Terminator Salvation Review

Written by: puzzle10   

I give Terminator Salvation a 7/10. The movie is really a 10/10 in so many ways, but a weak plot and some serious wince-inducing dialogue knock off a whopping 3 whole points out of ten. I'm going to justify my down-grade from a 10 to a 7, and then leave you with my final impressions (which is what makes the film a 10 in so many ways). If you saw Star Trek last week, you got treated to a solid, meaningful plot and well-crafted dialogue. It was 'just right' for the fast pace of the film, and the text and plot fit the tone of the film. Not so with Terminator Salvation.

There is some truly silly dialogue, and a few of the characters are outright cartoons (these are the ones that made me wince every time they spoke). The thing is, this filim is very serious in tone. Darker than Dark Knight. And it makes the bad characters and dialogue annoying instead of fun. This really worked against the the film, drawing attention to the mediocrity of the plot is -- which shouldn't matter, because it's an action movie, dammit! Aside from the above, Terminator Salvation is awesome.

The pacing is brisk and exciting, and the special effects are stunning. The dark tone of the film works wonderfully well, updating the franchise with the same grittiness that infused Batman. The ensemble cast are great, and Sam Worthington is phenomenal. It's really his film. The chemistry between Moon Bloodgood and Sam Worthington gives the film some needed heart, even though their relationship is a smaller part of the story.

They remind me a lot of the chemistry between Link and Zee (Harrold Parrineau and Nona Gaye) in Matrix: Revolutions -- a small part of the story, but totally smoldering and HOT. In conclusion, go see this film. It's totally worth the money to see it on the big screen. Just keep a bucket of popcorn on hand, so that you can stuff your face when someone says something lame, or when you notice a plot point that is just plain stupid. After all, you won't have to wait long before the action resumes, and the action is FANTASTIC.