• Terminator Salvation -- Delivers fleeting enjoyment that's disconnected from the franchise, 5/10. WATCH full episodes of "Movie Night" -- ****** TWEET a review with the #JPMN hashtag, and have it featured! ~~ Watch More Reviews ~~ Browse By Year ----- ****** Browse By Rating --- ****** Trailer Reviews ------- ****** ~~ Other Channels ~~ Jogwheel (Main channel) --- ****** Jon's World (2nd channel) -- ****** The Microwave Show --------- ****** uStream Live Shows ws ---------- ****** ~~ Social Media & Merch ~~ Twitter ---------------------------- ****** Facebook ----------------------- ****** Instagram ----------------------- ****** Patreon -------------------------- ****** Letterboxd ---------------------- ****** T-Shirts -------------------------- ****** • Jogwheel Productions © 2015 • ~~ Review Script ~~ Directed by McG (which passes for a human name now, apparently) - this expensive $200 million dollar dystopian action film was released in May of 2009, where it grossed $370 million. The 115-minute adventure follows a group of resistance fighters in the ruined, post-Judgment Day future, who must work together to battle deadly machines. To its credit, this PG-13-rated movie took the sci-fi series to its next logical place, but by doing so, it removed all of the time-travel intrigue and horror elements of its predecessors. And without Schwarzenegger's involvement... there's really no point at all. Sure, the futuristic battle scenes briefly shown during the earlier movies were awesome - but building an entire story around that concept is like having an ice cream sundae without the ice cream. You're just left eating a bowl full of hot fudge... and no one wants that. The fresh cast is led by non-Americans Christian Bale and Sam Worthington, who attempt their best American accents throughout. The former plays resistance leader John Connor, who constantly seems out of breath and angry for the entire picture, while the latter brings an interesting dynamic as a convicted killer coming to terms with a new identity. While Bale's interpretation of the character is a complete departure from what came before - the men give solid performances, especially in the few scenes they share together, even though they aren't given a great script to work with. Anton Yelchin is wonderful playing a younger version of Michael Beihn's character from part 1, while Moon Bloodgood looks sexy and takes charge as a battle-hardened pilot. Sharing experience with a new ally, she remarks, "You can focus on what is lost... or you can fight for what is left." Rounding out the group is Bryce Dallas Howard - underutilized as Bale's wife, Common is rarely convincing as a dime-a-dozen solider, Helena Bonham Carter breathes some life into a present-day prologue, and Linda Hamilton has a voice-only cameo in an uncredited role. Her involvement is minor, but with such a large disconnect to previous films... this small bit of continuity is key. In a drastic tonal shift, this fourth installment is completely humorless... making the non-stop action feel less enjoyable that it could be. But when our heroes attempt to escape a giant three-story robot harvester, the ensuing action is undeniably thrilling. Since this film doubles as a sort of prequel to previous events, we already know which characters will survive - robbing most of the movie of any real tension. Meanwhile, the entire experience is filmed with a very muted color palate - everything is a boring shade of brown or grey. This visual decision was a terrible mistake that makes the whole movie look so uninteresting and bland. Honestly, the most memorable part of this entire picture is a brief cameo by the original Terminator model, computer render using Schwarzenegger's likeness. Where it not for its title, this would be an overlooked adventure people instantly forget about - and certainly not worth seeing twice. "Terminator Salvation" delivers fleeting enjoyment that's disconnected from the franchise. An ALRIGHT film. ~