Terminator Salvation

The issue with Terminator Salvation is that the whole world thinks that it's a piece of crap. I don't know if it's because Christian Bale movies are now expected to be on par with Dark Knight, or our man Christian's infamous rant on camera, or that the director's name is McG, etc. For an action movie, Terminator Salvation could even be considered slightly above average.

There are two major issues as far as the movie goes. First: everyone knows the terminator story backwards and forwards, and Terminator Salvation doesn't do anything remotely creative to deviate from this state. Second: Christian Bale's acting sucks ---- as John Connor, unusual from his typically intense, yet nuanced performances. In Terminator Salvation, John Connor literally only does two things, scream at other people and give the world's most retarded slow-mo head nod to convey a wealth of respect, gratitude, and trust.

The rest of the movie is pretty good once we lower our expectations. It's shot completely in dark grays and beiges, giving us something more dark and palatable than the inappropriate bright oranges and yellows in kitschy action fare that would be better suited for The OC. The action is grim and satisfying, with a surprisingly good performance from Sam Worthington. Worthington manages to humanize his role beyond a hunk of muscle, something which Bale could learn from. In all, not a bad way to spend a Monday afternoon.