“Are you ready for Salvation!?”
Our Arclight Cinema usher shouts to pump up the crowd. Cheers follow and the movie rolls.
The Terminator introduced us to this universe in 1984. In 1992, T2 pushed the limits of action and VFX. It also fleshed out the grim future that lies ahead for humanity. In 2003, Arnold and company returned for T3: Rise of the Machines. The film moved the story along somewhat but it was mostly about the action. (i.e. the Crane sequence, amazing!) So what does T4, I mean Salvation, bring to the mix? I’m sorry to say, not much.
The story of John Connor (Christian Bale) has been elaborated so much over the years, most recently with the TV series, The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I think it’s that reason that he isn’t really the main character of this movie. Although they are trying to give more info on his journey as the Leader of the Resistance, it falls short. The real draw here is Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington). This character’s story adds nice undercurrent to this dull plot. Sam is going on to some pretty big things this coming year and he deserves it. He is a great actor and I can’t wait to see more from him. Other notable performances are from Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) and Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood). Sorry Christian Bale you bored me. His performance was just so forced and just not good overall.
So what’s the real reason to see this movie? The action, effects and sound are outstanding! There are so many great action scenes. If anything, these are the film’s saving grace. The sound was booming and the bass shook the theater. They really spent the money on these effects. Also, a great cameo from the governator via CGI that looks amazing! Danny Elfman scores the movie and although I am huge fan of his, the music here is lackluster. There is nothing new thematically and nothing memorable. If you’re looking for a mindless effects driven movie, that’s not as awful as Wolverine but not as Fantastic as Star Trek, Go see it. Its popcorn time! My Grade: C+
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