"Terminator Salvation" marks the intersection of two very... interesting things. On the one hand we have the "Terminator" franchise known for its Governator, deep sci-fi story and nerdy fanboys. Of late, the series has been through some rough times with its third installment (or perhaps better known as the not James Cameron or not good installment) that failed to deliver the three bucket loads of cash the good people at Warner Brothers expected it to (instead choosing to deliver 2) and so we have a completely new take on the franchise, oddly though retaining the same two scriptwriters from "Terminator 3."
On the other hand, we have the mad Irish, dick-waving-contest challenging McG, named so because his real name wasn't manly enough so he had to overcompensate (though the name probably wasn't the only thing he was compensating for). Fresh off of butcher beloved 70s franchise "Charlie's Angels," McG decides to shove his one eyed monster into the supple flesh of the "Terminator" franchise. The result? A resounding eh.
Those of us expecting a good "Terminator" flick will find the film appalling. The writers, who shouldn't be back (see what I did there?), decide to one up themselves over the previous installment by giving us an even more ridiculous script. Whoever thought that "So this is what death tastes like" was a good idea deserves to be shot. McG and Christian Bale also deserve similar retribution for saying the film actually had a decent script.
On top of bad dialogue and bad story, we have some of the worst acting to have ever graced the cinemas since 2008's "Meet the Spartans." A robotic, permanently Batman-rasping Christian Bale is actually one of the better performances we're given from an ensemble cast consisting of Ms. I'm dying of cancer but I'm really Skynet, Mr. I also have name issues so I'll use a common noun instead, Ms. I have make up and Mr. Stay alive in your heart. The only person to do a decent acting job is Sam Worthington as the horribly scripted "Moore-cus Right," a man with a dark secret crucially essential to the suspense in the story that's promptly revealed 2 minutes into the bloody trailer.
If you can over these aspects, which many of you probably won't, you'll find a competently -- nay, well shot -- action flick with good imagery and amazing special effects. The most amazing part of the visual aesthetics is how understated all of the visual trickery is. Normally in summer action flicks, the glittering CGI usually is very in your face. After all, which studio wouldn't want to wave the expensive multi-million dollar CGI work in the audience's face. But, after watching about 6 Michael Bay Films, the once cool CGI gets obnoxious and we want more real-life action instead of fake, computer-synthesized explosions. To this end, "Terminator Salvation's" special effects and visual trickery all hang in the background, second to the horrid acting and dialogue. One thing they absolutely named is the color palette. Not just gray and white, we have dark black, reddish skies and blue tech factories. Not only that, but McG proves that he does know his cinematography by nailing the pacing and camera work for the action sequences. Also nice are the continuous take, Children of Men-esqe, set pieces. One particularly memorable scene was the first helicopter crash and Terminator take down which throughout focused on Christian Bale dicking up his copter and machine gun turret, not on the nuclear explosion, giant sky-ship of doom or doomed people outside.
So, yes the script and acting are both absolutely putrid, but we have entertaining and well-executed action sequences, which partially make up for the price of admission. Whether or not this movie is for you really depends on two things: how much you of a "Terminator" fanboy you are and how much of a pretentious movie prick you are. More unsophisticated audiences will really find a lot to enjoy with "Terminator" while people looking for story and deep characters won't.
Recommended for: Action junkies, People willing to look past the shitty script and acting
Not recommended for: "Terminator" fans, People who like good movies
Back Inside is a column written by The Raconteur and eatYourOats, discussing the quality of movies and television shows now in theaters or on your television.
