Terminator Salvation (2009)

Unlike the first 2 Terminator films, I was very disappointed of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). I thought they were finished making these movies. Christian Bale himself said the same thing. But this is the one we haven’t seen and it involves John Connor (Bale) leading a group of survivors for the war against the machines in the year 2018. As he struggles to find his father Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), Connor comes across a mysterious stranger name Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), who all he remembers was being on Death Row in 2003. They both embark on a dangerous journey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they will uncover the terrible secret behind the possible end to mankind. I thought McG’s version of The Terminator was very awesome and entertaining to watch. I thought Bale’s performance as John Connor was pretty bad-ass, Worthington’s (Avatar, Clash of the Titans) performance as Marcus was good, and Yelchin’s (Star Trek) performance as the teenage Kyle Reese was also good. Director McG (Charlie’s Angels) directed a very incredible cast of actors that includes Bryce Dallas Howard (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) as Connor’s wife Kate Brewster, Common (Smokin’ Aces) as Connor’s right hand man Barnes, Moon Bloodgood (Eight Below) as the “no-nonsense but battle-hardened” pilot Blair Williams, Michael Ironside (Total Recall) as General Ashdown, and Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club, Planet of the Apes) as Dr. Serena Kogan. I love how some of the scenes were references from T1 and T2, that includes a T-800 walking upstairs, the Guns N’ Roses song “You Could Be Mine”, and John Connor’s PIN Number computer. I also loved how some scenes makes you feel like you’re also running along with the characters away from the machines. On a sad minor note, Stan Winston, the man who made the Terminators come to life in the trilogy, passed away while filming on June 15th, 2008 and it was dedicated to him. I loved how Danny Elfman was chosen to do the music for the film to turn original composer Brad Fiedel’s themes with a Wagnerian quality to them. With Incredible action sequences and great special effects, I add TERMINATOR SALVATION to the Sci-Fi/Action movie classics next to The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day.