Terminator Salvation (2009)

Directed by: McG | 130 minutes | action, thriller, adventure, science fiction | Actors: Christian Bale, Anton Yelchin, Sam Worthington, Bryce Dallas Howard, Moon Bloodgood, Common, Jadagrace, Helena Bonham Carter, Roland Kickinger, Chris Ashworth, Chris Browning, Jane Alexander, Michael Ironside, John Trejo, Beth Bailey, Zach McGowan, Anjul Nigam, Omar Paz Trujillo, Dylan Kenin, Alan D. Purwin, Babak Tafti, Victor J. Ho, Mark Rayner

After the mediocre success of 2003’s ‘Rise of the Machines’, the Terminator franchise seemed to be on the brink of death. Story-wise, the cycle was also nicely completed: in ‘Terminator 3’ the mission to prevent Judgment Day fails and humanity is decimated in the nuclear Armageddon of which Sarah Connor had already had such terrifying visions in ‘Terminator 2’. End of story. Not yet, according to screenwriters John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris, because there is life after the Apocalypse. After all, we know that John Connor survives the disaster, becomes leader of the Resistance and eventually sends his father back to the past to protect his mother.

‘Terminator Salvation’ is set some fifteen years after the events of ‘Terminator 3’. Skynet is everywhere, but not yet supreme, and John Connor is a resistance hero in the making. One of his tasks is to track down and keep alive his future father Kyle Reece, who in the year 2018 is still busy puberty. John Connor is therefore older than his own father in ‘Salvation’: it remains difficult to comprehend that time travel, and if you think about it too long, cracks appear in the logic. But let’s face it: logic isn’t what the Terminator series is all about. It’s all about action, hard action, and McG is happy to serve it up, although the stunts and special effects are less groundbreaking than those from ‘Terminator 2’. But hey, that’s what you call a classic.

‘Salvation’ is not original. A post-apocalyptic world with a faded color palette, machines that tower over the characters like skyscrapers, it’s all been done before. Fortunately, the action scenes are well put together. When a helicopter crashes at the beginning of the film, you have the impression that you are sitting in the cockpit and experiencing the rock smash yourself. The digital bag of tricks will remain closed unless there is absolutely no other option: crashes are real crashes, explosions are real explosions and the film was shot on location as much as possible, in the desolate west of America. This gives the film a realistic look. Furthermore, technophiles can enjoy a wide variety of Skynet machines, ranging from T-600s to Harvesters to Moto-Terminators, which will make you feel like you’ve landed in ‘Transformers 2’ for a moment.

With the signing of Christian Bale as John Connor, McG makes up for the blunder of ‘Terminator 3′. The casting director who hired the wimpy Nick Stahl as a resistance hero should be fired. At least Bale looks like you can send him an errand and he plays his part with his signature intensity. Yet Bale’s Connor is not entirely successful either. In addition to being intense, he is also cold and unapproachable, which means that it is mainly newcomer Sam Worthington who provides ‘Terminator Salvation’ with a beating heart. There are more successful supporting roles: Anton Yelchin is convincing when the young Kyle Reece and Moon Bloodgood signs for a tough female role. Only Bryce Dallas Howard seems out of place as John Connor’s wife. With her bulging belly she undoubtedly symbolizes The Future and everything that is nice and warm about the human species, but she gets very little to do.

It is precisely during the sensitive moments that ‘Salvation’ is at its weakest. Treatises on “what makes us human” and why humanity is “worth fighting for” shatter in sentiment and feel forced, no matter how much fire Bale throws at them. ‘Terminator 4’ relies on the action, and luckily there’s plenty of it. Furthermore, the fans are treated to some references with a wink, which provide some humor in an otherwise rather grim film. The famous quote is in it, and so is that other famous quote. And Arnold Schwarzenegger, who as a Governator deals with very different problems these days? He also makes an appearance, sort of. ‘Terminator Salvation’ is not a perfect film, but it is an entertaining film, and if the box office wants to ring a little, there are plenty of leads for a sequel.