Terminator Salvation

Terminator Salvation (2009)

Image From IMDB

The forth film in the Terminator franchise has always been my least favourite. Having now rewatched it, I don’t think that particular opinion has changed, but I will say that I enjoyed it slightly more than last time I watched it.

Salvation breaks the Terminator template by setting itself in the future after Judgement Day. The machines are now in control, and John is kind of leading the resistance. This time round, instead of a terminator hunting him, he’s sort of hunting the terminators instead with a magical macguffin that could end the war against the machines… or can it?

With a change in plot and setting, also comes a change in presentation and focus. The colours are more saturated, the tone more depressing, and we follow several groups of characters instead of one. This is no longer about two or three people, but instead two or three groups, with Anton Yelchin (Kyle Reese), Moon Bloodgood (Blair) and Christian Bale (John Connor) all taking an act each, with Sam Worthington’s Marcus connecting the various stories.

We see more of the future than we’ve ever seen before, and more unique type of robots from motorbike robots, to giant robots, to the Hunter Killers that have been mentioned in past instalments. We also get a very unnecessary (in my opinion) return of a deep fake Arnie as the T800. While the technology is fitting with the subject matter, I absolutely despise deep fakes so that scene was never going to sit right with me.

The performances are okish, but Bale’s John was just a little too intense for my taste. I normally like everything he does, but it didn’t work for me. Anton was probably the standout, and I always love seeing Michael Ironside so could have done with more of him.

The effects are great, and watching the movies all practically back to back I do wonder whether there is a greater example in cinema than the terminator franchise for the evolution of special effects. Star Wars is maybe the only other thing that comes to mind, but they’re more in clusters, than the spaced out Terminator movies.

My truly honest opinion of Salvation is that for whatever reason it simply isn’t for me. I completely understand their choice to take a different direction in the franchise, and it was the correct decision, but it’s also one of the reasons I can’t get into it as much. It plays like a side story to me, rather than mainline, and maybe that’s the best way to watch it. So while i’m personally not a massive fan, I don’t think the film does much wrong, so it’s simply down to personal taste.