‘Bale gives another fantastic performance in 'Terminator Salvation '
By Ezra Mann (Editor in Spoof)

(This article has also been published at Fuell to the Fire)

Ah, gotta love the prospect of fighting for one’s survival and the smell of exploded robots in the morning, noon or anytime. Another chapter in the epic battle of man versus homicidal machine is now with us and the only question most should be asking is: can I get the refill on that bucket of popcorn without missing an awesome scene?
Forget about the thought provoking tales, the chick flicks and the cheesy monster attacks on horny teenagers; we’re talking today about gruff butt kicking action that only serves to fuel our adrenaline. Ever since that buff Austrian first tried to kill or save all hope for humanity I’ve been hooked on the struggle and looking forward to whatever came next. Thankfully, “Terminator Salvation” does not disappoint most hardcore fans or those new to the universe, delivering a knockout movie experience.
First, let’s all just go ahead and admit that with all the attempts to save John Connor (Christian Bale) the hero of the resistance, continuity might as well just take a permanent hike. Sure, there could have been attempts made to tie everything together that was supposed to happen, but swim in the time stream enough and you get muddy water.
That said; I know I was excited to finally see the post-apocalyptic world often foretold of in pre-judgment day times and I have to say so far, nicely done. The year is 2018 and things have somewhat cleared up since the crispy fried nuking thing and humanity has definitely had more than enough and is ready to put an end to the machine’s rule. One of the key differences here is that John is more of an unofficial leader of the resistance and must answer to a chain of military command.
Yes, he was supposed to be the savior and unquestioned leader, but given how popular trilogies are, he still has plenty of time to get the official rank. Anyhoo, the leaders he must answer to, General Ashdown (Michael Ironside) and General Losenko (Ivan G'Vera) serve as the head honchos on board a sub, which is the current H.Q. of survival.
They come up with a cunning plan to take the machines out all at once using something they believe each and every killer machine is a part of. However, the addition of a new element in Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) brings everything into question, even what makes a person human. It all comes down to if the people really trust Connor and it shows quite nicely when it counts.
Other characters, including Kate Connor (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) also make excellent additions to the film. When all was said and done I enjoyed it from start to finish and really only had reservations about the final few minutes of the film (a bit too sappy for all the good scenes).
If you hate this movie then you most likely went in with misguided expectations, because it was excellent from visuals to story and paid decent tribute to what came before it. It’s a bit less adult than the other movies in the series, but I would still say leave this film for the older audience just in case. “Terminator Salvation” was what it should have been and for that it deserves four and a half out of five hasta la vistas.

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