overs too) when considered with the rest of the film. The robots are scary, the sound effects are loud and exciting, and the actors are all well-cast (except Common...who knows where that came from). The film doesn't play up the classic Terminator mythology, but it's there and it's very interesting. Definitely check this one out.

SuperShortReview:

I think it's finally time to put this franchise out of its misery, and if that takes a cyborg, liquid-metal, hot-chick, death row inmate doing some time traveling and finally knocking off some ancestor of the Connor family, then so be it; decent special effects are no match for a still-convoluted plot, mediocre acting (Worthington's accent seems to come and go with every other scene), and characters I truly could not care less about.

Cato the Younger:

Sadly, this once-lively franchise is exhausted, played out, well beyond its expiration date. The initial wonderment and originality that peppered the action-packed early films has been steadily replaced with relentlessly grim CGI, leaving nothing except a feast for gross sensualists. How many films can you watch featuring desperate and fantasically choreographed combats against fearsome robots? How many times can you watch their red eyes fade to black and get the same thrill as the first time? How many inhuman escapes can one person devise and survive with scarcely a scratch? So many plot elements of this film are improbable and far-fetched you can scarcely count them all. The numb viewer observes the barrage of visual stimuli and cannot help having fleeting doubts and questions almost continually: "why are they...", "how can they...", "how did he...", etc. The story simply doesn't lend itself to careful exegesis, and thus the relationship between storyteller and story-watcher has all the subtly of a late-model terminator. Finally, really lacking here is the inimicable presence and humor of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who made those early films a delight.

AtTheBeach:

"Terminator Salvation" is better than I expected--although I did not expect too much. The latest Terminator iteration has impressive special effects and a storyline that was occasionally engaging. The setting is depressing. Everything has been destroyed. Telling the difference between men and machines is impossible. Most of the movie is devoted to "action" sequences. Motorcycle chases, cars driven at high speeds over wrecked roads and cars, men and machines shooting at each other and a great amount of noise and explosions. I have been watching more movies from the French cinema industry--largely to avoid movies such as the Terminator series--where they focus more on people and their interaction and less on movies that resemble a video game. If you like lots of noise and get a thrill out of watching people chase each other in mechanical vehicles and them hitting them with fists, guns, or anything else you can find, this will be a great movie.

lastliberal:

If Christian Bale and Helena Bonham Carter are in a movie, I am going to watch and enjoy. No matter how many Terminator fans tell me otherwise. Sure, it probably borrowed from Transfomers with its big robots, but at least we didnt have Shia LaBoef. Anyway the robot was cool and I wonder if the 7-11 that got blown up had the Farmville products. Would Farmville still be around in 2018? When Moon Bloodgood appeared, I fell in love. Its mindless entertainment for those who want lots of explosions and man versus machine excitement, Just sit back and enjoy

whitsbrain:

This movie pales in comparison to any of the previous "Terminator" films. Even "Rise of the Machines" walks all over this latest lame retread. The only thing that I remember clearly is one of the earlier scenes when a gigantic T-something-or-other machine attacks our heroes. The subsequent escape and chase is exciting but its the only thing that stood out. I also remember a CGI-Arnold which could have been fun but looked too strange to enjoy. Christian Bale's John Connor was not the hero I thought he was destined to be. Sam Worthington's Marcus Wright character over-shadowed him entirely. That's not to say that the Wright character was welcome. He was flat and one-dimensional, too. This movie is really just about CGi thingies blowing up other CGI stuff. I don't think any amount of grownup R-rated grit would have made any difference, either.

JA 1918737:

Wow, what a horrible movie! I couldn't even get past the first 60 minutes. Maybe I'll give it another shot when I'm stoned.