Movie Review - Terminator Salvation

Movie Title
Terminator Salvation
Year
2009
Genre
Sci-Fi, Action

Story
The story takes place after Judgment Day (which happened at the end of Terminator 3) in the year 2018. John Connor (Christian Bale) is now a formidable and respected field leader of the Human Resistance against Skynet. In a field mission, the Resistance discovers a coded signal that is able to finally destroy Skynet and all the machines. However, this came at a price where all of the field operatives were killed, leaving John Connor the only survivor.

With the discovery of the coded signal, the Resistance finally has a weapon that could end the war. The Resistance Leaders plan for an immediate attack as they know that they have been targeted for termination by the machines within the week, but topping the list of people to be terminated was a name we are all too familiar with - Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin). John Connor knew then that Kyle had to be saved so that Mankind would have a chance against the machines because, as we all know, if Kyle dies before John has a chance to send him back to the past to protect Sarah Connor, he would not exist.

In the aftermath of the destruction from the very same mission where the code was found, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a murderer on death row from the year 2003 who had offered his body to science as his final act of redemption, somehow crawls out of the wreckage unscathed, after John Connor had left the scene and stumbles upon the only survivors of the Resistance, LA Branch – a teenaged Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) and another child named Star (Jadagrace).

Kyle and Star were captured while Marcus was left for dead when they were on the way to rendezvous with the rest of Resistance before the final attack on Skynet. Marcus was retrieved back to the Resistance base by pilot Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood – who looks likely to be the next Sci-Fi action flick chick). However, we all (yes audiences included) soon learn that Marcus is not what he seems as he is more than half machine! It is Marcus that tells John Connor that Kyle had been captured & held by Skynet in San Francisco. John scrambles to rescue Kyle before the attacks against Skynet is executed. Acting
Well, Sam Worthington & Anton Yelchin aside (both turned in really credible performances) I really liked Christian Bale as John Connor so much more so than Nick Stahl in T3. I thought Bryce Dallas Howard (M. Night Shyamalan's muse?) as Kate Connor was underused as she is capable of meatier stuff (as evident in The Village & Lady in the Water). After all, she is Ron Howard’s little girl. Overall
Excellent 4th installment of the franchise! Great summer fare. I can’t wait for T5. Go watch, worth the time spent regardless if you are a fan of the Terminator franchise or not.

Order your DVD copy here: http://astore.amazon.com/eareotbi-20/detail/B001FB55HQ

Rating: 7/10

Additional Comments
Why, oh why, did they have to include a token Arnold Schwarzenegger scene in there? Also, the Aqua-Terminators looked too much like mini Scorponoks (Transformers). The Moto-Terminators on the other hand were way cool!