Terminator Salvation (2009)

Reel rating: 3/5

Reel commentary: ... Growing up watching the Connor family outsmart seemingly indestructible super intelligent assassins from the future, my lasting impression on the final outcome of this film lies somewhere between slightly disappointed and almost satisfied...

By Lloyd Bayer

It was only after watching the film did I realize that this is a silver jubilee celebration of one of the longest running sci-fi franchise after Star Trek and Star Wars. With centrally profound themes such as survival of the human race, and Isaac Asimov’s literary predictions of a world dominated by artificial intelligence, the big question is whether this fourth installment lives up to its pre-release hype. Growing up watching the Connor family outsmart seemingly indestructible super intelligent assassins from the future, my lasting impression on the final outcome of this film lies somewhere between slightly disappointed and almost satisfied. Almost, because 25 years on, the end to a war between machines and humans seem to be nowhere in sight.

Moon Bloodgood as Blair Williams All images copyright © 2009 Warner Bros. Pictures

Not forgetting his “yeah right!” action spectacle from the Charlie’s Angels films, director Joseph McGinty Nichol or McG, takes on the reigns where James Cameron left off. While his version relies heavily on flash-bang therapy for drooling action fans, he pays a lot of tribute towards Cameron’s first two Terminator films without actually allowing the plot to progress forward. Moreover, this is not just John Connor fighting for the freedom of humanity against an ever imposing army of robots controlled by an immensely superior artificial intelligence. Freshly scripted for this film and central to the plot, is a death row inmate having to deal with the fact that he is no longer human. Just before receiving his lethal injection, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) agrees to donate his organs towards the cause of science. After waking up from a cryogenic hibernation fifteen years later, he realizes there is something terrifyingly wrong with the world. His fears of a post apocalyptic existence is confirmed when he meets teenage survivor Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) and learns that Skynet has taken over the world, annihilating human resistance while enslaving the weaker ones unable to fight back. On the other side of this desolate landscape, John Connor leads an assault on Skynet’s research and development facilities, having found a way to neutralize a vital frequency that controls these machines. During the ensuing battle with the machines he comes face to face with Marcus who is now exposed as a cyborg. This forms the climax of the film, where Connor must deal with Marcus as an android sent to infiltrate the resistance or allow the latter to join his assault teams in wiping out Skynet. His dilemma takes a turn for the worse when Marcus reveals the last known position of Kyle Reese, Connor’s father.

From an action perspective, McG fires from all cylinders, even employing the skills of visual effects supervisor Stan Winston for the fourth time. Except for the T-1000 and T-X from Judgment Day and Rise of The Machines, previous terminator models are brought back in deadly splendor, even suggesting the origins of the prototype T-800. Add to that, some new models that will have Optimus Prime running for cover.  That said, fans of the series will notice some obvious similarities in action scenes from T1 and T2. A tanker-truck chase, loading a pump action shotgun with one hand and temporarily freezing a terminator in mid-attack have all been seen before, so reading about it here I hope, will not be considered a spoiler. Fans can also expect the clichéd “I’ll be back,” albeit from a different character this time. Cinematography is superb yet dark with colors toned down, assuming this is what a fallout atmosphere would look like. This is further depicted by a Smokey-grey sky.  Acting on the other hand is varied in depth, but comes from a star studded line up including cameos from Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Ironside and Common, among others. Christian Bale as John Connor manages to get in only three word sentences most of the time. While that relies on the scripting, his portrayal of an adult Connor seems fitting in almost every scene, especially since his recent infamous method of displaying anger. However, it is Worthington who unexpectedly steals the show, above all in what is supposed to be a supporting role. Aside from that, it is his character that defines the title’s Salvation, implying a second chance for humanity.  That said, this ironically also forms the flaw in the film. Why should a cyborg searching for his soul be the one influencing a message on humanity’s salvation? As the leader of the resistance, shouldn’t that be John Connor’s job? But answers to these questions and others that you may ask, all lie in the very high probability of a fifth installment, as in the end, Connor claims to have won a decisive battle, but not the war.                       

By the end of summer this year, two movies with the similar theme will fight for box-office superiority. Terminator: Salvation and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Only time will tell which one out performs the other.

Oh, By the way, its anyone’s guess who’s back in the cameo of all cameos!

Lloyd Bayer



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