I think its safe to say that when you hear the words “action film” an image of Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator comes to mind. This may all be about to change, Christian Bale as an adult John Connor may be the new face of action films for a younger generation, leading the resistance in the war against the machines.
The film serves as more of a prequel than a sequel, filling out the back-story we are introduced too in Terminator 1. We are still introduced to new characters never mentioned in the first film, Marcus Wright; one of Skynet’s earliest experiments is vital to the story. We also meet a young Kyle Reese, one of the most important characters in the Terminator canon.
It starts off in the year 2018, a few years after the judgement day events in Terminator 3. John Connor is one of the few human survivors whose mission is to bring down Skynet and bring an end to the war. Alongside a group of survivors, a half terminator, and his pubescent father John leads the fight against the robotic enemy.
Sam Worthington does a stand up job playing the tormented half human-half machine Marcus Wright, his acting is top notch and all needless manly shouting aside, he really pulls off the role. Anton Yelchin portrays a young Kyle Reese exactly how you’d imagine him and he even bears a slight resemblance to Michael Biehn. Bale is fantastic as always, being a much more able John Connor than Nick Stahl could ever dream of.
The special effects in Terminator Salvation are possibly the best I’ve ever seen, everything down to a certain CGI antihero look 100% real. The sounds of the machines themselves are ethereal and the cinematography gives the film a whole new level, putting films such as Transformers to shame. Although the look of the film may not be the same post apocalyptic vision as James Cameron originally had, this is about as close as you can get from another director.
You may get quite confused by the storyline, you might wonder how Marcus Wright came to be, or why John Connor’s father is about 10 years younger than him, or if the human’s defeat the machines will there be any need for Kyle Reese to go back in time and will John Connor ever even be born? This in my opinion can only be respected; as for an action film that can not only astound you but also be thought provoking is an achievement.
These 2 hours are definitely the best thing we can get from a Terminator film that isn’t directed by James Cameron, so well done to McG for that! I am definitely going to be first in line for Terminator 5 and can’t wait to see how the series is going to be rounded off. But for now go and see Terminator 4, as it is not only salvation for humanity, but also salvation for this well loved franchise.
Jonathan Teggert