Terminator Salvation

Flicks, Andrew Hedley

An undercooked story is made passable by some truly impressive production design and slick effects/animatronics. Fans of the series will be dismayed at how little this weak entry adds to the canon – plot holes the size of California and a troupe of boring characters don’t help its plight – but Terminator Salvation is loud, intense and pompous enough to be a certified blockbuster.

Variety

Darker, grimmer and more stylistically single-minded than its two relatively giddy predecessors, Terminator Salvation boasts the kind of singular vision that distinguished the James Cameron original, the full-throttle kinetics of "Speed" and an old-fashioned regard for human (and humanoid) heroics.

Total Film

The Terminator story recharges with a post-apocalyptic jolt of energy. Frantic and full of welcome ties to the past, it also ploughs new ground with purpose. Fingers crossed McG will follow Cameron’s lead and serve up a worthy sequel…

The New York Times

It parades neither the egghead aspirations of "Star Trek" nor the thick-skulled pretensions of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," but instead feels both comfortable with its limitations and justly proud of its accomplishments.

Roger Ebert

Most of the running time is occupied by action sequences, chase sequences, motorcycle sequences, plow-truck sequences, helicopter sequences, fighter-plane sequences, towering android sequences and fistfights. It gives you all the pleasure of a video game without the bother of having to play it.

New Zealand Herald

A less than satisfying reboot of the cyborg franchise.

Newshub

he cheesy Hollywood ending in T4 will have many a fan squirming in their seats begging for Arnie to come on home, all is forgiven.

But if you’re prepared to live with that, and simply just fancy a hard-fought war on the machines action flick, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into there.

Los Angeles Times

If you're a "Terminator" fan, though, "Salvation" is mostly worth it. The machines are mindless, yes, but there are enough pyrotechnics and heavy artillery to feel like Armageddon squared. And when the story starts to crumble around Bale, Worthington is there to pick up the pieces.

Hollywood Reporter

In Arnold's absence, an important ingredient of the "Terminator" iconography -- namely, the fun factor -- is in short supply.

Empire Magazine

McG has sparked a moribund franchise back to life, giving fans the post-apocalyptic action they’ve been craving since they first saw a metal foot crush a human skull two decades ago.

Dominion Post

Terminator Salvation is that rare beast: a very dumb film that takes itself seriously, and gets away with it. Bravo.