Review: Terminator Salvation

Terminator Salvation (2009)

starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood

dir. McG

There are a lot of things wrong with this movie. A lackluster script, really poor direction, uneven acting and very little terminating. The biggest crime is that there is quite a bit of wasted potential.

The exploration of the "What is it to be human?" theme isn't a new one, but it's a good one and another log thrown onto that fire is always welcome when properly explored. In this film it is simply an afterthought. Afterthought is actually quite tame. It's barely a fart in a heavy wind. The writers and McG felt they could nail it with a single sentence at the end of the film and ends up sounding like a bad greeting card.

There are a few nice visual twists, including a great shot near the beginning of a helicopter cash, but most of it is desaturated grays with nothing exciting to look at. It's a dull palette with little originality in execution or design.

As for the acting, it's all over the map. Christian Bale is way too serious and monotone. I can see why he got angry. I'd yell at people too if given this type of character to play. Howard is wasted and Bloodgood (supposedly her real name), is downright hideous. The only standout is Sam Worthington who has a lot of potential, but his Australian accent kept slipping though and I find it had to believe that they didn't have him come in for some ADR work.

It's a so-so entry in a franchise that has lost its way since creator James Cameron gave up the helm. It is a great improvement from T3 (2003), but that's not hard to improve on.

7 out of 10