Wall-to-wall post-apocalyptic action needed more time to breathe
The first couple of 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 filmmakers’ decision to set this fourth installment (2009) 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 face, 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 mate, Kate (Bryce Dallas Howard), a mute girl named Star and Helena Bonham Carter in a peripheral role.
On the surface everything is of the highest filmmaking caliber. The problem is that there's not enough character development or intriguing respites. So what we end up with is a plot that strings together a bunch of cool post-apocalyptic action sequences with people who are constantly grim, shouting and killing, but we barely know them and therefore hardly care. It's like putting on an extreme metal cd that's full of hyper drumming, buzzsaw riffing & screeching/grunting vocals from beginning to end. 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 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 positive elements in “Terminator Salvation” to make it worth checking out if you’ve seen the first two films. For instance, Marcus Wright is an intriguing protagonist who thinks there's no good in him until he is informed otherwise. At around the 45-minute mark there's a good campfire scene in the desert between two characters sharing a warm moment in a world gone mad. The film would have been more effective if it contained more scenes like this. But there's a decent revelation in the second hour concerning one of the main characters. Meanwhile Bryce Dallas Howard has a uniquely beautiful face (although she’s pregnant throughout the story). There are also 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 and Schwarzenegger-bots, all trying to terminate the protagonists. Since the events take place in a post-apocalyptic world it’s reminiscent of films like “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” (1970), “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome” (1985) and, especially, “Reign of Fire” (2002), albeit with constant outrageous thrills.
The first two films in the series 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, only captivates marginally in preference for wall-to-wall action. That's too bad, but it has its moments; it's thankfully not as bad as "The Mummy Returns" (2001) 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 (I have yet to see the sixth one):
T1: A+
T2: A+
T3: B+
T4: B-
T5: C+
