TERMINATOR SALVATION review by Gary Dean Murray

When the original Terminator came out, I was floored by the James Cameron flick. Then, a few years later, Terminator 2 spilled out on the screen and it was a jaw dropping experience. Not only was the sequel one of the best films of the year, it was one of the best 'second stories' ever devised. No one ever imagined that it could be topped in terms of excitement and adventure. A few more years later and we got the third installment of the franchise, but a different director just couldn't make the magic happen for a third time. It just clunked along to a trite ending. Well, it is again a few more years and there is another attempt to refresh the idea. This time it is done by McG, the director responsible for the Charlie's Angels flicks.

A more telling omen has never been issued.

The film starts in 2003 with a doctor (Helena Bonham Carter) telling a convicted inmate Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) that by signing some papers he could save lives and help Skynet. There is then the lethal injection of Marcus.



We flash-forward to 2018, the time right after Skynet has gained conscience and decided that the best course for the planet is the extermination of the human race. Christian Bale is John Connor, the leader of the resistance and future savior of the human race. He still has the tape recorder with his mother's voice telling him all he needs to know about winning the war with the machines. They attack an underground bunker, freeing a group of humans. Connor gets a glimpse into the next phase of the Terminator series of robots. From the underground destruction, Marcus Wright is freed. Since he has no memory of any event prior to his being taken down, he knows nothing of the war. He treks across the desert to find other humans.

At the same time, the leaders of the resistance have figured out a way to destroy the Terminator menace. They have decoded a signal that will shut down every diabolical menace, letting mankind win the battle. John Connor is skeptical and wants to do some tests to make sure they work. He knows that in order for him to be born he must send Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) back into time. Kyle Reese is the key for everything. And Connor has no idea who Reese is.

The film is the story of Marcus Wright meeting Reese and eventually rescuing him while trying to figure out what the heck is going on. The humans plan an invasion of Skynet, and Connor knows that he must rescue Reese. But as one would expect, not everyone and everything is as it seems.

Basically, this is a set up for over the top action set pieces and Terminator Salvation has them by the bucketful. There are different types of machines, from lumbering space ships (think War of the Worlds) to lumbering giant robots (think Transformers). There are cinematic references to Aliens, Road Warrior, Apocalypse Now and even The Great Escape and Holocaust dramas. It is a mash-up of gigantic proportions. McG follows the adage that if you steal from one person you are a thief, but if you steal from everybody, you're a genius. Watching the film you begin to wonder exactly how many Christ references are we going to get with the Marcus Wright character. He's held in a crucifixion position twice in under two hours.



Christian Bale doesn't say his lines, but either screams or garbles them. In the world of Terminator Salvation, one is either on or off and yelling platitudes seems to be the norm. Without a strong director, there is no focus on the idea of John Connor. In a sense of religious allegory - he is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit with a graveled voice.

Bryce Dallas Howard is wasted in a role that could have been played by anyone. She is given absolutely nothing to do other than be pregnant and look sad. Helena Bonham Carter is another woman who has an almost nothing role. She gets one true scene and delivers it, but one expects to see more.

On the plus side Sam Worthington does a wonderful job as Marcus Wright. He's a character trying to find salvation, a condemned man working to redeem himself. There is a solid pathos in his performance.

You know that the film is in trouble when you begin to ask questions while watching. Little questions like: Why did the Skynet machines make attack motorbikes that could also be ridden by humans? If Skynet knows about Kyle Reese, don't they know that the entire plan eventually works and they will lose? Why are there human cabins in the operating machines of the head quarters of Skynet? Since someone drives a Chevy truck, does that mean the company survives the current economic crisis? And how the heck did they even get all this stuff working without any human assistance? What kind of dental plan does the resistance have since everyone has perfect teeth?

Terminator Salvation is basically style over substance, summertime eye candy. I know that most people are showing up to see it for the ride aspect and it does deliver. The action just goes and goes, but there is more to a film than just a bunch of CGI explosions and mayhem. I know that this film is going to make a ton of cash and generate another sequel, but sometimes you just have to realize that sometimes a concept is done.

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