I expect the ending of Terminator: Salvation is going to be a deal breaker for most moviegoers. Certainly, it's an idiotic, illogical, and unnecessary plot device that almost singlehandedly sinks the entire movie. If it didn't come at the end of one of the most enthralling action films in recent memory, that is.
Make no mistake, the ending isn't the film's only flaw, only its most egregious; but like I said, I'm willing to forgive the film its errors in script-writing judgment because,
(I'm magnanimous like that)
for most of its running time, Salvation is a balls-to-the-wall action picture, through and through. Unlike Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Salvation actually feels like a Terminator movie. It even has terminators! Kudos to MCG -- dude, seriously, get a real name if you want be respected as a director -- for rising to the occasion by delivering some truly excellent shots, action sequences, and terrific sound effects. (Love or hate the movie, there's no denying that it sounds amazing.)
Kudos to the cast as well, who, save for Common* -- who can't act (he can't rap anymore, either) -- and Sam Worthington's half-hearted attempt at putting on an American accent, do solid work, particularly Moon Bloodgood as Blair, and especially Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese. Interesting that Yelchin, who played Chekov in the recent Star Trek reboot, does here what Karl Urban managed to do with his portrayal of McCoy in that film: perfectly channel the spirit of the actor who previously played the role, in this case The Terminator's Michael Biehn. Yelchin is Biehn, and I can't wait to see him do more in the sequel. (If I live long enough to see it, that is. Got a smoke?) Also, I would be remiss not to mention the appearance of "Arnie" as the T-800, one of the biggest geek-out moments in modern cinema history. Give more work to whomever executed that awesome scene.
Again, whether you like or loathe the movie will probably hinge upon whether or not you can look past its atrocious final plot point, but that isn't the film's only weakness. Despite his laughable attempt to sound American, Sam Worthington's Marcus is a great, memorable character who even outshines Christian Bale as John Connor; but if there was any attempt to explain his sudden reappearance in 2018, it was regrettably left on the cutting room floor. He's just there, and anyone who has seen commercials for the film or its trailer already knows exactly what Marcus is, so why not try to provide at least some information as to how he got there? I also can't fathom the logic behind having Reese, No. 1 on Skynet's "kill list," taken into captivity, identified, and not being immediately killed. No Reese, no John Connor, right? Instead, Reese is used as bait to lure Connor into Skynet. Maybe Skynet didn't want to take any chances? The machines, it seems, are as confused about time-travel paradoxes as I am.
Ultimately, however, the good of Terminator: Salvation far outweighs the bad, even with its STUPID FUCKING ENDING. I suppose that says a lot about the film's overall merit. Terminator 2: Judgment Day was a watershed event in my life as a moviegoer, but, let's be honest, it's not exactly the sacred cow of cinema. It has its own share of plot-related leaps of logic and other missteps, one example being the SWAT unit running frantically away from Miles Dyson instead of simply taking his hand off of the detonator, another being some of the cringe-worthy dialog (a third being Edward Furlong's squeaky voice; funny how what you once thought cool as a youth annoys the shit out of you when you become a grown-ass man). I'm not saying Salvation is on the same level as Judgment Day, but it's in the same building. It's a worthy addition to the Terminator franchise, something that can't be said of the unnecessary Rise of the Machines. In fact, as far as the series goes, Terminator: Salvation is an inversion of Rise of the Machines in that the latter is a lame movie only saved by its ending, whereas Salvation is a corker that is only really hurt by its final moment.
In addition to having groundbreaking FX work (Stan Winston rest in peace), Terminator: Salvation continues the theme, first touched upon in Judgment Day, of what it means to be human, and in that regard it stays true to the series. Still, I can't help but think how cool it would have been to have Marcus live instead of (spoilers!) having that worth(ington)y give his heart to John Connor as a gesture of...what, goodwill? And that nod Connor gives Marcus right before he's about to take his heart?
Gargh!
3 1/2 out of 4 *_*
* Dude, seriously, get a real name if you want to be respected as an actor. Word to Ice Cube
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