Terminator Salvation - Review

First thing to say is that I really liked this film.  The second thing to say is that I wasn't expecting great things.  Does that matter?  No, probably not.  It's a ride of a film.  Great effects, and I mean great effects.  Does McG (not JMcG from here) do the business as a director?  Does he stay true to the legacy of the first two films?  Yes, essentially he does.  It stays firmly part of the Terminator cannon.  Time travel is a bitch though, so don't over think it, you will just tie yourself in time travel knots.  Seriously, the journey back home in the car was a time travel conversation head f... well you get the picture.

Bale is Bale and does a great job of breathing new life into John Connor and Anton Yelchin is excellent as the young Kyle Reese.  Sam Worthington's character is a great idea, but he struggles to shine in the movie.  

Salvation wraps up pretty quick and you feel like an extra ten minutes would have allowed for some extra exposition and a better last five minutes.  That said JT got pretty emotional next to me...

There are however some great set pieces, all of which were oddly derivative of the first two films, but they still work in the context of the story.  It's worth going for the giant Robot, sorry Terminator battle alone.  Obviously not quick on its feet though, they run away from it in a truck.  The scene gets better from there, so I'm not having that as a spoiler.

It is a good film.  Not a classic, but a hell of a lot better than the last Terminator film.

4/5