Terminator Salvation Review

Thanks for checking out our Terminator Salvation review.

I had the chance to check out a screening for Terminator Salvation at a local AMC digital theater, and what a treat that was. The high backed chairs had a little spring recliner feel to them, and the picture was impressively clear.

Oh wait, I saw a movie there too. Well I didn’t hate it completely, but my socks stayed firmly unknocked.

THE GENERAL IDEA

Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

THE GOOD

The whole overall tone of the film has some great visuals. The very air seems to have a tint to it that just reminds you that after the nuclear fallout, that the earth is just not the same. If that didn’t do it for you, the massive remains of destruction would never let you forget. The designs of the Terminators, the Cycle-Terminators, the giant robo mecha-terminators, and well… everything is visually appealing. This is EXACTLY the future we expected to see in this continuing of the franchise. The Terminators are every bit as unstoppable as you would expect and even military grade weaponry seems to only slow them down until someone drops a skyscraper on them.

The action is great. Lots of over the top graphic scenes illustrate just how badly outmatched people are against the Terminators. People were worried that the PG-13 rating would take away from all of that, but it doesn’t at all. I found myself cringing in sympathy at the screen many times. There were a few times where something happens and you think that would kill a man and you have to suspend your disbelief for a moment and just enjoy it. The action is what this movie is all about.

Anton Yelchin is amazingly good as the young Kyle Reese. You see his empassioned leadership peeking out from his nervous false bravado. If they do get around to sequels, I want them to be all about this guy.

Linda Hamilton makes a cameo in voice only on the tapes she is seen recording at the end of T2. Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a cameo appearance but I won’t tell you when or how, but its probably my favourite part of the movie.

THE BAD

Charisma? Bale you are doing it wrong! Connor was supposed to be the saviour of mankind, but there was nothing inspiring or charismatic about this guy that made me believe that he could inspire such loyalty. Sure he kicks some ass and has his little radio show (I didn’t make that up) where he gives speeches about the resistance, but the religious level following of this commonplace soldier is just not justified. Bale is a fantastic actor but I just wasn’t buying him as man’s only hope. Perhaps in this dark dismal future, the world is so hopeless that the one guy who seems to have some sort of passion about anything at all is considered a messiah. I hear it was a toss up between him and the guy who still knows how to do Oragami.

The supporting cast is sloppy. An old lady who shows a moment of kindness and is then abducted by giant robo-mecha-terminator plays to the heart strings for about a half a second then everytime you see her you just wonder why this extra got a speaking part. Then there is the mute kid side kick for Reese. Pointless. And Connor’s wife (played by the infectiously pretty Bryce Dallas Howard) is the only woman in the post apocalyptic world to own lipstick. Connor never even acknowledges she is pregnant and she serves no purpose. They even had Michael Ironside. Wasted.

OVERALL

Even with moments that deliberately drop the “Come with me if you want to live” and “I’ll be back” lines (yes, they both happen) this movie seems to be suffering from the same unquantifiable stigma that curse both Sequels and Prequels. This movie is technically both. Don’t hurt your head too much on that one.

As a sequel, we want a movie that leads us to the next part, showing us something new, something exciting, something kicking something’s ass. But then as a PREQUEL we are stabbed in the eye with the lack of threat. At one point in the movie Connor sums up the Terminator’s apparent mission by saying “Kill Kyle Reese, Reset the Future” and I had a glimmer of hope that something radical would happen and we would get to see a whole new evolution of the story. But we know that as long as there IS a story to tell that the eventual end (sending Reese back to save Sarah Connor and father John) will still happen. There is no suspense. I don’t fear for Reese’s or Connor’s life at all. And where they had lots of opportunity to make us care about other characters who’s fates are not already spelled out, they drop the ball.

I am not saying I wanted McG’s rumoured massacre ending to happen, but I would have liked to have shaken things up somehow. All in all, I was left underwhelmed, and the impressive designs and incredible action just didn’t make up for it.

Overall I give Terminator Salvation a 4 out of 10.

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175 thoughts on “Terminator Salvation Review

  1. I saw the movie last friday. I thought it was pretty good. I give it a rating of 7.5 or 8 out of 10. I remember the first two and they were really good. they were a great build up to the next two. I like arnold in the first one better because that what you think of as a terminator, a mechine that is relentless in getting its objective done. In the second one i that arnold was not as good, why would a machine care about people. Robert Patick the terminator for T2 was a complete joke, walking through bars and transforming into anything it touches beside things with chemicals was a complete mockery of T1. In T3 I thought it was a great build up to T4 where Judgement day finally happens and the TX goes around elimiating conner’s generals. now for T4, I liked it alot it reminded me a little of T1 where machine killed humans at all costs. The opening seen was great and when they find out about skynet replicating human tissue for the new T-800 model 101 was a great addition to show you how arnold was made. I think everyone is trying to compare this movie to T2 where everyone loved the terminator. this was an action film showing what its like after judgement day. I can’t wait to see what the next 2 films and see what they add to the series. Bale i though was a good JC i mean you also have to remember they have been fight for sometime and any soldier no matter how tough they are eventually breaks down and wonder if they can win. The terminators in T4 are awesome!!!

  2. Ok, that other post i wrote, completely in “Post screening mode” The action was fantastic. The visuals were fantastic. The story/character development? Not so much with the exception of Marcus and Kyle. Hey I thought Worthington did great but not as great as some people said. I wanted to love it, but in the end it was meh. Disappointed here, Btw Rodney I disagree IMO Bale did a great job, but as Connor, i completely see what you’re saying. I think people are being too critical, because it’s supposed to be a fun summer action popcorn flick, nothing more. but as a film i had been looking forward to for 11 months to a year, din’t live up to my expectations, which I didn’t even walk in with any because of the word of mouth. I walked out with mixed feelings and it actually took me 5 days to form an actual opinion on it. Btw was i the only one who was disappointed by how they wrapped things up with Sky Net, not the explosion, but just who that wrapped up? Ugh, but I found the VERY end scene to be great, but other than that, it was alright.

    5/10

    1. I was discussing this movie with anyone who saw it and though not all agreed with me (some gave it worse) I still stand by my assessment.

      Someone else’s feelings on the movie wont change that I like it.

      John rants hardcore about Blade Runner, but that doesnt stop me from liking it.

    2. Well I usually don’t let other people’s opinion decided whether I liked a movie or not, but talking about it more made me acknowledge more problems I had w/ the film…I still like the film, and still say its better than T3.

  3. A pretty agreeable review in my opinion. It was a movie that tried to be a terminator flick in my opinion. It had the visuals and the expected stuff: robots, death, and despair. The problem was that this overshadowed the subtext of humanity, which the first two were able to portray just great (and out of all honesty, I really can’t remember the third too well, so I won’t bother with that). There were moments that the movie just felt was too over the top, yet the movie took itself too seriously (did anyone else not laugh at Worthington coming out as a screaming mud soaked Uruk Hai from Lord of the Rings).

    In terms of acting, it seemed that Anton Yelchin was the only consistently good person in the movie. Bale was just as emotionless as the machines, while Worthington was somewhat sporadic, ranging from good to somewhat below par. As for the other characters, the rest of them were just there; there was no development and no reason for them to be there. They were all 2D characters thrown in to make things drag on for the protagonists (and it didn’t do much for them).

    I’m not going to dwelve into some of the other problems regarding story, but I will say it was formulaic, lacked any tension whatsoever, and had a very predictable twist near the end regarding humanity’s “means for ending the war.”

    Entertaining? Yes. But as a movie that tried to be seriously good, it just failed.

  4. Just saw it myself. I to liked it a lot. I even thought Bale’s portrayal of Connor was really good. He portrayed a person that has been at war for years and is showing the worse for ware because of it. I didn’t find him flat, he seemed tired which I think is quite fitting for the setting. His wife that served no purpose I also disagree with. T3, though I did not like the movie, left no question that he would have a wife. His wife in this was just that reminder that his has grown up and the wife came to be as told in T3. It would have been kinda odd if she was not in it. A war like this I would be keeping her at my side where ever we would end up held up at as well. Every day being a fight for survival, you better enjoy your loved ones any chance you can as you never know what might happen that make a separation permanent. That was plenty of reason for her to be in it for me.

    Anyway, enough about Connor and the wife. I thought McG created an amazing world in this Terminator, a very raw and gritty setting just the way I like it. Also saw quite a bit of depth in the story, and though many seem to think there was no story, there definitely was. Introducing how John and Kyle meet, the human/Skynet big plan to take each other out, Marcus’s story, all of this was part of the story and then some. It was not a masterpiece, but I liked it just as much as T1 or T2. I think people went in expecting a Saving Private Ryan war movie involving Terminators, which it was not. For a Terminator movie, I loved every second of it.

    Really hope it does well enough so that McG can get started right away with the next. Can’t wait where the final script takes the story. If I can’t have any more T:SCC, I hope to at least get another Terminator better sooner than later!

  5. Just saw it and I liked it a lot. There were certainly elements I didn’t like (the kid served no purpose other than to be a kid, and she was awful). But the action scenes were great, and I’m glad there were a lot of them – it’s called a war for a reason.

    MINOR SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT

    Question about Arnold’s cameo: I was trying to figure out if it was CGI, really him, his head superimposed on someone else’s body, or what. It looked exactly like him, But the credits listed the T800 as Roland Kickinger. Was it really Arnold or just Kickinger with a damn good make up job?Can anyone shed some light on this?

    1. Thanks Darren. Must say they did a pretty good job convincing me that it really was Arnold’s head. (The body obviously was a bit too young.)

  6. I’m sorry Rodney, but I have to disagree with your review. I liked this movie. Certainly its no Star Trek, but I liked it. Not to say that your review was bad, since we are all human and we will never 100% agree on everything.

    But in any case I wonder if the trailers helped to ruin the movie. I feel now seeing the movie that the trailers gave away to much of the film. I was talking to a friend today about this and I was wondering what my experience with the film would have been had I not known before hand that Marcus was a terminator. Does anyone else feel that the trailers did this film a disservice by giving to much away?

  7. Hold on 4\10 thats f@ck up the movie was a summer flick lots of action some comedy the arnold seen was genius how the threw it in there..Sam Worthington part was the best him alone will make me see the movie…there was alot of unanwered ? but thatswhat happenes with sequels Bale character was laid back but decent for a John Conner he seen alot…i think maybe 7\10 no 4

  8. *************WARNING THIS COMMENT CONTAINS SPOILERS*****************

    Just got back from seeing the film….

    I like the action ALOT.

    The acting was terrible IMO other than Marcus and Kyle.

    I really didn’t like the plot…w/ the signal to disable the terminators…until the end when the true purpose of the signal was revealed to Marcus by Skynet.

    As far as Arnold’s cameo is concerned I thought it was cool.

    Overall I give the film a 7 or 6 out of 10…oh and my favorite scene would have to be when Marcus finds out his true purpose when he is talking to SKYNET and the scene w/ “The Harvester” and “The Killer Motorcycles”.

  9. The problem with this movie is the name. It carries the banner Terminator. Alot of people have seen t1, t2, t3, and want to see the same thing in this movie. I found this movie refreshing, it add’s whole new spin on a beloved franchise. Truly I think Worthington would have been a better John Connor than Bale. Yes Bale’s acting was quite sub par, especially after what we are used to from him. But I also suspect when I see this movie again I will actually like the way Bale portrayed Connor. As rodney said there was no conviction that Bale gave us as Connor, in part I think Connor’s character was not quite ready to be JOHN CONNOR. True leaders arise when no one else is around to step up thats why they become leaders, In which Connor is forced to become. What ever you do don’t take my word for it, nor anyone else’s see it for yourself then judge it 7.5/10

  10. incredible movie terminator, arnold from time to invite praise this film for processing this film. I hope the film can also terminator salvation terminator sehebat film “arnold”

  11. It doesn’t matter what happens in regard to the timeline as Skynet and Connor are already trapped in an alternate timeline that has no escape…killing Sarah or Kyle won’t change things in Connor’s reality.

    As Time-travel only creates multiple physical realities that contain multiple people in those physical realities…

    Ok I think I’ve had enough to drink tonight,,, :)

  12. Alright here it is

    I don’t think this film is that bad. It’s not great, but it’s not bad. One problem going in: I knew from all the press that Sam Worthington was going to be some sort of Terminator. This pre-knowledge bugged me just a little. But that’s a studio simply giving out way too much and not saving many surprises.

    What was a surprise is that, for the most part, I have to agree with Rodney and others that it is fine if John Connor were to be second guessed and “earn” his stripes rather than everyone “believes him” right from the get-go. Check this: instead of being the sole survivor of a party, he does something that saves that party early on. The more victories/results he will get will then proceed his reputation. The military guys will say “Oh, the guy and his wife from Crystal Peak” and so on. Or perhaps nobody listened to him and they all nearly got wiped out. Hence, never doubt him again. He would also (again) be a survivor- and thus, reasonably, more would pay attention. I agree that character trait should have been a slight bit more.

    I noticed Bryce Dallas Howard’s character Kate had a bun in the oven. I’m not saying there should be any scenes, but there isn’t much mention of it (the idea that Kyle Reese could see his grandchild?) but she’s just there…it could have been anyone really. I agree the character was wasted.

    I didn’t mind the Terminator worms, appearances from T1 big and small, the cycle Terminators, the Zombie-ish 700 series. I didn’t mind people getting yanked away (to work in labor camps- Reese was supposed to get his barcode there!)

    But man, I had some of the same problems I had with T3.
    Something explodes, is on fire, shot up, destroyed, decimated. again. again.again. One more time. Round and round, round she goes, where it stops nobody knows!

    HOWEVER

    I loved all the stuff with Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgod and Anton. Brave new world, let’s explore the dangers etc. I loved it. I loved the characters overall. And while there was too much overkill in the razzle dazzle department (one of my problems with the previous Terminator film) I did like 80% of the action.

    I had no problems with “the radio show”, although…Connor already had one in Crystal Peak, did he not?

    Christian Bale is fine. I didn’t have a problem with him, just the way his character was handled, as I mentioned above. But the good outweighs the bad. Not by much, but it does.

    I do think Rodney rates it too low. But that’s his thing. I see folks ^^^^ above^^^^ giving this heaps of praise it doesn’t deserve. One thing that was the tiebreaker for me? When, for some reason, bits of the past films through dialog or music (Guns And Roses ‘You Will Be Mine” specifically) has to come through, or Reese with a sawed off shotgun wearing Nikes. Personally, I hate stuff like this. It takes me out of the movie because we GOT to have that pop culture reference, that self awareness snuck in. Hey, look, “I’ll Be Back” said by Arnold in the first three films is one thing. Having Christian Bale say it, another ballpark, hell, it’s another sport. It’s said just because, and it falls flat.

    6 out of 10 it almost crept to 6.5, but the film is overcrowded and Sam Worthington barely makes it above average.

    *footnote:

    why Helena Bonham Carter? wouldn’t it have been more of a delight to have Kristinna Loken instead? think it over…

    1. BTW, at least I figured out why the old lady was given speaking lines. That was Jane Alexander, a longtime award winning and noteworthy actress. Why Ms. Alexander?

      Aside from being a good longtime actress, she also happened to be in one of the two TV movies from the early 80’s that dealt with a community surviving a nuclear attack . One was Testament. The one Ms. Alexander was in was The Day After.

      Co-incidence, I’m sure…

  13. very disappointing. As a die hard, geeky Terminator ffan, the direction of the actors and storyline were very miscalculated. I would’ve liked to have seen the tape recordings being treated with more honor like these are scriptures from the past that predict the future. Bale reminded me too much of Batman (maybe the hop in franchises was too sudden). Marcus was too human and I knew he wasn’t even before I watched the movie. Supporting roles were pointless but if they would’ve been worked on, could’ve added more sentiment. overall, thumbs down. McG needs to find a new day job.

  14. WOW – I have never laughed so hard during an action/sci-fi film. I read the reviews before going to see the movie and based on those reviews had pretty low expectation. I am surprised to say that my expectations weren’t low enough.

    Character development was extremely poor, dialogue was about as cheezy as you can get, there are more holes in the story than I can even begin to name. Even the action wasn’t great. The first five minutes of the film I thought to myself “Hmmm, this movie might be alright”. Every minute after that was a joke. The whole point of the ‘cyborg’ was to infiltrate the resistence and trick John Connor to coming into the heart of skynet? Really? Thats it? Why not have him just kill John Connor or Kyle Reese when he had the many chances he did? The central command of the resistance is based on a submarine? I’m almost embarrassed to tell people I went to see the movie. It was THAT bad. And yes, I have seen T1-T3 and am a fan.

    1. SPOILER HERE

      That wasn’t “his” mission. The idea was to have him unwittingly bring Connor and Reese there indirectly. Skynet wanted to kill them the same time/about the same time they would destroy (most of) the resistance. Make sure, being systematic. Once and for all.

      It should be said…there was something puzzling. Skynet’s AI suggested they had tried to kill Connor before. There is also still a specific plot against him and Kyle. This made no sense as they haven’t sent back any Terminators yet.

      Or did they without the resistance sending Reese/other Terminators back…and Skynet still failed?

      Anyway…more below…

  15. 2 things i want to point out…that i have noticed…

    1st almost all critics say the same crap….now i call it crap cause literally if u got and read some of them on RT u see that they copy n paste the shit…no for real i swear some critics did.

    2nd 70% of the people leaving comments seem to say they really liked it or atleast it was fun….now imo reviews are biased from the start…so ok rodney didnt like it and most critics didnt..who fucking cares…as i can say that during the showing i saw for the second time tonight people where clapping and screaming at parts of the movie…..funny that its not like that in up north…but anyways his review is his own opinion …maybe we should all make are own opinions.

    1. surely that’s the point of a review. To give a personal opinion of the film in question.

      Perhaps we have actually been pretty impressed by the hype and it hasn’t lived up to the expectations of many.

      Rodney merely gave his opinion on a movie reviews site. I appreciate the reviews even if I don’t agree with them entirely. Isn’t that the point of The Movie Blog?

      Nice review Rodney. Gonna have to watch it myself though. I just can’t believe that they screwed it up that badly (here’s hoping)

        1. You know, Rodney and John are some cool guys, really. And people should probably stop giving them shit for liking or disliking something you feel differently about. But, there are two things that sound so hypocritical it’s unbearable.
          1.) The Official Home of Correct Movie Opinions. There are no such thing as “correct” opinions. It’s a contradiction and if you’ve got such a problem with people saying you’re review sucks then that’s their opinion so stop acting like children and just forget about it.
          2.) You CONSTANTLY criticize EVERYONE who disagrees. Example “Well, if you think bad acting, horrible action and under story development is your idea of a good movie…” Fuck off man. That’s belittling and you guys are just as bad sometimes. But, I would like to say that to be as honest as possible, these are only words, and with only words comes tone def so you should start making videos of your comments or something so people won’t feel so bad when it sounds like your trying to talk crap about what they feel is a great movie.

          1. 1 – That has been the subtitle of the site since its earliest days and if you don’t get the ironic sarcasm, then I don’t know what else to say.

            2 – If I am talking crap about a movie they love and they take it personal, I don’t know what to say about that either. I am not going to suddenly love everything just so I don’t offend someone. If I give a review, I am going to give a review. It’s just opinion.

          2. yeah but you get so offended when people talk trash about your review when you do the same to other people’s opinons.

    2. i have no problem with rodneys review…its his own opinion and its froma blog..bloggers are a differant breed….but my reason for stating this was if you read all the major newspaper reviews it seems like some of them plagerized other people reviews verbatem on some parts…now thats just a bad sign of ethics coming from a actual critic who is suppose to using there own words….also the differance between user ratings and critic ratings on this movie are so so different..problem is i saw dance flick and terminator 4…..not in a million years was dance flick close to better then it…let alone T3 is a 70% on RT….this movie was way better then T3…people said bale’s performance was lacking emotion…wtf kind of emotions is he suppose to have…shit is worse then a nazi camp…..u see any one in schindlers list smiling…fuck no cause it wears down the soul….so to say he lacks emotion is lame imo cause he seemed great to me….sure his voice is synonomus to batman so that was kinda meh hearing him speak but the movie by all normal standards of everyday people is this movie was fun…i dug what rodney said in the review cayse it was his feelings on it….but if he was using verbatem then thats when i would be pissed…but he didnt so for that is why i read this site reviews..cause there not gonna change when he reads 20 other reviews.

    3. Christ! Terminator 3 has 70% on RT? I think I need a lie down! Although the average rating is still only 6.6 out of 10.

      I am just personally surprised that Salvation is considered worse than that load of old cack!

  16. I actually liked T3 – inferior to the first two, sure, but it had its virtues.

    I thought Salvation was basically a disaster. Bale completely missed John Connor – he’s supposed to be the one happy guy in this apocalypse BECAUSE HE KNOWS THEY”RE GOING TO WIN. And really does anyone have any clue what would happen if Reese dies? Isn’t John already here created and alive?

    The main problem with this movie is there’s no ultimate suspense. In the past movies Sarah\John CAN”T DIE or else humanity is over. In this one, I’m not so sure. The Resistance seems like they’d have a good shot without John. He’s just sort of there – better than your average commander, maybe, but certainly not NECESSARY. They needed to develop him as the Gearhead who knows the machine’s tricks and teaches everyone else to bring them down.

    I thought the directing was good, with solid action throughout – just serious plot problems, particularly with the characters. All John did is run around as a basic soldier. And I liked the concept of Wright but I don’t get what he did for the movie. Was he a sleeper? Did his humanity overcome his machine programming? Do we know he was really ever “programmed” right anyway? Maybe he’s supposed to be enigmatic or whatever, but I don’t get what his character was supposed to be about. We lost the charming Kyle and Star to the prison camp for most of the movie.

    The worst part is the uber-smart Skynet Queen at the end. Skynet is supposed to be dumb – self-aware, yes, capable of some basic thought and innovation, yes, but not master strategery – because otherwise every single terminator could do it (why not, they’re networked) and humans have no chance. Part of what makes terminator work is that we really can outsmart them – they’re just physically stronger.

    1. i stopped reading at “John Connor – he’s supposed to be the one happy guy in this apocalypse BECAUSE HE KNOWS THEY”RE GOING TO WIN”

      uh huh, well he also knows that what kills him in the future is the t-800, or atleast a termintator thats supposed to look like the t-800.

      try being the “happy guy” knowing ur gonna die by the hands of a machine, while in an apocalyptic world…

    2. Brett, you totally miss the mark. Connor is NEVER supposed to be one happy guy. He doesn’t know that that they will win. Nothing in his history says that John Connor will WIN.

      He was the leader of the resistance and the only one to give mankind hope in fighting back. No one said he won.

      The events of T1&2 were intended to stop Judgment Day from happening. They didn`t stop it. How is that going to make Connor happy? He has to live his entire life knowing it was still coming then once it happens he has to live the rest of his life wondering when he will find Kyle Reese and send him back in time to assure he gets born.

      THEN he has to wonder if any of it is worth it.

      Where is this joy that you seem to think he should have???

  17. The reviewers really have something against MCG but I have to say that he did a pretty good job with this movie. The action is non stop and the constant action keeps you on the edge of your seat. I agree that there is not much of character involvement but who really gives a shit at this point. The first 2 Terminators explained the plot, and at least in T4 you get to see what skynet is all about. So this movie is definitely worth seeing.

    By the way the Arnold part is definitely cool. Probs to the guys who did that with cgi.

  18. I ended up really linking it. But this got old fast: the characters would talk, then one of the terminators would come and attack, then that would last 10 minutes, then again and again and again, I mean after the third time I was like “can we please have some character development here?” Great suspenseful action and amazing graphics, Worthington DOES steal the show. Btw, Bale did a great job IMO. So overall I liked it but there was a lot that could have been done better.

    I give it a 7.5 or an 8. Just good summer fun

  19. T4 – Terminator Salvation :
    ¤ Woah, Mr. McG! Truly visceral H.R. Giger texturing, Mel Gibsons’s ‘Road Warrior’-like in-your-face violence; the guy next to me caught some shrapnel and bats flew out my ass! I’m ready to go see T5, dude!

    ¤ – kw

  20. Tyler D:

    I get your point re: purchases. But I disagree.

    No matter what I’m purchasing, I’m expecting quality. Whether it’s a car, my living accommodations, food…a movie, a novel, a CD… I expect quality. I’m PAYING for quality.

    But this is the ethos of my life: what I offer my employer is the best I’m capable of at that moment. When I write on assignment, the publisher is getting the very best I can produce. When I make my annual trip to see my mom, or when I invite my father over for dinner, I’m trying to provide the best quality exchange that I can. It’s what I believe in. (I am not apologizing here, merely explaining.)

    And so I expect this from EVERYTHING I purchase. Even if I’m going to a movie to ‘get away from reality for an hour or two’, I want QUALITY. And this film…as well as MOST of the films I see…do NOT provide me with sufficient quality. There is more dreck out there that I’m able to reasonably acknowledge…because it’s so painful to consider. (A side story: when ‘Pulp Fiction’ came out, and everyone was going bananas about it, my attitude was this: ‘Why is everyone going gaga? This (a vibrant execution of a solid concept) is the way films are SUPPOSED to be!’) So I don’t go along with the idea that some films are supposed to be afforded more slack than others…because we shouldn’t take them as seriously. As a writer, this is insulting. I strive to deliver a fantastic experience no matter what genre I’m writing in. And when I’m at the cinema, my $10 should buy me as much quality if it’s a comedy as when it’s a thriller or a sci-fi extravaganza, or a chick-flick. Though I understand completely the reasons behind it happening, there is still NO excuse for the crap we’re presented with. And this issue keeps getting overlooked.

    And once again, I need to get off this soapbox and breathe.
    LOL

  21. With all do respect pro – I don’t go to movies for the same reason’s that I buy a car, house or food, I go to get away from reality for an hour or two. My point was that when you go to a movie like the Terminator 1-2-3 or 4 you are not going to them for great writing and academy award winning acting. All four films have serious warts if you look to hard at them. Fantastic Four was a TURD, this was not. People are on here waxing about T-1 & T-2 like they are the second coming of the Godfather I & II; 5 years from now when this film comes on TNT on a Saturday afternoon and I got nothing to do will I watch it? Absolutly

  22. I don’t want to make this personal, but Tyler D’s comments sum up so much.

    “You are just looking to hard (sic) for meaning in this movie. If you watch any of the terminator movies and analyse them to deeply (sic) all of them fall apart and don’t make sense. But if you just enjoy them for what they are, you won’t be disappointed by any of them.”

    “I think you were way to harsh (sic) on this movie.”

    Excuse me?!? Rather than me wax poetical on your ass, try this: take what you’ve suggested and apply it to other purchases in your life. Your food, your car, your home…or, better yet, your job. THEN tell us that being ‘too harsh’ is a shortcoming.

    Fuckaduck; filmmakers constantly screw the audience over by offering up dreck. Constantly. And it all begins…

    …with the screenplay. ALWAYS.

    ‘You can’t shine a turd.’

    I’m not interested in hearing how a great director can make a so-so film into something better; these projects simply should not be green-lit, should NEVER be put into production.

    And to be honest, what bothers me the most is not that it happens (over and over and over again), but that many people let these filmmakers off the hook by saying ‘Don’t be so harsh, Dude! Don’t expect so much! Come on!’

    I’m a writer. I sweat each and every word I produce. I want the reader, the viewer to have the best experience possible, to come as close as they can to experiencing the amazing story I can see in my head.

    No, we discerning film fans aren’t ‘too harsh’. In fact, we’re not harsh enough.

    Thank God filmmakers don’t manufacture cars; there’d be ten times as many traffic fatalities.

    *steps off soapbox and resumes breathing*

  23. Rodney first of all I am sure you have a lot more experience than I reviewing movies. But I have to totally disagree with you review here; I think you were way to harsh on this movie. First of all T-1 & T-2 where enjoyable movies but were not classic film by any means. T-3 I thought the story was good but they choose terrible actors. I think this movie fits right in with the rest of the terminator franchise. T-1 & T-2 were enjoyable movies because it blended sci fi, action and suspense all together and was very diffrent than any other movies coming out at the time. What Mc G did here change the pace of the movie, so this feels diffrent than the other Terminators because he is showing the war and there is no time travel. Kind of like the diffrence between the original Alien and Aliens. All in all I think this was done well enough to relaunch the franchise and tell the story of the war between man and machine. You are just looking to hard for meaning in this movie. If you watch any of the terminator movies and analyse them to deeply all of them fall apart and don’t make sense. But if you just enjoy them for what they are, you won’t be disappointed by any of them.

    1. um well most normal fans consider both 2 be classics….basically i think that you opening the statement like that throws out all validity of the rest of your comment =)

  24. I haven’t been looking forward to this movie – nor was I anticipating Wolverine but my love wanted to see it so I saw it with her and it sucked smurf balls. You see, Acting/Direction/Story need to all be great. But the direction is really the most important because it controls and has the most influence over the rest of the elements. McG is a ball of Velveeta. The script wasn’t good from the get go. They wrote it just to make money with little interest in the artistic direction. That’s why Bale got upset that day on set. He realized it was a mistake and didn’t hold water. You would think the studios would have realized by now that they need a passionate writer and a passionate director EVERY time.

    1. just because the movie didnt seem to mainly revolve around john connor, doesnt mean its bad… sure i wouldve been happy with another good story revolving on john connor and his character development, but thats not to say the robot story they gave me wasnt badass.

    2. Doesn’t matter who it is that the story revolves around, but that person needs to carry the movie. The story was about Connor and Reese, so they needed to own this film.

      Reese was great and showed a lot of potential, but I would believe Reese becoming the resistance leader instead of Connor.

    3. hmm, well i dont really have a problem with the john connor story in the film. wen it comes to him being a massiah – i see it as everyone followed him like he was the shit cause everything he says comes true about the machines (such as the t-800). Therefore proving to them he knew things in advance and on top of that had his radio show from the very beggining of judgement day.
      and im glad they just focused on the task at hand and didnt waste time with john connors wife or gf watever catherine is supposed to be to him.
      I read ur cons but everything u disliked, i guess is some of the things that helped it (although yeah, the mute kid was pretty pointless now that i think about it).

    4. “The story was about Connor and Reese, so they needed to own this film.”

      The movie was about who? Didn’t the movie start with Marcus Wright? Didn’t the movie follow his journey continuously? The whole plot was moved along by Marcus. They found and subsequently went to rescue Kyle because of Marcus. They succeeded because of Marcus. I think this movie was about Marcus, and maybe Conner and Reese also.

  25. I am completely disappointed with this film, I had no enjoyment at all while watching it. Christian Bale’s portrayal of John Connor did not have the charisma to earn the almost religious following he had, because being prophesied from the past while not being a complete a-hole is clearly not enough of a reason.
    The character development was sub par and made the special effects unwatchable, not to mention Kate Connor’s ugly elbows. Throughout the entire midnight showing there were no outbursts of excitement and no applause at the end from the audience. I feel that I just earned some cool points for being so overly critical on such a highly anticipated movie.

  26. Rodney, I sometimes wonder the saga would be better off if Terminator 3 was never made, and the story line of Judgement Day being inevitable never came to be. This way prequels could have been made (taking place in the future) about John Conner and Kyle Reese and the Future War from those Blue-washed scenes that scared us to death in T1 and T2. Instead we have this different future “Not the Future my mother told me about” that looks and feels totally different… The only negative I see from that would be that the prequels story line would lack some of the time travel paradox…whatya think?

  27. I see your point Darren, but come on do you really expect Connor to be carrying around over 27 cassette tapes with him?

    Did you see the tapes in T3?
    Hell they would have defragged at this point.

    Its a trivial point, but to have Connor quoting the tapes is pretty funny (imo)

    1. I wonder if he had a personal stash somewhere, buried in the ol’ Mexico bunker…

      In any case, never saw hide nor hair of “the photo” either. When I watched “Salvation”, I could really nitpick and say he found the photo again, and cut the edges off (and it is no longer an old poloroid!) I also took note that “tape 27”, as Rodney pointed out sounded a LOT like the tape Sarah was recording at the end of the first film. I’m not sure why that was really needed to re-record it (?) or to repeat something already said (?)

  28. I agree with Rodney, well almost. I think I would give the movie a 2 out of 10.

    It’s rare that I sit through a movie and have almost no enjoyment In watching It. The more I talk about It, the more I dislike It.

    The character development was little to none in this movie. Connors wife was in this movie why? To show she was pregnant? Her talent was completely wasted. Common was there why?

    There was a ton of little things that just drove me crazy. I won’t name any of them off cause they can kind lead into spoilers.

    I felt like Connor was more terminator than Marcus. I never got that “fuck yea!” or “That was bad ass!” moment from him. I disagree with Rodney on the action. Not one time was I impressed with anything going on..

    McG isn’t a HORRIBLE director but I think he is still pretty shitty. I don’t see how anyone could like the story at all! This movie should have never been made. This was a great review and the review on Film school rejects is great too. Cole sums up my feelings about this movie completely.

    Good review though Rodney :)

    I personally would not recommend this movie to anyone. I’m glad I saw a early screening and It was free.

  29. Worse than XMen Origins Wolverine…really, Rodney? I haven’t watch the movie myself, but from the trailers + Cristian Bale + what seems to be fantastic graphic(special effects) movie…I don’t know if it could go lower than Wolverine….

  30. I’ll go see it despite the mixed reviews. I love Christian Bale (as an actor). Maybe it’s better to go into it not expecting much…unlike Star Trek which exceeded all my expectations.

  31. When action movies come out, people should be focused on the action, not acting. I don’t get why critics have to look for Acadamey Award material in everything when a movie such as this is meant for thrills and action, not Actor of the Year awards. If all people did was look at character development, all movies would be touchy feely and boring.

    I also agree that this review’s number doesn’t match the wording. You mention that only the acting was a problem (I pretty sure I don’t have to go over the point of an action movie again) and the visuals were amazing. Sounds about 2 or 3 point higher than what you gave it. I’m just saying…

    1. I gave my reasons. That you think an action movie CANT have quality acting or that it shouldnt isn’t the point.

      When you hire people like Bale, Yelchin and Bryce Dallas Howard, you send a message that you intend to have people who can act. And the first two showed us you can have action and still have good acting.

      My rating stands. Stop trying to change my rating just because YOU would have used a different measuring stick.

  32. Good review. I mostly agree with you but give a little higher rating, like a 6 or 7. A good film but not a film I will tell my friends they have to see right away.

    Why is it ( in sci/fi sequels ) they always throw in a little annoying kid to do the cute stuff? The biggest reason I loved the first terminator film was because it had a horror film feel to it. It scared the hell out of me and now films are sanitized for all demographics. ah well, this new film was worth the 8 bucks, not by much.

  33. Yeah I liked T3 too,!

    Darren, I meant that Mcg would be fired from T5.
    Also, just because the T-1000 scene was cut doesn’t mean its not canon… It was filmed it happened. Connor never made it back to his step moms house and if he did I’m sure those tapes were erased by the T-1000. :-)

    1. “If it was filmed then it happened”

      Again, there was another scene where Miles Dyson was more interested in his work than his family. It showed that he had two children instead of one. It was taken out for three reasons: one, pacing/time (the usual) two, with the scene removed it suggests Dyson was in his work, but the audience would not know that he has home problems. Three, a later scene had to be filmed, and only one of the two kids could be on the set. So, for continuity sake, that scene previous also had to go.

      How about the original ending of T2? Is that canon? In that alternate ending, Futurewar never happened! Sarah was a grandmother!

      If we also used that yardstick, consider the deleted scene in Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’, where Ripley happens across the cocooned Nostromo members- as they were turning into the eggs themselves. Had that scene been included in the finished film, James Cameron could have not written in the famous Alien Queen in the sequel.

  34. good review, I appreciate the honesty.

    Schwarzenegger did some of his best acting work in T3. not the best of the franchise by far. but good acting on Arnold’s part.

    “Desire is irrelevant. I am a machine!” That line gives me chills every time. i always feel a tear welling up

  35. I was hesitant to see this as Bale (as mentioned…) is already a major element in one very large franchise, this pretty much seals the ‘wait till the DVD’ feelings. I might change by the weekend when I see some other reviews (USA Today, Ebert, …). Time to mull….maybe I’ll save my $$$$….

  36. This is at least a 7/10 worth. Rodney, dont think so much at a entertainment movie. Just enjoy en dont look at flaws.

    1. What’s the point of a review if I cannot explain why I didn’t like it?

      That’s like saying, I know there are insects in the restaurant, but enjoy your meal and try not to notice the cockroaches.

      Sorry. If I am reviewing a movie I am going to justify my opinions and feelings. I wont pretend it is a 7/10 if it offers me nothing to justify it.

    2. There were robot sea wurms in the movies , so thats a good thing. There were also some bigger explosions than the whole tropic thunder movie. But i will come to my conclusion : We just have to wait for Terminator 5 – The rise of space monkeys.

  37. I’m so tired of Hollywood dragging beloved timeless classics through the mud like this. Give some quality franchises like The Burning Skies a shot, maybe new storylines will acutally motivate directors to try new things instead of constantly rehashing!!

  38. I think you guys are still not getting the point of this movie. People say its a bad storyline and yada yada yada…. You guys need to realize one thing. There is a reason why this movie is out. T3 is not really canon to the storyline (other than leading to J-Day). Think about it like this… things did change. With the time travel and each time they sent back a Terminator, there was a change in time events. In T1, Reese from the future was brought back in time to prevent the death of Sarah Connor. Who know if Reese was supposed to be the father of John? Or maybe, if the terminator was not sent it time, Reese from the Present of the 80’s T1 would have been the father (i.e.: they would have hooked up and John would have been raised by his father). Reese from the future died, and thus because the Terminator failed, they made an attempt to kill John Connor instead (since the point of killing Sarah was to prevent the birth of John). However, since John was alive in T2, the whole point was to kill him. However, since the Robots have manifested minds of their own (T3…) then killing John would have no purpose (other than killing the hopes of people, but they just want to kill humanity, and therefore it doesn’t matter if John dies or not at this point). I think that this will be a good movie. THey said its bad acting. From the previews and trailers, it doesn’t look like bad acting. If you are hoping for Titanic acting… forget. Its a damn action movie peoples!!!! The storyline is robots want to kill humans…. stop overcomplicating everything!! Geeze. hahaha. okay thats my 5 cents. Anyone care to add?

    1. I do agree with you that the past movies time travel must have interfered with the continuity of the future. A prime example of this is how the left overs of the terminator sent back in the fist one are used in developing Skynet in the second one. Obviously Skynet at one point had to of been developed without those parts, but by T2 apparently Skynet was now being developed differently than the original future would have told. Perhaps this would have sped up the process of Skynet’s creation which might have caused judgment day to occur earlier than expected. Interesting, very interesting. Maybe these changes are what makes the future in Salvation so different than what people expected.

  39. imo the reason why i cant stanf the reviews on this site are that they very one side on what that person likes….no all around presence for me…i say this cause on lots of reviews u and john both jusge certain films on “plain and simple did i have fun”. Well imo this movie was very fun…sure T2 was way better but this movie im deserves atleast a 7…action was awesome and the pace was cool….i can name a million things wrong with wanted and that movie got a fucking 9.

    1. Then don’t read them Bigsampson.

      Simple.

      Movie tastes are subjective, and reviews are going to be just as subjective. If you cannot accept that other people can have different opinions then why bother reading the reviews?

      You are inevitably going to disagree with every reviewer at sometime or another. Go find a site that gives reviews that play to your tastes then if you just read a review to find out you are right.

  40. Haven’t seen the movie yet, but out of curiosity:

    In the trailer John Connor states something to the lines of “something has changed, this isn’t the future that mother told me about”. Could this change to the future be the reason that John Connor is not played up to being the savior of mankind, that it’s how the character was now written to be as a result to the change? Or is this line being taken out of context from the full picture?

  41. @Darren J Seeley, if you watch the deleted scene on the Terminator2 Extreme edition, you will see a scene where the T-1000 finds the tapes behind a poster in Johns room.
    Young John never made it back to pick up the tapes,,,

    The scene was deleted but that’s what Cameron wanted to do with the tapes.

  42. Wow! I just saw the movie a few days ago and I loved it. My only complaint about the film is Christian Bale’s flat delivery and the static supporting cast. I thought the action scenes were very exciting too. I would give it at least a 7.5. It didn’t really add anything to the Terminator franchise, but it was entertaining as hell (IMO). Plus I thought Sam Worthington did a good job. He was a very believable character. In addition, a lot of ppl in the theatre were clapping at the end of movie, so I don’t know if that means anything?

    1. When people left the advanced screening I was at there was no clapping.

      Just saying.

      Its all subjective. I am glad you found entertainment in it. I put more value in the character development and plot than you did, which ruined it for me. The action was great. Just wasnt enough for me to get past the Connor blahs and pointless supporting cast.

  43. I think everyone should have realized this movie was going to suck because MCG IS THE DIRECTOR. I have no faith in him to do a movie like this coming from the Charlie’s Angels double barforama.

    1. I really don’t get what all the complaint is about for the Charlie’s Angels movies. They were what I expected from a movie with that sort of source material, with a little more action obviously. I think people had some ridiculously high expectations for them or something. Personally I never found the series entertaining, but the movies were mildly entertaining in a stupid kinda way. Even some of the action scenes were no worse than I have scene in some James Bond movies. I always got the impression they were supposed to be kinda stupid and not meant to be taken serious. Am I wrong on this?

    2. I actually liked the first “Charlie’s Angels” films, besides I’m always willing to give a director a chance…..I mean McG could have learned from his mistakes.

  44. your rating is crazy cause on your site you guys had Wanted rating of 9 out of 10 and gave The Dark Knight 8.5 and Iron Man an 8.5 out of 10. how the hell Wanted is better then The Dark Knight and Iron Man.

    i doubt Terminator Salvation is a 4 out of 10 i know this is your opinion but come on you need to sort out your rating system of films

    1. Nothing here needs sorting.

      Ratings are all subjective. I didn’t rate Wanted, John did. And in his opinion he had more fun and was more entertained at the theater by Wanted and gave it a good rating.

      I dont see what the confusion is. Our ratings are not determined by popular vote, but our own experiences, so why act all shocked if someone doesnt like something.

  45. Really Rodney? You actually liked “Wolverine” more than you liked “Terminator Salvation”? That kind of boggles my mind. While I agree with much of your review, there are a few things I want to point out: the score is slightly too low in my opinion; they dropped the ball on the musical score, T2’s score is SO great and this is SO forgettable; I don’t think Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese was as great as you did, I am dumbfounded that you never even mentioned Sam Worthington in your review, in every scene he surprised the Hell out of me by being completely believable even though the writers gave him terrible lines to say. By FAR the best performance in the film; the directing was actually one of the most solid aspects of the flick, I AM AMAZED; the main problem is the writing, I’m a story whore but that was bad; I personally thought the ending was bad, my brother really liked it though.

    Bottom Line:
    -Pretty damn good action (unlike Wolverine)
    -At least a couple good performances (unlike Wolverine)
    -Some elementary writing (like Wolverine, but no where near that bad)
    -played out like a videogame (I didn’t like that, some will)

    I think a lot of people who read this blog will like it enough. WAY better than Wolverine, far from perfect though.
    A 6 or so out of 10, personally. (by the way, I thought Wolverine was about a 2.5)
    -Good specIal effects (until a few moments at the end.

    1. Barely… but yes. That is what I said.

      And all your comparisons mean nothing Matt. Your appreciation for one film is different from another just like your reasons are different for one person than it is for another.

      Its a review. And its MY review. You can’t tell me to like something better than something else because it is my opinion and it is allowed to be different from yours.

      Terminator UNDERWHELMED ME and I left the theater thinking it was “meh” and aside from a few good action scenes, I know I wont buy this disk, and I wont go see it again. Wolverine had a lot of good parts that were buried under such BAD parts that I tipped it just a good side of an even split. My rating reflects how much of the movie I liked, and how much of it I didn’t. Just like Terminator.

  46. So it’s basically transformers?

    great action and cgi
    crap acting
    unimaginative storyline

    I’ll give it a look

    I will admit the 4/10 looks confusing when more time is spent on the good as opposed to the bad. I always knew this movie was going to be really good or just bad. I got pleasantly surprised with star trek and it looks like I’m going to very unpleasantly surprised with this. A great opportunity gone to waste…

  47. WHY the hate for T3. The film has a 70% positive on Rottentomatoes. While nothing could really live up to Cameron’s First two film in the franchise I thought T3 was a solid film in the Terminator canon.
    Good action( some of it pretty exciting)leading to a pretty good ending. The cast was also good. I really believe people read what a few of the movie sites think and go along with that opinion which is way out of the mainstream. Again- why the HATE?

    chuck

    1. I found it average and it seemed a bit too light given the context, IT’S THE END OF THE FRICKEN WORLD! There are good scenes but mostly due to the presence of arnie. It’s like gran torino, if you took away clint, it’s be crap, the same with T3.

    2. Three things I did not like about T3:

      1. The kid that played John Connor bugged the crap out of me. Never really liked him as an actor in anything I’ve seen him in. Also could not comprehend how John Connor went from this punk ass touch kid in T2 to the whiny little brat in T3. I share the same feelings toward the kid who played John Connor in the series as well, though I ended up liking the series.

      2. Not a fan of Clair Danes either.

      3. Did not like the new hybrid terminator. The whole liquid metal mixed with endoskeleton thing seamed like a step backwards from the T1000. Plus again, was not a fan of the lady that played her.

      Not like three of the four main characters that took up most of the screen time is what lost it for me. It is this reason that I think I will like Salvation more than T3. I already like the new machines they showed in the previews, huge fan of Bale, and Worthington looks like he is going to be awesome. Now, my mind might change once I see it.

    3. Ya, I have the same problem with the Spiderman movies. Toby McGuire ruins em for me. Although, as I stated, I also did not like T3 for the way John Connor’s attitude transformed from T2 to T3 and how the new terminator was kinda a step backwards from the T1000. I did like the story; though, I thought it was a bit poorly executed. My own gripes as far as actors go though. Putting an actor I’m not that fond of as a main character can ruin a movie for me.

  48. I kinda wish the reviews would be posted after the weekend of release. I know that would spoil it for those that wait to read the review to decide if they want to see it in theaters, but for those that would like to see it and post their own opinions to properly share differences to that of the reviewer it would be nice. Come Monday this post will be dated and forgotten, and posting personal opinions on the viewing experience will go unnoticed if posted here then. I’m curious to see how the majority will feel about the movie once they have gotten to see it. Personally, I won’t get to see it til Sunday.

  49. I don’t know. I think all the faults listed here seem pretty forgivable considering the fact that most people are going to see this movie for the action and visuals.
    Cant wait to see it

  50. People, its a freaking review, not religion. I’m amazed how people jump on the band wagon to have faith in other people’s opinions of a movie. Don’t write it off because somebody had some problems with it, and don’t write them off because they didn’t like it. I am always amazed by the criticism that abounds toward the reviewer for their opinions and for a movie that most people have not personally experienced yet judge it based on somebody else taste. See it in the theater or wait for DVD and reserve your judgment til you experience and see if you walk away with the same feeling as the reviewer. Or, just don’t see it because your not interested in it regardless of the review. I’m still going to see it for sure, because I think it looks good and because I want to see how my experience differs or equates to other reviewers including Rodney.

    1. Btw Rodney, much better review than the one on gizmodo.com yesterday. Their big complaints were that there was to much action compared to the first two Terminators and they were all bent out of shape because there were other machines than just the typical T800s. Basically they complained about everything you would expect from a a future war against Skynet.

    2. Sure it’s a review, but remember it’s also word of mouth for Terminator Salvation. This is not he only bad review, there are a lot more

    3. You are correct, and for the most part mine was a generalized statement. I have yet to read a review on here or anywhere in relations to movies, games, books, or anything else where people either bash the reviewer or believe every word of the reviewer with religious zeal. Reviews are biased to a persons own interests, and thus condemning a movie because somebody else personally did not like it is ludicrous. Now on the other hand, seeing it and agreeing with the reviewer is understandable. Saying you aren’t going to see or do something because a reviewer did not like it deprives you of an opportunity of falling on the other side of the fence and finding something you enjoy. I’d endure the suffering of a thousand shitty events if somewhere in that pile of shit I find a diamond in the ruff or two. Those diamonds usually make up for the ugly that preceded it. I’ll be a judge of what I like and do not like, and I use a review as a way to set my expectations. I have read Rodney’s review, so I know not to get my hopes set to high; however, when I see it I might be blown away or at least walk away with a better experience if I find the movie to reach higher than my expectations. It also gives me something to compare my personal experience to. I guess when it comes down to it I rely more on my own personal experiences than other people’s experiences. Opinions can be regarded with respect, but final judgment can not fully be determined without personal experience.

      This is in regard to such subjects as entertainment and what not. So don’t try to twist the logic around on committing crimes and disturbing acts of whatever people’s sick minds can come up with! :D

  51. ehhhh? bad acting, good action and the film was dissappointing? I think your living up to your fanboyism a bit too much here. I thought T2 was plaged with the same problems as you mentioned about this film. It had good action and all that but the acting (except from Hamilton and the guy that played t-1000)was terrible. Im still gonna see it cause Im sure its better than T3, that was a sequel that never should have happpend.

  52. F**k me hold tight. Did you just rate X-men origins 5.5 cuz you liked half of the movie and rate Salvation 4????

    Ahem…worse than Wanted getting a 9 and Dark Knight 8.5 from John’s review….

    1. it isn’t inconsistent it’s an opinion. you were just saying that themovieblog was going down the drain but here you are, spouting off more and more crap. we’re all entitled to our own opinions and what you’re doing is being an arrogant ass.

      if you’ve got such a problem then stop coming here. and if you really have nothing better to do than preach, then i promise not to call you a loser, though it wouldn’t matter since WE can’t have our opinions but you can.

    2. There is a consistency. Its my damned rating! If I like this less than Wolverine, then yes, it will get a lower rating?

      Who says that my issues were only a HALF of the movie. Cut clean down the middle? No.

      The action was the primary good part, which there was a lot of, but there was a LOT of character development too.. which FAILED to impact me at all.

      I didn’t believe John Connor was the salvation of mankind and he showed no qualities that made me buy this fanatical following he has. And the entire supporting cast outside of Connor, Marcus and Reese were completely wasted. THATS HUGE!

      Nearly every moment of the movie where a Terminator of some kind is in battle is a ho-hum snooze fest of poorly played characters. Why wouldn’t I rate it like I see it?

      Its a review, which is my OPINION of the film. You want to go see it and make up your own mind, then great. But if you are just going to tell someone their review is wrong, save your time.

    3. ok if in your opinion Wolverine is a better movie than Salvation and in John’s opinion Wanted is a better movie than Dark Knight… then sure cool keep it up.

  53. I had a feeling this movie wouldn’t good based on the director chosen (McG, you serious?), and because it had Batman. How can one guy be the face of two top franchises?

    I’ll take Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles over this Salvation garbage. It’s hard enough as it is to get into Christian Bale’s character when he’s going bonkers off stage Ă  la Tom Cruise.

    Further, you have the cast defending Mr. Bale’s behavior by stating that it was a violation of their privacy for the audio to be leaked out; that it was the intensity of the moment, and the staying in character is what caused those outbursts.

    Nothing is safe in today’s technological age: we live and breathe YouTube, you see. People need to understand that they should always be careful of their actions, regardless. You never know who is looking at you or even taping you with a celly.

    1. 1) Stallone had Rocky and Rambo; Ford had Ryan, Solo and Indy Jones.

      2) I’ll miss Sarah Connor chronicles as well (to a point) -especially with that little twist in the season (series?) ender. That twist was the best thing that could have been done. What if Skynet (and the resistance) changed the past so much that it would lead to a “civil war” between the machines as well as Connor not being the leader of the resistance?

      But those recaps, hundred act breaks and Lena Heady’s endless smirks were starting to get to me…

      3) Bale has apologized for that incident…again and again. What’s the man gotta do? Sign a pact in blood?

    2. He might have played a weak Connor, but I didn’t see Bruce Wayne or any other character he has played in it at all.

      There is no reason a star cannot play more than one role (regardless of how big it is). Thats what they do everyday.

      Perfect example is Anton Yelchin (fast becoming a favourite of mine) DID play a great Kyle Reese, and just last week he was playing Chekov in Star Trek. Execellent in both, both iconic characters in a big franchise.

  54. Just seen terminator salvation. I liked it. I liked it a lot. The problem with these reviews is people wanna knock the film for no reason. Sure there could of been more to the story, But there isn’t a lot of action films that manage that. I could of been done better and I think the problem is everyone had there idea what the future after judgment day would be like. My expections was was a bit too high. But all in all this is well worth the addmision fee. Roll on T5 !!

  55. haha i just got back from a showing in san francisco and i thought the movie kicked ass…there where some parts that i wasnt impressed with but seriously i had fun totally…sam worthington was the best part of the movie except for one part that completly stole the hole movie…….all i can say is arny.

  56. hmm.. your “bad” section in the review doesn’t seem like it will bother me at all. Good action + respecting the source material = I’m probably in for a good time.

    1. ya thats how i felt when i watched it…all the things rodney doesnt like didnt really matter to me cause the movie was fun…let alone the ending was kick assery

    2. If you can enjoy the film with bad acting from good actors, and really flat character development then you are welcome to it.

      You can still anticipate good things from it, and I am sure you will like the action. But the storyline dedicated to supporting cast that don’t matter (they don’t let them matter) and a lead cast that don’t deliver the severity of the world they are in just disappointed me.

  57. oh yeah also how was Moon Bloodgoods performance.Was she a good cast for the movie,or was she the love interest damsel in distress who provides the main character with distractions/setbacks towards his ultimate goal.

    1. Moon did great. Kyle Reese mostly filled the role of Damsel in Distress. It’ll be obvious when you watch the movie to figure out when the nude scene of hers was cut out because the film abruptly changes scene. It’s the biggest complaint I had about the movie and it wasn’t that big of a deal.

  58. Sarah makes those tapes at the end of T1,,, hate to nitpick Rodney. :)

    I knew this film would blow when they handed it off to a music video director who then got the writers from Catwomen to scribe it. Lol,,, and even then it sucked so bad that the Studio hired a ghost writer (J Nolan) to rewrite it on set.

    Can’t wait to see Mcg get fired over this.

    1. There is nothing that says there can’t be more than one tape and/or recording post T1.

      McG cannot be fired; he had already made the film.
      He has also directed We Are Marshall, a film which I happened to like.

      The scribes who wrote “Catwoman” also wrote the previous Terminator film which is why they got the job. It should also be said that they were not the only writers on Catwoman, and also wrote the David Fincher film The Game. That said, they are also attached to the next xXx film and the Death Wish remake…

      Yes, Chris Nolan did an uncredited rewrite…but that was after Brancato and Ferris had already been rewritten. Who rewrote Brancato and Ferris?

      Paul Haggis.

      (and then Shawn Ryan of Shield and The Unit fame after him)

    2. To be fair he is right. Those were the T1 dialogue on the tapes. I misquoted.

      However not to spoil anything but he refers to the tapes a couple times in the film and one begins with Sarah saying “Tape 27… “

    3. @Dan The Man

      One slight error on my part does not exclude anything else that I commented on. Paul Haggis rewrote Brancato and Ferris; Ryan rewrote Haggis. Jonathan Nolan soon followed.

      Everyone happy now?
      By the way, given all the talent involved, and how the film is getting mixed reviews, is ending on Jonathan Nolan really helping? Sounds like one too many cooks in the kitchen.

  59. i knew this would happen, because i(a not so much Ben stiller fan)have been anticipating to see night at the museum more than terminator salvation all week.well, still got Arnolds cameo an those great ESCAPE EVIL ROBOTS scenes to look forward too.Thanks for your review Rodney.

  60. Thanks Rodney for biting the bullet for us all. My little sis is a big Bale fan and wants to see this even though she hasn’t seen ANY Terminator movies. I told her tonight she needs to watch them before seeing this or she’ll be lost, but since it’s shit, to hell with it. She can watch T1, T2, enjoy them, and not see this shit.

    She still needs to see Star Trek, anyway:)

  61. I just read this weeks of Entertainment Weekly and it had a beautiful article about McG and Bale. Bale talking about his conflict with himself and his out burst and McG doing everything he could to get him to do this movie after he promised himself he would not.

    But anyway I feel this films bad reviews just suck. I just don’t feel like any of the ones on Rotten Tomatoes were even justifying why they did not like it.

    I have not seen it but will later tonight.

    Rodney You seem to have more good things to say than bad I am just lost on why such a low rating.

    1. Read it again Ezell. Its not an issue of having more good things to say. It had its good parts, but the few bad things amount to enough to flatten the experience for me.

    1. YES! I still own the first two on collector’s edition vhs’s purely for the fanboy status. (I dont even own a player)

      The first two are incredible storytelling, and I loved both of them.

      Maybe that is why I am underwhelmed with this. They just don’t hold up with solid characters and good storytelling like the first two.

  62. You don’t have to be charismatic to be a good leader. All you have to do is come up with good plans, win more then you loose, and do the best you can to keep your soldiers alive. Hell, in real Wars, most of the leaders are rude assholes, but people still respect them and will follow them blindly.

    And you can’t possibly tell me you were expect Kyle Reese to die. That argument should be moot, unless you count it against T2 as well – or did you think T2 would kill off Young Connor as well?

    Personally I loved the movie. It was everything I expected it to be, and I think everyone should see it and make up their own minds instead of reading a couple reviews on it and making up their minds based off that.

    4/10 seems a bit low, seeing as how you really only listed 2 complaints. Based off the words you wrote, I would have given it at least a 5 or 6 out of 10. However, for myself, I’d give it probably a 7.5 or an 8 out of 10.

    1. So because I only had two complaints that come down to the main character being unbelievable and the supporting cast being worse, you think that isn’t enough to condemn the movie?

      If the action wasn’t good I wouldnt have given it this much, but there was a fair bit of time dedicated to character development that just fell flat that it made the movie unenjoyable as a whole. Don’t try to put words in my mouth or change my rating because you want to give it a better number yourself.

      I am glad you enjoyed it, but that doesn’t change that I was underwhelmed with the whole thing.

    2. How about you stop being so damn defensive in EVERY post you make? When you write a review, you better as hell be prepared to discuss it without attacking those that disagree with you.

      I wasn’t trying to change your score. Come on, give me a break. I was merely stating what I would have given it, based off the review you wrote.

      But hey, I guess from now on I’ll know that its against the rules here to disagree with the original poster. Filmjunk was right – This site HAS gone down the drains within the last year.

    3. That is the problem with writing a number review Rodney. People get defensive about it. I have always been a supporter of just letting people make a score of their own out of what they read. Plus when people are able to see a score at the bottom they will sometimes skip the material and just rely on that. I support your idea of a 4/10. I personally was extremely excited to go see this movie and when I did I just walked out of the movie thinking that they should have done this, or that. I didn’t feel that way about Star Trek, that is for sure.

    4. I have to second Slushie Man here. I thought the movie was more like a 7 out of 10 at least. I think Conner could have easily built up a following over time because everything he knew and said would happen came to pass. When people hear you predict crazy end of the world type shit and then it comes true, you start to listen. And that’s the easy way for him. Without doing that, he could still get a following by just being a good leader that way Slushie Man describes. I found their following to be quite believable. Even more believable than the following that Baltar got in BSG season 4.

      I definitely think people should go see it. I would go again.

    5. Also, when I first read this review, I thought John had written it. Clearly my mistake for not checking, but I wonder how many people made this mistake. On Thursday morning, I finally noticed that it was actually written by Rodney instead. This gave me hope for the movie because I almost never agree with his opinion. John’s opinion will often fall in line with mine, but not always. Once I knew it wasn’t John who gave it a 4 out of 10, I figured the chances were better that I would like the movie and went in with a higher expectation. I’m glad to say the movie didn’t disappoint.

    1. It’ll open big and taper off, much like T3 did, methinks. Summer isn’t getting off to the best of starts, huh? We’ve already had two high-profile turds (this and Wolverine). Is this a result of the writer’s strike, perhaps?

      Save me, Captain Kirk!
      hottie:)

    2. My King,

      As far as A&D is concerned, nobody really had high hopes for that, save for the nursing home demographic, so it wasn’t much of a shock when it turned out to be a turd. That’s a turd you feel brewing in you for a hour before it plops. That movie will come and go fairly quietly and quickly, only to be remembered as a dud when we do the end of summer recap. Wolverine and T4 were supposed to be two fun, summery flicks that had loud and proud marketing, yet they have both fizzled with fans and critics alike.

      I do wonder if this bodes badly for the rest of the summer movies. Up is supposedly fantastic, according to those who have seen it at Cannes (Ebert LOVED it). I know what I’m getting from TF2 (loud, dumb, pretty effects, Megan Fox’s ass in my face) and I’m pretty sure that even if it completely blows, I can at least enjoy watching shit blow up with friends in IMAX. But so help me GOD, if Public Enemies is bad, I am going to be SOOOOOOOOOO disappointed. That movie is going to make or break my summer.

  63. Damn it, this so upsetting. I really had confidence in this. I had reservations about McG, but things seemed to be coming together well regardless. Man. First The Sarah Connor Chronicles gets cancelled, and now this movie sucks.

    1. Toss up. I figured both this and T3 were movies that didn’t need to be said.

      Terminator 1&2 sum up the story so sweetly, that we just didnt need more Terminator.

      But they gotta milk that cow.

    2. Peter Griffin: I don’t get it.
      Christian Bale: WHAT DON’T YOU GET ABOUT IT?
      Peter Griffin: I don’t get why we need another terminator, I just don’t get it.

    3. Terminator 2 might be one of the most overrated movies of all time. It has all the great action you’d expect and the special effects were definetly before its time. But T2 lost my interest when you had Arnold trying to be more human and asking questions such as “why do you cry?” Why would a cyborg honestly care why human’s cry? or why would they ask any other mundane question that went away from the main mission to protect John Connor? The attempt to build a relationship between John and The Terminator put a sour taste in my mouth with T2

      To the contrary I believe that T3 is a very under rated movie. The went back to the idea that if Arnold has less lines, his character is more accurate. I thought T3 did a great job on getting up to Judgement Day and you see John Connor as being forced into becoming a leader. It also didn’t have the feel good ending of destroying evil the other two movies had. It ended with judgement day and left you wondering how mankind would recover.

      Feel free to disagree, just my opinion

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