Christian Bale stars in Terminator Salvation
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Many devotees complained that Rise of the Machines, the first installment that wasn't directed by Cameron, crudely violated the creator's intent and messed with the overarching plot. Call me a clod, but I didn't see it as all that insulting. It may have been overly eager to show off its special effects, but it was entertaining enough in that big, stupid way. The new movie has much more impressive effects and is far more slavish in its homage. (It's a pleasure to learn that even as a teen, Kyle was using the "Come with me if you want to live" line.) Like the new Star Trek, it's a gift for fans.
But what's lacking is the sense of emotional balance and urgency that the original Terminator, though just a B movie, was blessed with--the quality that earned it fans in the first place. It was cheesy, but it never pretended to be otherwise. In Terminator Salvation, we don't bother worrying about teenage Kyle; we know he'll make it. We're too busy thinking about how cool that stunt was, the one where that body skimmed the river's surface like a skipping stone.
So McG knows how to slap an audience into awed submission. But at a certain point, you may feel so pummeled that you check out and begin pondering things like the time-travel question. Or when did radiation from nuclear blasts cease to be dangerous to human beings? Or what exactly is Terminator Salvation's stance on the death penalty? Or how is it that even after the apocalypse, someone is still churning out cute maternity wear and hot leather outfits? Maybe in 25 more years, we'll get the answers.