Terminator Salvation

2009-05-21
By Sergio A. Mims

CAST:  Christian Bale
               Sam Worthington
               Anton Yelchin
               Moon Bloodgood
               Common
               Helena Bonham Carter
               Jadagrace
WRITTEN BY: John Brancato and Michael Ferris
DIRECTED BY: McG (John McGinty Nichol)
***   THREE STARS

Big and loud, full of sound and fury with plenty of explosions, Terminator Salvation, the fourth in the series that-will-never-die of Terminator films since the 1984 original, is a surprisingly solidly made - considering who made it - undeniably exciting, blisteringly fast paced sci-fi action thriller that thankfully puts to rest the fears that this latest incarnation wouldn’t live up to its esteemed predecessors.

Grimmer, darker, grungier and more hard bitten with a color-wise de-saturated visual look, Salvation has a distinctly different tone and feel than previous Terminator films. Yet it, like those films, moves likes lightning with several very impressive and well choreographed action set pieces and a clever story that neatly follows the premise of the earlier films.

The film is directed by John McGinty Nichol, a former TV commercial and music video director who goes by the professional moniker “McG”  and is responsible for two of the worst films ever foisted on mankind, the Charlie Angels movies.  McG, with Salvation, has put all fear away showing that he can be a skillful and solid director or else he’s been spending more time at film school learning his craft. He gives the mostly sober and humorless film, a real sense of dread and foreboding but paces the film with a relentlessly fierce and brutal drive.

Taking place just a decade from now, Salvation explores the unending futuristic world war battle between men and machines that were originally created for defense but now think and destroy on their own.

Sam Worthington plays Marcus Wright, a prisoner condemned to execution in 2003 who turns over his body to science only to wake up  finding  himself 15 years into the future and literally in the middle of a violent battle between humans and machines for world domination. The humans’ scattershot guerilla resistance movement is lead by the now adult John Conner (Bale), last seen as a teenager in the second Terminator film Judgment Day.

Both separately and together Bale and Worthington, along with other resistance fighters like Kyle Reece (who any good hard core Terminator fan knows is the guy in the first Terminator film who travels back into the past to meet Sarah Conner)and father John, Bloodgood, Common and a mute but determined little black girl (Jadagrace).

Of course it wouldn’t be a sci-fi film is a bizarre twist weren’t revealed halfway through and the one in Salvation neatly sets up the second half of the film leading up to the exciting conclusion.

But where Salvation really works is through its sheer virtuosity and narrative drive. It never stops for a minute, even when it briefly slows for some existential dialogue about man and his existence.

Worthington, in his first major film role and soon to be seen in James Cameron’s  long awaited 3D sci-fi film Avatar is quite good and appropriately tough and. Bale, as usual, is every degree of intensity personified. The man bores through the film as if he’s on a life and death mission. Relaxation is the one word unknown to Bale. Bloodgood is fine too and Common, with relatively his small role, at least must be happy that he has a few more scenes and lines of dialogue than he did in  last year’s Wanted.

Terminator Salvation is a terrific, high octane, moving at the speed of light actioner that hits every button and reveals the biggest surprise of all - that despite his dumb name and his previous disasters, that McG guy has some genuine talent.

Film critic, lecturer and festival consultant Sergio Mims covers all things film from the city that works, Chicago. He is a regular contributor to EbonyJet.com.