TERMINATOR SALVATION

ENGLISH - (U) - 28 May 2009 - Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure
Distributor: Sony Pictures (Columbia)
Running time: about 115 mins.
Director: Joseph "McG" McGinty Nichol
Producers: Derek Anderson, Victor Kubicek, Jeffrey Silver, Moritz Borman
Writers: John Brancato, Michael Ferris (Screenplay); James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd (Characters)
Casts: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Common, Jadagrace Berry, Helena Bonham Carter
Plot: Set in 2018, the film focuses on the original war between the human race and the Terminator computer network, Skynet. After destroying almost the entire human race on Earth in a nuclear holocaust, a group of survivors led by John Connor stands up to the war and together they struggle to keep those machines at bay and from completely wiping away the human race.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

WARNING FOR SPOILER! Terminator Salvation is distancing itself from what we always knew about Terminator created by James Cameron some 25 years ago. The first trilogy of three film features of the Terminator with Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the fourth film been both a prequel and sequel have lost all those Terminator elements you have been growing up watching.

Set in the year 2018, John Connor (played by Christian Bale) is leading a small fraction of unit under the human Resistance army against the robots and artificial ontelligence under the legion of Skynets. He was on his quest to search for a civilian called Kyle Reese (by Anton Yelchin), his father from the future as seen in T1, to protect him so that the whole existence will be maintained and to destroy Skynets base in San Francisco. Meanwhile, a peculiar and mystery convicts named Marcus Wright (by Sam Worthington) came out of no where and he will find out that he is the key that will change and alters the whole existence.

As I said earlier, the story in this fourth flick deviates so much and it is no longer a robot from the future-returning to the past to eliminate John Connor compared to the earlier versions. This movie is been a rejuvenation idea of termination and it tells the story after a long distance gap between T3 and 2018 setting of the story. Now that the Judgement Day has happened and the world is not in post-apocalypse. What really matters here is there is no possible inkage between T3 and T4 due to huge gap in here. Because of this fresh story, there is no way to compare this flick and the earlier one.

McG did a bold move by time setting a bit further leaving out the story on how young teenage John Connor struggle to outcast his low esteem to eventually becoming a leader. Not only that, McG's gamble of bringing in Marcus Wright seems paid off, while the role of Marcus Wright is a very significant, dark and mysterious.

Time travelling is no longer an essential plot of the movie. Simply because, in the past Terminators, we have robots traveled back into younger days of John Connor to eliminate him and his mother Sarah Connor. In this movie, all the events happened before any of those robots were sent and T4 is merely to realize all the prediction and making it really happen.

The central line of the story is no longer John Connor. The plot lines are a bit messy at the first 40 minutes and indeed lack of pace. However, anchoring from two different point of views; Kyle Reese with Marcus Wright and John Connor himself, the story manages to move on and at one point it becomes better off. However, the whole point of the story is to tell you how T-800 is made, Marcus Wright is actually a mole and how John Connor saves Kyle Reese and destroy Skynet network in San Francsico. (too much spoiler!!)

As I mentioned earlier, it is no longer John Connor's movie. Christian Bale is excellent in portraying the role and he did not reminded me of Batman at least, giving out a solid performance. However, I would have to say, Sam Worthington did even more than a solid acting - he steals it all. His role of conflicting mind and the desperate dire to make a choice make his role interesting - I think McG bringing in this kind of character and making him a mole maybe a little too ambitious but it worths the screenplay. Anton Yelchin is good as well, a young Russian with many more potential and limelights in the future ahead.

T4 suffers something lacking in the piece of cinematography and effects. Weird enough, the cinematography is a bit buzzy and less interesting. However, in a war-torn apocalyptic world, the environment suits well the story line but not groundbreaking anyway. The same as the effects, all robots are just the same typical visualization that we have seen. I don't enjoy T-800 or any of the carrier much, rather MotoTerminator is something interesting to see but yet, it plays less role and sighnificant.

Been a Terminator fan or not, I would recommend it only as another summer actioner that will passable and enjoyed at a moderate level. Expect nothing much and I believe I have to agree with the critics - it lacks the hearts of the originals.

THE RATINGS.....
CAST - 4.0 stars
STORY - 3.0 stars
CINEMATOGRAPHY - 3.5 stars
EFFECTS - 3.5 stars
an overall>> 3.5 stars
GreenTea-O-Meter: 13.8