Review: I went into TERMINATOR: SALVATION cautiously optimistic. While I was naturally a bit leery of the fact that McG, the man behind the CHARLIE’S ANGELS debacles would be directing a TERMINATOR film, the involvement of Christian Bale, and the kick-ass trailers made me hopeful that this would be the BATMAN BEGINS of the TERMINATOR franchise.
I should have known better…
While this isn’t quite the train-wreck some are calling it, TERMINATOR: SALVATION is a deeply flawed film. The second the film started, I knew I was in trouble. For one thing- I desperately wanted to hear Brad Fiedel’s awesome TERMINATOR theme, but instead had to settle for a sub par Danny Elfman score that sounded like a Hans Zimmer rip-off. After the credits are over, we cut to a really, really bad scene set on death row, which introduces us to the film’s defacto lead, Marcus Wright, played by newcomer Sam Worthington. He’s actually quite good in the film, but this scene, where he plays opposite an incredibly wooden Helena Bonham-Carter is beyond banal. The line readings from both actors are really poor, and seemed more like a scene out of a bad episode of GENERAL HOSPITAL than a TERMINATOR flick (especially the already infamous “so that’s what death tastes like” line).
Aside from Worthington, the other actor in the film that really delivers is Yelchin, which was a surprise, as he was the only thing I didn’t like about STAR TREK but he really nails it here. That says a lot, as Michael Biehn leaves some pretty big shoes to fill, but he manages nicely. Many have criticized the film for including a cute kid sidekick for Reese, but I actually think this really works well in establishing the character’s heroism, although the kid’s final scene with Worthington is way too saccharine, and will likely elicit groans from some of the more cynical audience members.
Still, I probably shouldn’t complain about the lack of character development too much, as pretty much every single non-action scene in the film falls flat. Obviously, drama is not McG’s strong suit (painfully obvious to anyone who’s seen WE ARE MARSHALL), but some of the line readings he used are horrendous, especially whenever Helena Bonham Carter is involved, which is a shock as she’s probably one of the finest actresses around. Also, the film is jam-packed with secondary characters that have nothing to do. Bryce Dallas Howard, as Connor’s doctor wife, really gets the shaft here, as she pretty much has nothing to do but look worried and pregnant throughout. The same goes for Moon Bloodgood- who seems to be channeling Angelina Jolie in WANTED, which is fine, but does not suit the film at all. She’s supposed to be a battle hardened, post apocalyptic warrior, but she never looks anything less than stunning, which is ridiculous considering that she’s supposed to have spent the last decade living in a nuclear wasteland. However, Bloodgood is not the worst thing about TERMINATOR: SALVATION.
No, that would have to be Christian Bale.
Overall, TERMINATOR: SALVATION is a decent enough summer action flick. It’s (marginally) better than TERMINATOR 3, has loads of cool action scenes, and also introduces us to a dynamic new actor in Sam Worthington, but I can’t help but feeling seriously let down. It could have been a great new chapter in the TERMINATOR universe, but instead is simply a fairly decent action flick, and nothing more.
Grade: 6/10