Terminator Salvation (2009)

The critic finds the film pretty damn good overall and a big step up from Terminator 3, praising its propulsive plot, exciting set-pieces and strong performances from Christian Bale and Anton Yelchin. They single out the fresh men-on-a-mission structure and variety of robot designs for praise.

The machines should get top billing in this dark fourth instalment; it makes up in stylish visuals and thunderous action for what it lacks in human drama and narrative focus.

The film is a sturdy and serviceable sequel with brute integrity, efficient storytelling, and mastery of chases, fights, and explosions. McG manages speed and technomayhem with aplomb despite lacking a signature style.

The critic says McG largely delivers on the future-war premise with exciting action and hardware, highlighting Sam Worthington's full arc and performance as the standout. They single out the strong set-pieces for praise while noting weaker character work outside the main quartet and limited accessibility for newcomers.

The movie delivers pyrotechnics and heavy artillery for fans but loses the chess match tension between man and machine; Sam Worthington's Marcus Wright steals the show as the conflicted warrior. Bale's John Connor struggles to anchor the chaos.

The film delivers plenty of crunching heavy metal action in its post-apocalyptic setting but offers little dramatic life or satisfying human element. It is not the same without Schwarzenegger, resulting in terminally sullen results unlikely to match the scale of bigger blockbusters.

The film is a confused, humorless grind that has lost the irony and fun of earlier entries, with oversized machines and self-important tone dominating. Performances and design fail to lift the weary saga.

McG fails to deepen the series' timeline or storytelling and instead shifts to a lighter, impersonal Transformers-like approach with one-note characters and escapable machines. The film is rife with dumb callbacks, lacks internal logic, and finishes off the Terminator series.

The critic finds the film a fantastically dull fourth episode that brings the franchise to a creative standstill. He singles out the uninvolving action sequences and Christian Bale's dull performance for complaint.

It is a shambolic, deafening, intelligence-insulting mess and a crushing failure on almost all counts, though one desert chase scene rivals anything in the series.

The critic is torn between enjoying the film as spectacle and finding it lacking in emotional depth and heart. They single out the strong final act and Anton Yelchin's portrayal of Kyle Reese for praise.

The critic sees the film as a stopgap more interested in setting up sequels than standing on its own, with impressive but unremarkable SFX and an underwritten John Connor role that wastes Christian Bale.