I remember as a little kid, sneaking downstairs when my brother and his friends had rented the original "Terminator" film. I peeked my head around the corner of the sofa just in time to see a close up shot of the glowing red eye of Arnold Schwarzenegger. To this day, as I lay in bed, I can see the red "charging" light on the base of my cordless phone and the only thing I can think of is...you guessed it, the glowing eye of the Terminator. And so began my journey into Sci-Fi and Horror films.
The first "Terminator" film was ground breaking. "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" set a new standard for special effects in movies. "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" bombed, majorly. "Terminator Salvation" gives this franchise a much needed boost and brings the concept to a new generation.
The director, McG, really surprised me with this film and he is really starting to show his talent. Most people know of him from directing the "Charlie's Angels" films and "We are Marshall," but I think this will really bring him to the forefront. I must add that Michael Bay, director of "Transformers" and its upcoming sequel needs to up his game if he wants to hold on to the title of "The Dude Who Blows a Ton of Stuff Up" because there are a lot of things going boom in this film. It is loud and really well done, not over the top.
The SFX are done well. Being there are a lot of up close shots of different robots and all their moving parts, the scenes had to be done well and seamless and they achieved that. There are some really cool camera angles and points-of-view that give you a whole new perspective of viewing a film. Did I mention it was loud?
Christian Bale played the role of John Connor well; nothing that stands out by any means but he keeps your attention. A few weeks back I had talked about Anton Yelchin and his role in "Star Trek". I was not a big fan of that role and his portrayal of Chekov. He is back to a higher level here. For some reason, he draws my attention. He's very capable of playing characters that land on opposite sides of the spectrum and he does is very well. Sam Worthington is moving very quickly up the Hollywood ladder and this film shows you why.
Whether you're a fan of the "Terminator" series or not, I'd tell you give this movie a try. It's fast paced, entertaining and a lot of fun. Go buy some popcorn and some Red Vines and plop your butt down for this one. Oh, did I mention it was loud?