Let me start by saying that im a fan of the Terminator movies. Im not a fanatic or an expert by any means, but i think the first one is a genre classic and the follow up a great action flick. The third one i even found watchable but it was very disappointing.
Salvation is better than the third one. But its not a patch on Camerons movies. Is it fair to compare them? I think so, its a Terminator movie isnt it? Which standard should we be holding it to? Robocop? That being said it is by no means a failure and i actually really enjoyed it..for the most part!
Im not going to go into the story. If youv seen it you know it, and if you havnt then i wont spoil it. Ill start with what i liked.
Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reece was class. He played the part perfectly and even channeled Michael Bien a little bit. He added warmth and likability seriously lacking in the other characters. But he was woefully underused, as was Moon Bloodgood as Blair. As was to be expected the action scenes and special effects are second to none. Standouts being a road chase with Terminator motorbikes and some nice hand to hand combat. The story is a good one, it certainly keeps your interest..its just a pity it was in the hands of a more capable director. Which leads me onto the not likes..
John Connor. Its very important to like and identify with the main protagonist in a story but Connor really is a bore. The tormented, anguished hero bit gets old VERY fast. Bale isnt at fault, technically he puts in a solid performance. Its just a shame that McG feels that the best way he can serve the story is to basically growl at walkie talkies for 2 hours. A good way to humanize him would have been seeing his relationship with Kate Brewster(Howard), but Mcg [frick]s this up too by reducing her part to a cameo and ensuring there is zero chemistry at all between them. By the end when we see her ridiculous slow mo mouthing of "John" as she sees her husband has survived, nobody gives a shit!
Sam Worthington fares much better as Tin Man Markus Wright. He also suffers a bit with some dodgy dialogue, but hes certainly more of a hero we can root for. He handles the drama and action with aplomb and im really looking forward to seeing him in his hundreds of upcoming movies!
Now onto the most important part. The Terminators. They are pretty cool looking and theres some nice variations on the models. But what really annoyed me is that they have completely changed they're method of Termination. before they would blast a hole in you or punch a hole through your chest but now they seem to feel that picking you up and tossing you a few feet is the best way to get the job done! Yes folks, thats what the Terminators do in this movie. Toss people
Also, the rating hurts the movie. Theres no 2 ways about it. Its a watered down Terminator movie, with watered down Terminators. An R rated franchise needs to continue being R rated, if for nothing else, continuity. It might seem like a small thing but if Reece likes to say "Metal Mother[frick]ers" when hes sent to protect Sarah Connor, i want him saying it when he was a damn teenager! People curse. In a post apocalyptic future im willing to bet the curse a lot! Not a big deal right? No, but it would have added some realism, and showed that McG wasnt full of shit when he said he didnt try to get anything down to a PG13.
It might seem like im slating this a bit but it really is worth seeing. Its a testament to the power of the story and the awe inspiring spectacle of the movie that it succeeds in spite of its glaring flaws. Of course we are going to have another one..or 2! But unfortunately, SPOILER ALERT..since Mcg has done away with the most interesting character, all we have to look foward to next time is more from old glowery britches Connor!
3/5
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.