Terminator Salvation
(2009)Here it is: the eagerly anticipated fourth chapter of one of movies' great sci-fi sagas. Christian Bale stars as an older John Connor who becomes the leader of the human resistance in their battle against the Skynet robots in post-apocalyptic 2018. He must save the life of Kyle Reese (Star Trek's Anton Yelchin), whom he will eventually send back in time to the day-glo '80s to protect his mother, Sarah Connor. A spanner in the works appears in the form of Aussie actor Sam Worthington as a death-row escapee, Marcus Wright – the man is not all he seems. Directed by the curiously-named McG, of Charlie's Angels fame.
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Directed by McG
Starring Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anton Yelchin, Common, Moon Bloodgood,, Helena Bonham Carter
Written by John D. Brancato, Michael Ferris, David C. Wilson
On Demand, DVD & Blu-Ray
Available from 6 providers
Flicks Review
BY Andrew Hedley Flicks Writer
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.... More
Director McG (of Charlie’s Angels fame) and his team have created a grim, joyless, post-apocalyptic wasteland. It’s a nightmarish vision of cold robotic evil hunting down and killing humans – there’s sort of a Mad Max oil-soaked vibe, all grimy and discoloured. Action keeps coming in a never-ending barrage of chaos, with ear-splitting sound effects cranked up to a brain-exploding intensity.
Without a definitive lead character to follow (Bale’s John Connor is nothing more than a gravelly-voiced douche), the non-story is thrown to the wind. Nothing makes any logical sense in the time travelling world already set up and the ending is the narrative equivalent of a fade-out.
So with no tension, no stakes and no satisfying outcome, what makes this worth seeing? I liked the pace, plus the fact that stuff blows up every 3.5 seconds should be enough for most. There’s clearly a sequel coming, but rather than charge our batteries for further adventures, Terminator Salvation begs for the series to be switched off.Hide
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Terminator Salvation
BY adamatdramatrain superstar
Did I mention McG directed this?Hide
BY munchkin superstar
The only thing good about it is Christian Bale and the seeing Arnie as a Terminator
The terminator knows this, and so it gives them the sense of false hope, eg: the... More signal. I'm just hoping the sequel fills the gaps and end it nicely. If it doesn't, then I am going to say "it has plot-holes you can drive a drive through".Hide
Showing 5 of 21 reviews. See all reviews
The Press Reviews
33%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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. Full Review
Terminator Salvation is that rare beast: a very dumb film that takes itself seriously, and gets away with it. Bravo. Full Review
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. Full Review
In Arnold's absence, an important ingredient of the "Terminator" iconography -- namely, the fun factor -- is in short supply. Full Review
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. Full Review
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. Full Review
A less than satisfying reboot of the cyborg franchise. Full Review
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… Full Review
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. Full Review
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. Full Review
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