This is not the Terminator you once knew….

…and that’s okay for this outing. After Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines acted like there was a formula to follow, this film, while flawed, is perfectly unpredictable. That’s a tough feat to accomplish in sequels (or prequel?) now days, since everything is telegraphed into a pre-determined product for easy revenue. Don’t get me wrong. This film exists because of the past revenue this franchise has given Hollywood, and with hopes of more, but shall we knock it for that reason? No.

Is John Connor the prophetical leader that will lead the humans to overcome Skynet? Terminator Salvation might seem like its plot has already been determined, but something about this future is different. Skynet may have a new secret weapon to unleash. That’s all I really want to say about the plot. The less one knows, the better the aforementioned unpredictable qualities are. Quiet scenes are interrupted abruptly by action set pieces, one of the film’s strong points, and even situations between characters are unpredictable. Whatever Sarah Connor thought a post-Judgment Day world would be like, she really didn’t have no clue.

The film is filled with great Terminator mythology moments: seeing the rubber-skinned T-600s Kyle mentioned in the first film, the birth of the T-800, a young Kyle Reese, the cameos, these things do not hinder the picture, as sometimes they do to films, but in fact, adds to the overall enjoyment, especially since this film is a prequel to the 1984 classic. In a way, the Terminator world is coming full circle, and for long time fans, I suspect they’ll enjoy it. Terminator was one of the first R-rated films I’d seen, and something that I never forgot. While the film had some gore and violence, those things never bugged me. It was the scene where Arnold is cleaning out his damaged eye, only to reveal his robotic nature, that started a love affair with these films. I was wide-eyed; I’d never seen anything like that before. I was 8.

Then came Terminator 2: Judgment Day, a film that holds a personal record in my life as one of the films I’ve seen the most theatrically. Don’t get me started on my home video views. It was another film like the first, that had my eyes peeled wide open, as it delivered unexpected action and drama. I almost had that feeling here too. Terminator Salvation delivers in wide-eyed action, excitement, and, dare I say imagination? This world feels destroyed. It’s fully realized world where humans are the prey. If anything, the final 20 minutes are so incredibly fun and reminiscent of the previous films, I felt like this was how a homage should be handled.

Now, I did say almost. The film is flawed. First of all, the characters are not developed enough to have the drama of the story enhance the action the way the James Cameron films did. Yes, John Connor’s character, and perhaps his future, are pretty much well-known, but he was less interesting than Marcus’ (Sam Worthington) character, something that should at least be in equal. This world and all of its stories are about John Connor, so why do we care not about him (its no fault of Christian Bale)? Because Marcus is so much more developed, yet alone more interesting than any of the other characters. I think Bale can enhance any two dimensionally written character he’s given, but John Connor cannot compete with who and what Marcus is. Also, forget about any of the other characters, they’re thinly written as well.

This maybe be a flaw not intentional of that of the production, but it feels like Terminator Salvation is just a warm-up to something bigger and maybe, better. The film also has, at times, problems balancing a few stories together, trying to juggle them with each other, some scenes feel as if they end abruptly (I smell deleted material), but I’ll say this and I cannot believe I am, McG-the man who sends groans throughout anyone’s expectations for this film-directs the living hell out of the picture. Sorry, haters, he does.

No way in any shape does the first hour feel like what one would expect a Terminator film to be like. I say good, as T3 felt way to formulaic, and its about time we get to see this inevitable war. From the fun Easter eggs, to cameos, to the incredible special effects, to just having Terminators back on the big screen, Terminator Salvation pleases. Now, the next film should be epic. Let’s hope that they focus on the drama more, as one leaving the theater feels like this franchise is just warming up.

Hopefully, in that case the future is written.

Rating:

Tags: Christian Bale, McG, Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day., Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator: Salvation