Terminator Salvation: Sometimes Critics Should Just Shut-Up

Wow.   This was a cool movie.  Going in I didn't have very high expectations because I had read so many poor reviews of the film.  I agree with a lot of what the critics say, but not to detriment of my enjoyment of this movie.  It was an action movie.  It does what action movies do best, provide great action sequence with a decent plot and acting.  The performances and storyline are nothing spectacular, but they were good enough for me.

Unlike the Star Trek revamp this year, Terminator Salvation is absolutely for those familiar with the original trilogy because it follows the same storyline.  So maybe it's best if I give a brief synopsis of the original Terminator movies.

The first Terminator is the story of Kyle Reese who is sent from the future to protect Sarah Conner from a killer robot (a terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger).  The terminator has been sent to kill Conner because her unborn son, John Conner, is the leader of the resistance against the robots in the future.  Conner doesn't believe Reese since she is not pregnant and it isn't likely she will be so anytime soon.  Turns out Reese is the father of John Conner.  The film ends with the terminator destroyed, seems like all is well.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day is about another assassination attempt of John Conner, who is now a punk teenager.  A new killer machine is sent to do the work and Schwarzenegger's T-800 is the good guy this time, sent to protect Conner.  At the end of this film it seems as if the war in the future has been avoided. 

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines proves that theory wrong.  It's the same idea, robot killer (this time a girl) is sent to take care of John Conner.  Schwarzenegger is back to protect, but this time it ends with a twist.  John Conner is sealed in a bunker right as Judgement Day (the first attack of Skynet, the bad robots) happens.  The future, it seems, is unavoidable.

So we finally get to the movie at hand, Terminator Salvation picks up some years after Judgement Day.  John Conner (Christian Bale) is leading the resistance against the machines and discovers they have begun to replicate human flesh in preparation for their newest model of terminator the T-800 (in other words the bad guy sent to kill his mother).  Conner becomes worried when this has happened sooner than he thought it would.

Things become more complicated when Conner realizes he is second on the machines' hit list.  First place?  His not yet father, Kyle Reese (currently only a teenager).  So now Conner has to find a way to stop the machines from killing Reese and theoretically ending his life as well as destroying the entire resistance.

More complications come as Marcus Wright, is introduced to Conner.  Wright was put to death in 2003 (15 years prior to the story), but is now alive a mostly machine.  Conner does not know whether he can trust Wright to help the resistance or if he is just part of Skynet's plan to kill himself and Reese.

Most critics complained about lack of story, it's true, it's not the most thoughtful or deep of the Terminator films, but it's good enough.  Plus, it sets you up for a sequel in a great way, because you know more has to happen to finish the story.  Some also complain abut acting, that there's no real depth to the characters.  That's mostly true.  Bale mostly screams at people and robots and doesn't get as much screen time as you would think.  But then there's Marcus Wright (played by Aussie Sam Worthington).  His character is cool.  He doesn't know where he's come from.  He remembers being killed and has no memory of Judgement Day or the resistance.  His story is interesting and it takes up a good part of the film.

So take it for what it's worth.  It's a summer action flick.  It's supposed to fun.  It is.  It's supposed to make you want to watch the original three.  It did.  It's supposed to get you prepared for a sequel.  I know I'm waiting for one.  It may not be your cup of tea, but if you've seen the originals this one is worth checking out.  Besides it's better than any Wolverine or Transformers out there!

Rating: 74 Robot Motorcycles