Terminator Salvation - an Enjoyable Summer Action Movie

Terminator Salvation was released on May 21st, 2009, and should be available in a theater near you. It stars Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, and Anton Yelchin, and was directed by McG. It is rated PG-13.

I've been a fan of the Terminator series for several years now. I never saw Terminator 3, but from what I can tell I didn't miss much. The second movie was my favorite. Anyway, when I heard that a fourth Terminator was coming out, I got excited. Terminator Salvation looked darker, more mature, and as if it contained far more action than any of the previous films combined. Be warned, there may be spoilers ahead.

I finally saw Terminator Salvation yesterday with my girlfriend. The movie offers a succinct review of things like the parentage of John Conner, Terminators, and Judgment Day, so this made my job as a boyfriend considerably easier. The movie is set primarily in the year 2018, with John Conner not yet rising to the top ranks of the resistance, and with a teenage Kyle Reese still learning the ropes. Much of the film is focused on Marcus Wright, a convicted killer executed in 2003 that is somehow alive in 2018 and trying to make a journey even he doesn't understand. Spoilers below.

As Wright makes his journey, he gets himself into a series of predicaments, all of which he is able to manage with ease, as well as surviving with a seemingly superhuman tolerance for pain and abuse. "How does he know all of this?" my girlfriend asked. "I don't know, I mean maybe..." "Well he's a robot. What?? It was on the commercial!" She had a point. Roughly the biggest plot twist in the movie was ruined by marketing.

The special effects and desolate scenery are what make Terminator Salvation. An apocalypse is totally believable in the barren desert that we see. I would not be surprised if this movie receives many a nomination for its makeup, special effects, and set design.

On the whole, Terminator Salvation is an enjoyable movie, and should be seen by all fans of the Terminator series. The acting is good, the action is good, the plot is good. It's pretty good in general, though there are some parts of the movie that can elicit laughter due to any number of ridiculous situations. Christian Bale does an admirable job as John Conner, and Christian Bale's voice reprises its role as Batman's voice. Don't expect an Oscar-winning plot and just hang along for the ride. The action, special effects, and scenery are worth it.