Terminator Salvation

I think we are all waiting, or at least fans of the the Cameron entries, for a Terminator that is as profound and exciting as the first two of the series. Is that unfair, to hope for the same power in a Terminator film that we felt decades ago? No, I think there is still hope. Is Terminator Salvation that film. No. But, this new entry does succeed on one level: excitement. Sure, it isn't as profound as the Terminator films Cameron gave us, and not even the same kind of exciting, but for an action film, it is as good, or better, than Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. That film was fairly decent action flick, but didn't carry the emotional weight of its predecessors. Terminator Salvation seems to be the start of a small series inserted into the Terminator universe we know, so there is time to build on the mystery, the awe.

The main problem is the script, which, again, works well for an action movie, but doesn't quite achieve anything more, except the nods to other films seemed to work, at least for me. What really hurt it was a number of behind the scenes problems, and interference from too many people, that screwed up the possibility of smooth flow. Future films in the series can improve on this, especially by hiring a top notch writer, let someone Dark Knight it (oh yes, I brought in Dark Knight). But Terminator Salvation did some things right. McG proves he isn't a complete hack, with little to do but recieve mockery for his name. Those jokes and jabs have been done to death, and it seems he really wants to improve as a director, so props to him. The cast does exactly what it needs to do, except the John Connor (Christian Bale) we see on screen appears to have something challenging his life, other than robots, which I imagine, and hope, will be explored in the next entry. Sam Worthington plays Marcus Wright and does a great job, as does Anton Yelchin for his Kyle Reese character. But Terminator Salvation is at its best with action set pieces and special effects. There is little to say for them other than they rock. The action was fast and mean, but never shaky enough to take you out of the fight, which is more than welcomed these days. Essentially, this is a film that works because I had fun, because the summer blockbuster excitement was there, and now all I need is that deep Terminator mythology extend, so as long as that is someday sated, I'll be a happy camper.

Genre - Action (3)

Screenplay (2)
Acting (3)
Production (4)
Directing (3)