Film Review: Terminator Salvation

After a false start with Terminator 3, filmmakers are once again having a crack at the story of John Connor; the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. Set in the close future of 2018, Terminator Salvation follows the final showdown between mankind and killer machines. A stranger appears; a man whose last memories are of being on death row. John Connor must decide whether the man is sent to annihilate mankind or fight alongside the human resistance.

This latest instalment of the Terminator saga is bold and ambitious. Where Terminator 3 disappointed with strained dialogue and unoriginal plot twists, Terminator Salvation gives a different experience. The action sequences are spontaneous, spectacular and unrelenting, but can make you dizzy as your eye has to catch up with sequences spliced together disjointedly. However, you certainly wont be disappointed in its pace, scale of explosions, battles and fast speed chases.

Christian Bale fills the shoes of John Connor well. Watching him lose his temper on screen makes you realise you don't want to get on the wrong side of Bale; an actor who appears intimidating both in and out of character. You may have heard about Bale’s much publicised outburst on the set of this Terminator film; finding the stream of obscenities on YouTube isn't hard. If you haven’t, watch it here (WARNING - contains a lot of swearing). Bale’s apology on the incident included the claim that he was ‘in character’ at the time. That's method acting for you! Bale’s performance is strong and compelling, but at times a little overstated; being Batman may have gone to his head. When you hear the unnaturally husky Batman voice come out of John Connor’s mouth, you want to pass him a packet of cough sweets. But if you liked Bale in Batman then you’ll like him in Terminator Salvation.

Would a Terminator film be authentic if it didn’t include the Governor of California, Mr Terminator himself? Many of us grew up with the familiar sight of Arnold Schwarzenegger playing the killer robot from the future; the bad guy in the first Terminator film and the good guy in the second. Fortunately, Arnie does make a return, and he looks surprisingly well for a man in his 60’s - too well. An incredibly convincing CGI figure seems to have taken his place. The performance is almost indistinguishable from the man in the flesh, or should I say metal.

Terminator Salvation pays respectful homage to the first two Terminator films of the 80’s and 90’s. Repeated classic lines like “come with me if you want to live” and “I’ll be back” are real fan pleasers. The terrifying image of the polished steel Terminator skull and bulky frame from the original film is fully exploited in striking cinematography.

There are nods of acknowledgement to other classic action films throughout: Terminators resembling Transformers, a Mad Max-ian society in chaos, a terrifying similarity to the invasion of the War of the Worlds, and a touch of Shelley’s Frankenstein in the character of Marcus Wright. All the references make an enjoyable tale of science fiction horror.

The film does the Terminator saga proud as a fitting continuation, providing new characters and new concepts, nicely setting the scene for future films.

If you like the Terminator films - this is a must-see. And if you haven’t seen any Terminator films then go watch Terminator Salvation – you don’t know what you’re missing!