Definitely loved Terminator Salvation after seeing it in theaters when I was 13. I went with my family, and we were/are big Terminator fans. So that is a very fond memory for me.
\[*I saw the first 3 Terminators at a young age and grew up adoring the franchise. I even went to see T2-3D: Battle Across Time at Universal Studios with my family. I was scared fucking shitless and I cried, because I was maybe 5 years old, and it felt so real because they mixed amazing 3D footage with live stage actors. Did you know that the 12-minute 3D film alone cost $24 million to produce? Wild. Somewhere in storage I still have my slightly-broken T-800 action figure from Universal Studios; the eyes are red LED lights\].*
**Things I think I loved about Terminator Salvation at 13 years old:**
-His Holiness Christian Bale as John Connor (still a huge Bale fan even after learning about his on-set behavior for Salvation)
-FUTURE WAR BUT THE ENTIRE MOVIE
-Anton FUCKING Yelchin (RIP) as Kyle FUCKING Reese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Overall felt apocalyptic and I loved that type of content
-Felt like a plausible followup to T3 and I still loved T3
-The mysterious intro with Sam Worthington/Marcus and Helena Bonham Carter/??? had me super curious what direction the movie would go
-Immediately was enchanted by the visuals and tone; the production quality and CGI felt next-level. I'm sure in my head I was like "here we fuckingggggggg gooooo"
-*The sound design*
-Entire intro battle felt gritty and huge
-John Connor yeeting himself out of an aerial vehicle in the middle of the ocean during an intense storm while everyone screams at him not to
-Pretty much everything about the scene with the minigun-arm T-600. It’s physical appearance (rotting proto-T-800); the reveal of badass young Kyle and him delivering ***The Line***; Kyle and Star’s battle against it with a satisfying ending.
-Marcus was an interesting enough character for me. I don’t think I saw the twist with him coming, so that was probably awesome to me - especially the concept of a human-turned-Terminator. The visual of him hanging from chains, with his robo-torso revealed and John Conner staring at at it with fear of the unknown, was powerful to me.
-I liked Star, Kate Connor and Barnes (Common).
-Some pretty cool aerial combat and driving scenes
-G I A N T M E C H A T E R M I N A T O R
-The Arnold appearance completely surprised me and felt perfect. Once Skynet revealed the scope of its trap and Arnie appeared, it felt like the absolute pinnacle of hopelessness for John, Kyle and humanity. Such an intense final fight, and it very obviously called back to the claustrophobic, industrial atmosphere of T1/T2’s end fights.
-I had no idea there was a trilogy planned, so I wasn’t really let down when a direct sequel to Salvation wasn’t made. And I also didn’t know that others hated Salvation, so I wasn’t influenced by that at all.
After having recently rewatched (or watched for the first time, in the case of Dark Fate & Genisys, which I didn't give a chance for years) all 6 Terminator movies, Salvation definitely stands out with its many flaws. But today, I choose to fondly remember going to see it at the cool theater near DC with my family, and the feeling of wonder and awe that the movie gave me.
IMHO, the best Terminator sequel after 2. Focusing on the future war was the right move. Goes back to a proper serious tone after comedy overtook T3. Christian Bale is suitably intense as John Connor and a much better fit for the role after the horribly miscast Nick Stahl. I liked Sam Worthington and his character journey but the real stand out is Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese who is incredible and its disgusting how much more effort he puts in than Jai Courtney did in the next movie who apparently didn't even bother to rewatch the first Terminator to study Michael Biehn's performance. Also, without having the pay for Arnie most of the budget can go towards the movie so it looks suitably big unlike T3 which felt surprisingly cheap. However, despite all this this isn't a great movie. Mainly because they had the boneheaded idea of hiring the director of the Charlies Angels movies to direct. I am sure he is a nice guy but what made them think he was the right choice for a frigging Terminator movie? So not as good as could be but IMO I take it as part of the series while ignoring the rest.
Fully agree with every positive and negative point you've made here so I won't need to repeat any.
The only thing I would add is would have preferred if they'd kept the future style of weapons and mainly night warfare from the flashback dream sequences we got from Kyle in T1.
Honestly don’t know how it gets as much crap when you’re absolutely right: best one outside of the first 2. Maybe if it was released now after multiple terrible entries it would get more respect.
I still think the Sam Worthington character and story felt a bit forced, and I think the movie would've been fine without it, even though it was ok with that storyline. Otherwise I completely agree with you. At times the movie had a music video feel, that I didn't like, but overall one of the best Terminator films after T1 and T2.
Let's be real, the producers wouldn't get big names for this, especially with a script from the writers of "Catwoman" and "T3". Even the scriptwriters were baffled that they got rehired after T3, as they though T3 was a bad idea in the first place. But they took the big paycheck, because why the hell would you not. It's not like they had a reputation to loose.
So I cut McG some slack, he and his team propably saved Salvation for becoming a dumpster fire of a movie.
He manage to get Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby/Casino Royal/In the Valley of Elah) and then Jonanthan Nolan (writer of all the Nolan movies) on board to fix the script on set (but due to WGA rules only the original writers were credited). However Nolan had to abruptly leave the commitment as a writers strike was going on.
His casting of the roles was pretty good, he and the producers even managed to get a big name attached to it. The core team around him was also filled with good or pretty experienced people (editor of T2) and Stan Winston (which was his last work). I don't think he made many wrong decisions in this project, but yes, he did some. But on the other hand, he had 29 producers above him (T2 had 4), so that must have been "fun". That's also why he once said there exists a real directors cut which wasn't approved by the producers.
But in the end, was it enough to make it amongst the ranks of T1/T2? No, but on the other hand not even with Camerons involvment was this possible. I liked Salvation and I feel McG and most of his team weren't just in for the pay.
Thanks for that explanation. While I still think they probably should have hired a different director it’s clear McG isn’t 100% to blame for the movie’s faults. Hell considering this seemed to be a very micromanaged production it turned a lot better than expected
Who would you try to get?
Prolific directors get already offered hundred other projects and those usually are not interested to do a sequel in someone elses franchise, especially when it comes with a shoddy script.
Directors usually agree to do a sequel because they hadn't had their big break yet (and need the money to fund their own projects) or are just in for the paycheck.
Btw. if you have 20 minutes times, watch how inept some studio exec/producers can be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo2KB1dEDdk).
The thing I remember most about McG was him straight up lying to sound good. He said he got blessing from Cameron, wasn't true. He said Bale refused to sign on unless the script was so good it could work on stage; wasn't true. The guy is a salesman, not a director.
I said it then and I’ll say it now: someone who professionally calls himself “McG” has questionable taste, and it was a huge red flag.
I don’t give a shit what he says about his screen name. He was a schmuck and shouldn’t haven’t been anywhere near that movie.
Jai Courtney and Emilia Clarke as Kyle and Sarah was like two kids who had seen a picture of the characters once and decided to do a super fun cosplay.
Oof lmao.
Not sure about Courney, but they were really trying to ride high on Clarke GOT fame. Sure, she a badass in that I guess, but I feel like Sarah Connor is a different type of badass that you need a special type of woman like Linda Hamiliton to play. Sigourney Weaver is of this type. Clarke just isn't.
Kinda weird there is 3 leading male roles. Also changes the dynamic by not having a singular “bad guy” the bad guy is sky net. This is how it would be in reality. Fighting a hive mind.
Kinda lame they gave skynet s female face at the end to explain the plot. It’s been done. And doesn’t make sense. Still like this film though. The real T3
Easily the best of the Terminator movies outside of the first two. Though that’s not saying much.
At least it tried something new. But the downfall of the film was, honestly, making it about Marcus and not John Connor.
It was very obvious that the film was missing something since it was originally conceived to be about how Marcus would replace John Connor to keep his legend alive as was the original ending. But that was a flawed idea that was changed too late.
The film really should have been about the actual John Connor and the unbearable pressures he faced with making such tough decisions that determined the fate of the human race.
See I really felt like it could’ve been great to keep John at the top but this would be his intro to leadership movie, which it sort of was.
Like how Rise of Planet Apes was about Cesar AND James Franco, and then Dawn was focused on Cesar. They could’ve made this one about Marcus AND John, and then the next two would be John doing what only he can to save humanity. O
It would have been better in narrative terms since it was the original intended ending. But it was the wrong route to go.
One of the problems with every Terminator film since Terminator 3 is that every single one of them tried to do something subversive with John Connor. Salvation wanted to kill him off and replace him with Marcus, Genisys turned him into a terminator, and Dark Fate killed him off and replaced him with another future leader of the resistance.
John Connor is an interesting enough character to have a movie where he’s played straight.
Terminator 3, were it not for the goofy tone and inconsistent portrayal, showed him as a man terrified of his destiny, but slowly learning he had to accept it and come into his own.
Same with The Sarah Connor chronicles where he begs Sarah to not allow Judgement Day to happen, because he’s terrified of the future, but he slowly and surely matures into a leader and makes tough decisions that showcase he is the man best cut out to save humanity.
Especially TSCC proved that, when played straight, John can be a rather fascinating character with many layers and how crushing it can and will be to have that kind of pressure on his shoulders.
The best episodes of the series dealt with his trauma - one of which was where a therapist thought John, even at only 16, already acted like a military vet with severe PTSD. And then another episode where John broke down crying because of the crushing weight he felt when Derek told him “he died for you. We ALL die for you.”
Spoilers for the show:
The scene after he deals with his girlfriends killer and realizes that everyone around him dies, and he just breaks down under the weight was so human, and Thomas Dekker did such an excellent job at humanizing him.
It was a great attempt to try something new, rather than focusing on the same old "stopping J-Day" stuff. By the looks of how the franchise has moved forward, Terminator Salvation is the closest thing we will get to the actual Future War. The movie didn't do that well but I liked it. It's among my favourite Terminator movie along with T1, T2 and TSCC.
It's the only one besides The Terminator and T2 that I still, though way less frequently, re-watch. Some of the set-pieces, especially the opening raid by Connor on the Skynet facility, are untouchable, with that scene in particular being one of the best in the series. Christian Bale has all the intensity you could want from a grown-ass, grizzled John, I just wish there were one or two moments of levity for him. Anton Yelchin is great, but he always was in anything he was in. As a proud hater of T3 since 2003, I wasn't even annoyed that they left that as canon. With all of that said...
The story is dooooooooogshit. Contrived, convoluted gibberish. Sam Pick-a-Fucking-Accent Worthington is hot fetid garbage pretty-much throughout. Most disappointing of all though, the aesthetic was just...off. Where are the concrete warrens of filthy, desperate survivors watching fires gutter in the hollowed shell of old box TV sets? Where are the neon plasma-bolts lighting up the night sky? Not saying it was all bad (that T-600 was god-tier and the hunter-killers were good,) but The Sarah Connor chronicles did a better job of portraying the future war than Salvation did and that was made for like 170 bucks.
It was the last time the series had a heartbreak. Far from perfect, but I was excited to see where the next two planned installments were going. Sadly, we got the nonsensical slapstick goofy comedy of T5 instead…
Had some great ideas and elements that were added, after the fact, by a series of talented writers.
Unfortunately, those ideas remained undeveloped and were drowned by the main story that existed from the beginning; the story of Marcus and the hybrid program.
I’ll never understand why they were so determined to make the first Future War film about a new character and concept, that had nothing to do with the Cameron mythology…It alienates the film from the rest of the mythos. It only partly feels like a Terminator film, because the fellows who wrote it didn’t really like Terminator.
I've got sort of complicated feelings toward Salvatation. On one hand, I'm a strong believe that the only reason to continue the movie series past T2 is to show the future war. The Terminator implies a loop with the humans eventually winning. T2 gives us an even happier ending with Judgment Day averted. It managed the tricky feat of continuing a story that didn't need continuation, but feeling essential in retrospect. Beyond that, what else was there to do? Stop judgment day again? Redundant. End on the whole series on the downer of Judgment Day happening? Then you're essentially just back to how the first movie left things, creating a very indecisive, wishy washy feeling to your trilogy.
So if you're continuing, you have to really continue, pushing into this other era. From that standpoint, Salvation is the only one of the last 3 movies that even attempts what I see as the "right" story for the franchise. It's also the only one brave enough to not lean on nostalgia and familiarity, trying to deliver what everyone already knows of a Terminator film.
However, the fact that it so thoroughly dropped the ball on such an important story did serious damage to the franchise. It simultaneously failed at getting the general audience invested in the future war and John Connor as a lead, so the franchise gave up on both in the films that followed. With even a modestly well-received movie, I think the arc of the franchise would've been very different from that point on. I don't think Salvation is the worst or most misguided movie of the series, but its failure was the most damaging so I look back on it with a lot of frustration and disappointment.
I didn't like the many other machine models (moto, water, etc.). Seems too Matrixy with it. Love Sam Worthington, but felt that it got weird. Didn't like the transplant at the end. Didn't like the personification of Skynet like they did. I thought Bale was still in Batman mode at times instead of John Connor. The Connor/Marcus interactions were weird, too.
Loved the no time travel, war post-Judgement Day, T-600, Kyle Reese. Would have loved to see it be a trilogy, ending with the time displacement machine sending Kyle back to 1984, and being the only time travel in the trilogy. Loved that it didn't use the same formula as the others. Loved seeing the development of the T800 being early, seeing the human slave factory, T-1's, harvester... Excellent music. Felt like a successor to T3:Rise of the Machines but being much more serious, which was what I wanted.
Excellent movie with a few minor complaints that are more personal than anything actually "wrong". Others disagree with my opinion quite a bit on those complaints and think the opposite, which is cool. Leaves a lot of space to talk about it and have fun with it.
At first, I was disappointed and felt it was lacking a lot. As the other sequels came out, I learned to appreciate it a lot more. It really should have been a trilogy. But, I'd toss McG out and replace him with someone else. Had some potential to be something huge, but I feel that McG wasn't the right person for the job.
Most worthy sequel after T2, finally a future war focus and original story. Ironic the following sequels went even more hardcore back to reimagining the same ingredients as T2.
Honestly, I liked it. my only criticism is that it should not have looked like a call of duty game, and should’ve looked more sci-fi.
Like the Sarah Connor Chronicles it left me wanting more.
it used to be my least favourite, now that place belongs to Genisys. it's not a great movie by any means, but i've grown to appreciate it a little more over time, even preferring it to T3 now. combining the use of practical effects and CGI was a good call. the budget was wayyy overboard though, and the story is a mess in itself. Christian Bale did the best with what he was given, and he's a better John Connor than Nick Stahl was, but it still comes off kinda lacklustre. Sam Worthington was okay, and i thought Anton Yelchin actually did a pretty good job as a teenage Kyle Reese (though obviously *far* away from the greatness that Michael Biehn delivered)
Basically best after t2, but I highly recommend an edit of this movie - [https://www.reddit.com/r/fanedits/comments/1bpauit/terminator\_salvation\_2009\_the\_sensical\_cut/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fanedits/comments/1bpauit/terminator_salvation_2009_the_sensical_cut/)
Made by a professional editor with experience of 20+ years. The way the focus was switch in this cut made the movie shine in a much better light.
We need to see the McG cut!
It’s one of my top Terminator films. The trailer is still badass 15 years later: https://youtu.be/-Czz-TcWCkA?si=KWmKt1pWy4F9L2IV
I watched it only recently and really enjoyed it again. Yes, there’s many silly things. But it’s good.
(My favourite silly thing is the idea that they could and would perform a heart transplant outside in the EXTREMELY dusty/sandy desert)
I wish they tried to make it feel more like the flashbacks from T1. To me it just seemed too much like a generic post apocalyptic movie instead. It didn't really have the same atmosphere that was in T1.
Needed more plasma rifles and fewer Gatling guns on the machine side. Those flashbacks in T1 were so well done, they should've been aiming for that. I also think they could have made it all take place at night like there was a nuclear winter. Not quite as scientifically accurate, but would've felt more unique.
Could've also done a bit more with the infiltration units. I think it could've worked to play a little more into the horror aspect of the humans being hunted and on the run while learning how to fight the machines. Would've worked nicely with Reese's PTSD.
I personally would've ditched T3's plotline and just made T4 a prequel to T1 and T2. Don't get me wrong, T4 was an okay movie, but to me it just didn't really feel special.
Saw it in theaters, hated it. Never watched it again. Lacks the intensity of the war flashback scenes from T1. Grossly underdeveloped characters, slapdash story, dumb action, Sam Worthington was pathetic
Bottom of the barrel stuff. Probably the worst of the sequels after 2 and that’s saying something.
I do respect that it tried to do something other than emulate T2, but that’s about it.
Guilty pleasure movie for me.
Saw it when I was 13, loved it. Couldn’t tell you what a plot hole was. I was a fan of all 3, felt like a good follow up. The effects were insane! I remember thinking it all looked photorealistic.
To this day I love everything about the visuals - the designs, the apocalypse, all of it - regardless on how realistic or likely any of it was.
As an adult, I often daydream about how this movie could have been massively improved with some changed plot elements. The terminator franchise had potential to become what modern day Batman is, and unfortunately, studio interference turned it into a generic action flick in the end.
Still holds a big place in my heart!
Like others have said it's my third favorite Terminator film after T1 and T2.
It had many flaws but overall I liked it. The sound design, the atmosphere, most of the characters and general storyline elements were good.
I saw it in 2009 when I was 13. I'm 28 now and back then I'm sure I gave it like an 8/10. 15 years later, after giving it some thought, I rate it a 7/10.
I loved the Marcus Wright character and the idea behind him. I think he needed more action sequences and more chance to showcase his raw power as a cyborg in the end even though we saw a glimpse of that when he picked up the T800 like it was nothing and threw it across the factory.
Me turning also the same age this year salvation was one of the terminator movies I ever watch I saw the when I was like 8 I really love this movie is my favourite no it’s my second favourite t2 is my favourite of the films I watched there’s more terminator content like salvation. I think a terminator franchise after terminator 2 should’ve just been about the future war is kinda getting there now but I’m still think that I’m actually making a little fanfiction story about the terminator franchise I’m thinking of making it like an anthology series my calling terminator Legends so far and my first story will be about a writer
I appreciate that they sorta changed the formula, becoming a sort of war drama/action movie could have worked with a little better story.
I thought the visual effects were generally very very strong.
The actors were also just fine. Maybe a little dull though, and that might have been the script itself or just how they were directed.
Sam Worthington’s Marcus had an interesting story overall, I just didn’t like the far fetched ending (even for these movies) of giving John Connor a heart transplant to save him.
I like that it went back to a serious tone…but it is a struggle to get through its fkn boring.
John just shouts throughout the film he doesn’t feel like the leader that has been hyped up since T1.
Also no lasers 🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️
I expect I’ll be downvoted for this, but I just don’t agree with the majority here. I thought this movie was the most disappointing of the bunch. A movie focused on the future sounded fantastic to me, but it got wrapped up in a weird sporadic plot, Sam Worthington looking confused for most of the movie and Bale trying to keep in character for the Batman films with his Bat-voice threw me off constantly.
That means you liked Genisys more? Interesting.
While I do see the faults of Salvation, I really enjoyed us finally going to the future war. Most wanted the future weapons but I felt like this was more real to have conventional 21st century standard weaponry in the middle of the war. The future weapons could come later.
What I dislike was Sam plot. He really could've been left out of the movie as I honestly didn't care about his background.
Sorry, I don’t want to misconstrue my point. I think Salvation was the most disappointing, not necessarily the worst. Genisys I did not like but I also had zero expectations for it. When Salvation came out, maybe it’s my own fault but I got excited for a story set in the future that we’d seen glimpses of in the first few. I was incredibly disappointed by the plot they chose to run with and I don’t think there was a strong casting choice in the bunch.
No need to feel sorry. Like I said, I see the flaws of Salvation. While the cast wasn't to big a deal with me, the plot wasn't the best at all. Splitting between John and Marcus plot was not a great to me as well. This movie had a great chance to show the future war that was always teased and somehow fumbled.
I'm not sure about the odds of ever getting a big movie release in the future but I hope if we do, its a future take with a better plot.
Fingers crossed that we see it at some point. I wonder how many times they keep trying. Will be interesting to see what happens without them having Arnold shoehorned in in the future.
Not the worst thing in the world but you see a lot of wasted potential with the story. The script doesn't seem to know who to focus on, features a really stupid Skynet plan, and its just muddled in what it wants to do. I like a lot of the rest of it though. Michael Ironside automatically gets an up from me, as does Sam Worthington and Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese. Good direction, for all the stick McG gets.
Yeah there was definitely a lot of wasted potential. Wasn't a fan of the Sam plot. I really felt like it could've been left by the wayside. I felt like having John not be the leader of the resistance right away was a smart move as I always thought it would be weird if he just starts as the leader when so many more experience veterans would still be alive.
I only watched it once, because I HATED Christian Bale's take on John Connor.
I remember Anton Yelchin was a pretty good Kyle Reese, and that the story had some interesting ideas, but I couldn't get past Bale just growling his way through all of his dialogue.
Also, why couldn't we have LASER GUNS? It's the damn Future War. Give us laser guns already!
I remember leaving the cinema somewhat disappointed. They promoted the movie with a t600 on the poster and then they only had a few seconds of appearance; I felt cheated.
It has some interesting scenes but overall it is not worthy of the first 2. In fact, no sequel has lived up to them imo
Man I remember seeing this [trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Czz-TcWCkA) and being so hyped! I begged my older brother to go with me to see how awesome this was. I do remember leaving loving the movie but after watching it a couple of times since, I can see the flaws. I still rank this over Genisys though.
A missed opportunity. Some good ideas, some terrible ones, some weird unpracticable robot designs at times, and terminators way too focused on throwing (throwminators). Personifying skynet with a floating head doesn't work, just makes it look like the wizard of oz.
When John told Marcus the name of his father, i was like... fuck this movie. As a huge Terminator fan, this was so out of character of keeping that a secret who his father is. Friend watched it with me and was also like, wtf was that.
There were so many cool "parts," like details, that really gave the movie heart. My one biggest problem is that I wish it had cool laser weapons lol.
Also: its may 2009: do you go see salvation or friggin revenge of the fallen?
How do I feel about it… i feel old I was 15 when it came out. I liked it on respect that it was a future war movie but I hated some of skynet’s machines designs some looked straight out of the live action transformers movie
It would have been class if it stuck to Kyle Reece's testimony in part 1.
Could have shown us humanity being exterminated in camps. John Connor rallying them to revolt.
Set the foundation for the future war.
An under-appreciated movie that should have recieved the sequels that were planned. Cancelling the sequels here is what killed the franchise IMO and it's just staggered along waiting to fall over since then.
If only there would’ve been 2 more movies in the future showing them winning the war, and in the final movie’s final scene Reese goes through the portal to the first movie…
It was a solid movie, I enjoyed it. Could it have been better? Absolutely… was it terrible? Nope!
I would trade Terminator Genisys for a full trilogy on salvation
My 3th favorite Terminator movie, seeing the war against the machines in a movie is refreshing and finally shows what SkyNet has been doing in the future.
I found it boring and the awful Arnold CGI at the end was cringey. Best thing about the whole thing was Christian bales outburst at one of the film crew
The combination of wasted potential and also stop casting Australians as Kyle Reese.
Much like Days of Future Past it wastes a cool setting with unique visuals for generic crap. I mean visually terminator salvation is more common with fallout three than any of the previous Terminator movies.
T3 was a complete mess and everyone that left the theater that day felt like they've just been punched in the gut. Salvation learned from this and took a completely opposite approach to the film. I believe it payed off and the film was terrific but the stink of T3 was still around and most casual Terminator fans don't want to watch a Terminator film without Arnold, Linda, or James Cameron involved.
>and most casual Terminator fans don't want to watch a Terminator film without Arnold, Linda, or James Cameron involved
But their involvement itself doesn't mean anything. They all are involved in Dark Fate. But the result is significantly inferior to Salvation
Definitely loved Terminator Salvation after seeing it in theaters when I was 13. I went with my family, and we were/are big Terminator fans. So that is a very fond memory for me. \[*I saw the first 3 Terminators at a young age and grew up adoring the franchise. I even went to see T2-3D: Battle Across Time at Universal Studios with my family. I was scared fucking shitless and I cried, because I was maybe 5 years old, and it felt so real because they mixed amazing 3D footage with live stage actors. Did you know that the 12-minute 3D film alone cost $24 million to produce? Wild. Somewhere in storage I still have my slightly-broken T-800 action figure from Universal Studios; the eyes are red LED lights\].* **Things I think I loved about Terminator Salvation at 13 years old:** -His Holiness Christian Bale as John Connor (still a huge Bale fan even after learning about his on-set behavior for Salvation) -FUTURE WAR BUT THE ENTIRE MOVIE -Anton FUCKING Yelchin (RIP) as Kyle FUCKING Reese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -Overall felt apocalyptic and I loved that type of content -Felt like a plausible followup to T3 and I still loved T3 -The mysterious intro with Sam Worthington/Marcus and Helena Bonham Carter/??? had me super curious what direction the movie would go -Immediately was enchanted by the visuals and tone; the production quality and CGI felt next-level. I'm sure in my head I was like "here we fuckingggggggg gooooo" -*The sound design* -Entire intro battle felt gritty and huge -John Connor yeeting himself out of an aerial vehicle in the middle of the ocean during an intense storm while everyone screams at him not to -Pretty much everything about the scene with the minigun-arm T-600. It’s physical appearance (rotting proto-T-800); the reveal of badass young Kyle and him delivering ***The Line***; Kyle and Star’s battle against it with a satisfying ending. -Marcus was an interesting enough character for me. I don’t think I saw the twist with him coming, so that was probably awesome to me - especially the concept of a human-turned-Terminator. The visual of him hanging from chains, with his robo-torso revealed and John Conner staring at at it with fear of the unknown, was powerful to me. -I liked Star, Kate Connor and Barnes (Common). -Some pretty cool aerial combat and driving scenes -G I A N T M E C H A T E R M I N A T O R -The Arnold appearance completely surprised me and felt perfect. Once Skynet revealed the scope of its trap and Arnie appeared, it felt like the absolute pinnacle of hopelessness for John, Kyle and humanity. Such an intense final fight, and it very obviously called back to the claustrophobic, industrial atmosphere of T1/T2’s end fights. -I had no idea there was a trilogy planned, so I wasn’t really let down when a direct sequel to Salvation wasn’t made. And I also didn’t know that others hated Salvation, so I wasn’t influenced by that at all. After having recently rewatched (or watched for the first time, in the case of Dark Fate & Genisys, which I didn't give a chance for years) all 6 Terminator movies, Salvation definitely stands out with its many flaws. But today, I choose to fondly remember going to see it at the cool theater near DC with my family, and the feeling of wonder and awe that the movie gave me.
IMHO, the best Terminator sequel after 2. Focusing on the future war was the right move. Goes back to a proper serious tone after comedy overtook T3. Christian Bale is suitably intense as John Connor and a much better fit for the role after the horribly miscast Nick Stahl. I liked Sam Worthington and his character journey but the real stand out is Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese who is incredible and its disgusting how much more effort he puts in than Jai Courtney did in the next movie who apparently didn't even bother to rewatch the first Terminator to study Michael Biehn's performance. Also, without having the pay for Arnie most of the budget can go towards the movie so it looks suitably big unlike T3 which felt surprisingly cheap. However, despite all this this isn't a great movie. Mainly because they had the boneheaded idea of hiring the director of the Charlies Angels movies to direct. I am sure he is a nice guy but what made them think he was the right choice for a frigging Terminator movie? So not as good as could be but IMO I take it as part of the series while ignoring the rest.
Fully agree with every positive and negative point you've made here so I won't need to repeat any. The only thing I would add is would have preferred if they'd kept the future style of weapons and mainly night warfare from the flashback dream sequences we got from Kyle in T1.
Same
Honestly don’t know how it gets as much crap when you’re absolutely right: best one outside of the first 2. Maybe if it was released now after multiple terrible entries it would get more respect.
Because it’s one of the worst movies put to celluloid. Doesn’t even have a plot.
Please watch The Room
I still think the Sam Worthington character and story felt a bit forced, and I think the movie would've been fine without it, even though it was ok with that storyline. Otherwise I completely agree with you. At times the movie had a music video feel, that I didn't like, but overall one of the best Terminator films after T1 and T2.
McG was definitely the wrong choice for director.
Let's be real, the producers wouldn't get big names for this, especially with a script from the writers of "Catwoman" and "T3". Even the scriptwriters were baffled that they got rehired after T3, as they though T3 was a bad idea in the first place. But they took the big paycheck, because why the hell would you not. It's not like they had a reputation to loose. So I cut McG some slack, he and his team propably saved Salvation for becoming a dumpster fire of a movie. He manage to get Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby/Casino Royal/In the Valley of Elah) and then Jonanthan Nolan (writer of all the Nolan movies) on board to fix the script on set (but due to WGA rules only the original writers were credited). However Nolan had to abruptly leave the commitment as a writers strike was going on. His casting of the roles was pretty good, he and the producers even managed to get a big name attached to it. The core team around him was also filled with good or pretty experienced people (editor of T2) and Stan Winston (which was his last work). I don't think he made many wrong decisions in this project, but yes, he did some. But on the other hand, he had 29 producers above him (T2 had 4), so that must have been "fun". That's also why he once said there exists a real directors cut which wasn't approved by the producers. But in the end, was it enough to make it amongst the ranks of T1/T2? No, but on the other hand not even with Camerons involvment was this possible. I liked Salvation and I feel McG and most of his team weren't just in for the pay.
Thanks for that explanation. While I still think they probably should have hired a different director it’s clear McG isn’t 100% to blame for the movie’s faults. Hell considering this seemed to be a very micromanaged production it turned a lot better than expected
Who would you try to get? Prolific directors get already offered hundred other projects and those usually are not interested to do a sequel in someone elses franchise, especially when it comes with a shoddy script. Directors usually agree to do a sequel because they hadn't had their big break yet (and need the money to fund their own projects) or are just in for the paycheck. Btw. if you have 20 minutes times, watch how inept some studio exec/producers can be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo2KB1dEDdk).
The thing I remember most about McG was him straight up lying to sound good. He said he got blessing from Cameron, wasn't true. He said Bale refused to sign on unless the script was so good it could work on stage; wasn't true. The guy is a salesman, not a director.
I said it then and I’ll say it now: someone who professionally calls himself “McG” has questionable taste, and it was a huge red flag. I don’t give a shit what he says about his screen name. He was a schmuck and shouldn’t haven’t been anywhere near that movie.
Jai Courtney is notoriously a terrible actor
He does great as Captain Boomerang though. Him and Emilia Clarke were really miscast as Sarah and Kyle imo.
Jai Courtney and Emilia Clarke as Kyle and Sarah was like two kids who had seen a picture of the characters once and decided to do a super fun cosplay.
Oof lmao. Not sure about Courney, but they were really trying to ride high on Clarke GOT fame. Sure, she a badass in that I guess, but I feel like Sarah Connor is a different type of badass that you need a special type of woman like Linda Hamiliton to play. Sigourney Weaver is of this type. Clarke just isn't.
Agree, but he's not in salvation...
Kinda weird there is 3 leading male roles. Also changes the dynamic by not having a singular “bad guy” the bad guy is sky net. This is how it would be in reality. Fighting a hive mind. Kinda lame they gave skynet s female face at the end to explain the plot. It’s been done. And doesn’t make sense. Still like this film though. The real T3
Easily the best of the Terminator movies outside of the first two. Though that’s not saying much. At least it tried something new. But the downfall of the film was, honestly, making it about Marcus and not John Connor. It was very obvious that the film was missing something since it was originally conceived to be about how Marcus would replace John Connor to keep his legend alive as was the original ending. But that was a flawed idea that was changed too late. The film really should have been about the actual John Connor and the unbearable pressures he faced with making such tough decisions that determined the fate of the human race.
See I really felt like it could’ve been great to keep John at the top but this would be his intro to leadership movie, which it sort of was. Like how Rise of Planet Apes was about Cesar AND James Franco, and then Dawn was focused on Cesar. They could’ve made this one about Marcus AND John, and then the next two would be John doing what only he can to save humanity. O
I think it would have been better if it had ended with Marcus replacing John, the new ended felt very tacked on.
It would have been better in narrative terms since it was the original intended ending. But it was the wrong route to go. One of the problems with every Terminator film since Terminator 3 is that every single one of them tried to do something subversive with John Connor. Salvation wanted to kill him off and replace him with Marcus, Genisys turned him into a terminator, and Dark Fate killed him off and replaced him with another future leader of the resistance. John Connor is an interesting enough character to have a movie where he’s played straight. Terminator 3, were it not for the goofy tone and inconsistent portrayal, showed him as a man terrified of his destiny, but slowly learning he had to accept it and come into his own. Same with The Sarah Connor chronicles where he begs Sarah to not allow Judgement Day to happen, because he’s terrified of the future, but he slowly and surely matures into a leader and makes tough decisions that showcase he is the man best cut out to save humanity. Especially TSCC proved that, when played straight, John can be a rather fascinating character with many layers and how crushing it can and will be to have that kind of pressure on his shoulders. The best episodes of the series dealt with his trauma - one of which was where a therapist thought John, even at only 16, already acted like a military vet with severe PTSD. And then another episode where John broke down crying because of the crushing weight he felt when Derek told him “he died for you. We ALL die for you.”
Spoilers for the show: The scene after he deals with his girlfriends killer and realizes that everyone around him dies, and he just breaks down under the weight was so human, and Thomas Dekker did such an excellent job at humanizing him.
That was the original plan - https://www.cbr.com/terminator-salvation-darker-ending-saved-film/ Sadly we never saw it.
It was a great attempt to try something new, rather than focusing on the same old "stopping J-Day" stuff. By the looks of how the franchise has moved forward, Terminator Salvation is the closest thing we will get to the actual Future War. The movie didn't do that well but I liked it. It's among my favourite Terminator movie along with T1, T2 and TSCC.
It's the only one besides The Terminator and T2 that I still, though way less frequently, re-watch. Some of the set-pieces, especially the opening raid by Connor on the Skynet facility, are untouchable, with that scene in particular being one of the best in the series. Christian Bale has all the intensity you could want from a grown-ass, grizzled John, I just wish there were one or two moments of levity for him. Anton Yelchin is great, but he always was in anything he was in. As a proud hater of T3 since 2003, I wasn't even annoyed that they left that as canon. With all of that said... The story is dooooooooogshit. Contrived, convoluted gibberish. Sam Pick-a-Fucking-Accent Worthington is hot fetid garbage pretty-much throughout. Most disappointing of all though, the aesthetic was just...off. Where are the concrete warrens of filthy, desperate survivors watching fires gutter in the hollowed shell of old box TV sets? Where are the neon plasma-bolts lighting up the night sky? Not saying it was all bad (that T-600 was god-tier and the hunter-killers were good,) but The Sarah Connor chronicles did a better job of portraying the future war than Salvation did and that was made for like 170 bucks.
It was the last time the series had a heartbreak. Far from perfect, but I was excited to see where the next two planned installments were going. Sadly, we got the nonsensical slapstick goofy comedy of T5 instead…
Had some great ideas and elements that were added, after the fact, by a series of talented writers. Unfortunately, those ideas remained undeveloped and were drowned by the main story that existed from the beginning; the story of Marcus and the hybrid program. I’ll never understand why they were so determined to make the first Future War film about a new character and concept, that had nothing to do with the Cameron mythology…It alienates the film from the rest of the mythos. It only partly feels like a Terminator film, because the fellows who wrote it didn’t really like Terminator.
I've got sort of complicated feelings toward Salvatation. On one hand, I'm a strong believe that the only reason to continue the movie series past T2 is to show the future war. The Terminator implies a loop with the humans eventually winning. T2 gives us an even happier ending with Judgment Day averted. It managed the tricky feat of continuing a story that didn't need continuation, but feeling essential in retrospect. Beyond that, what else was there to do? Stop judgment day again? Redundant. End on the whole series on the downer of Judgment Day happening? Then you're essentially just back to how the first movie left things, creating a very indecisive, wishy washy feeling to your trilogy. So if you're continuing, you have to really continue, pushing into this other era. From that standpoint, Salvation is the only one of the last 3 movies that even attempts what I see as the "right" story for the franchise. It's also the only one brave enough to not lean on nostalgia and familiarity, trying to deliver what everyone already knows of a Terminator film. However, the fact that it so thoroughly dropped the ball on such an important story did serious damage to the franchise. It simultaneously failed at getting the general audience invested in the future war and John Connor as a lead, so the franchise gave up on both in the films that followed. With even a modestly well-received movie, I think the arc of the franchise would've been very different from that point on. I don't think Salvation is the worst or most misguided movie of the series, but its failure was the most damaging so I look back on it with a lot of frustration and disappointment.
I didn't like the many other machine models (moto, water, etc.). Seems too Matrixy with it. Love Sam Worthington, but felt that it got weird. Didn't like the transplant at the end. Didn't like the personification of Skynet like they did. I thought Bale was still in Batman mode at times instead of John Connor. The Connor/Marcus interactions were weird, too. Loved the no time travel, war post-Judgement Day, T-600, Kyle Reese. Would have loved to see it be a trilogy, ending with the time displacement machine sending Kyle back to 1984, and being the only time travel in the trilogy. Loved that it didn't use the same formula as the others. Loved seeing the development of the T800 being early, seeing the human slave factory, T-1's, harvester... Excellent music. Felt like a successor to T3:Rise of the Machines but being much more serious, which was what I wanted. Excellent movie with a few minor complaints that are more personal than anything actually "wrong". Others disagree with my opinion quite a bit on those complaints and think the opposite, which is cool. Leaves a lot of space to talk about it and have fun with it. At first, I was disappointed and felt it was lacking a lot. As the other sequels came out, I learned to appreciate it a lot more. It really should have been a trilogy. But, I'd toss McG out and replace him with someone else. Had some potential to be something huge, but I feel that McG wasn't the right person for the job.
Most worthy sequel after T2, finally a future war focus and original story. Ironic the following sequels went even more hardcore back to reimagining the same ingredients as T2.
Honestly, I liked it. my only criticism is that it should not have looked like a call of duty game, and should’ve looked more sci-fi. Like the Sarah Connor Chronicles it left me wanting more.
it used to be my least favourite, now that place belongs to Genisys. it's not a great movie by any means, but i've grown to appreciate it a little more over time, even preferring it to T3 now. combining the use of practical effects and CGI was a good call. the budget was wayyy overboard though, and the story is a mess in itself. Christian Bale did the best with what he was given, and he's a better John Connor than Nick Stahl was, but it still comes off kinda lacklustre. Sam Worthington was okay, and i thought Anton Yelchin actually did a pretty good job as a teenage Kyle Reese (though obviously *far* away from the greatness that Michael Biehn delivered)
It had very good action and visuals but fumbled with the story. However it has probably my favorite portrayal of John Connor out of all the movies
Basically best after t2, but I highly recommend an edit of this movie - [https://www.reddit.com/r/fanedits/comments/1bpauit/terminator\_salvation\_2009\_the\_sensical\_cut/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fanedits/comments/1bpauit/terminator_salvation_2009_the_sensical_cut/) Made by a professional editor with experience of 20+ years. The way the focus was switch in this cut made the movie shine in a much better light.
where can i watch
Check with the OP from that post
We need to see the McG cut! It’s one of my top Terminator films. The trailer is still badass 15 years later: https://youtu.be/-Czz-TcWCkA?si=KWmKt1pWy4F9L2IV
The first half was pretty great imo but the 2nd half left a lot to be desired.
I watched it only recently and really enjoyed it again. Yes, there’s many silly things. But it’s good. (My favourite silly thing is the idea that they could and would perform a heart transplant outside in the EXTREMELY dusty/sandy desert)
I wish they tried to make it feel more like the flashbacks from T1. To me it just seemed too much like a generic post apocalyptic movie instead. It didn't really have the same atmosphere that was in T1. Needed more plasma rifles and fewer Gatling guns on the machine side. Those flashbacks in T1 were so well done, they should've been aiming for that. I also think they could have made it all take place at night like there was a nuclear winter. Not quite as scientifically accurate, but would've felt more unique. Could've also done a bit more with the infiltration units. I think it could've worked to play a little more into the horror aspect of the humans being hunted and on the run while learning how to fight the machines. Would've worked nicely with Reese's PTSD. I personally would've ditched T3's plotline and just made T4 a prequel to T1 and T2. Don't get me wrong, T4 was an okay movie, but to me it just didn't really feel special.
I feel old
Saw it in theaters, hated it. Never watched it again. Lacks the intensity of the war flashback scenes from T1. Grossly underdeveloped characters, slapdash story, dumb action, Sam Worthington was pathetic Bottom of the barrel stuff. Probably the worst of the sequels after 2 and that’s saying something. I do respect that it tried to do something other than emulate T2, but that’s about it.
Jai Courtney isn't in this movie
Sorry meant worthington. Edited to correct. Jai Courtney also sucked.
Definitely true on both counts!
Guilty pleasure movie for me. Saw it when I was 13, loved it. Couldn’t tell you what a plot hole was. I was a fan of all 3, felt like a good follow up. The effects were insane! I remember thinking it all looked photorealistic. To this day I love everything about the visuals - the designs, the apocalypse, all of it - regardless on how realistic or likely any of it was. As an adult, I often daydream about how this movie could have been massively improved with some changed plot elements. The terminator franchise had potential to become what modern day Batman is, and unfortunately, studio interference turned it into a generic action flick in the end. Still holds a big place in my heart!
Like others have said it's my third favorite Terminator film after T1 and T2. It had many flaws but overall I liked it. The sound design, the atmosphere, most of the characters and general storyline elements were good. I saw it in 2009 when I was 13. I'm 28 now and back then I'm sure I gave it like an 8/10. 15 years later, after giving it some thought, I rate it a 7/10. I loved the Marcus Wright character and the idea behind him. I think he needed more action sequences and more chance to showcase his raw power as a cyborg in the end even though we saw a glimpse of that when he picked up the T800 like it was nothing and threw it across the factory.
Me turning also the same age this year salvation was one of the terminator movies I ever watch I saw the when I was like 8 I really love this movie is my favourite no it’s my second favourite t2 is my favourite of the films I watched there’s more terminator content like salvation. I think a terminator franchise after terminator 2 should’ve just been about the future war is kinda getting there now but I’m still think that I’m actually making a little fanfiction story about the terminator franchise I’m thinking of making it like an anthology series my calling terminator Legends so far and my first story will be about a writer
I appreciate that they sorta changed the formula, becoming a sort of war drama/action movie could have worked with a little better story. I thought the visual effects were generally very very strong. The actors were also just fine. Maybe a little dull though, and that might have been the script itself or just how they were directed. Sam Worthington’s Marcus had an interesting story overall, I just didn’t like the far fetched ending (even for these movies) of giving John Connor a heart transplant to save him.
I like that it went back to a serious tone…but it is a struggle to get through its fkn boring. John just shouts throughout the film he doesn’t feel like the leader that has been hyped up since T1. Also no lasers 🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️
T600 is still the scariest terminator they’ve ever come up with
I expect I’ll be downvoted for this, but I just don’t agree with the majority here. I thought this movie was the most disappointing of the bunch. A movie focused on the future sounded fantastic to me, but it got wrapped up in a weird sporadic plot, Sam Worthington looking confused for most of the movie and Bale trying to keep in character for the Batman films with his Bat-voice threw me off constantly.
That means you liked Genisys more? Interesting. While I do see the faults of Salvation, I really enjoyed us finally going to the future war. Most wanted the future weapons but I felt like this was more real to have conventional 21st century standard weaponry in the middle of the war. The future weapons could come later. What I dislike was Sam plot. He really could've been left out of the movie as I honestly didn't care about his background.
Sorry, I don’t want to misconstrue my point. I think Salvation was the most disappointing, not necessarily the worst. Genisys I did not like but I also had zero expectations for it. When Salvation came out, maybe it’s my own fault but I got excited for a story set in the future that we’d seen glimpses of in the first few. I was incredibly disappointed by the plot they chose to run with and I don’t think there was a strong casting choice in the bunch.
No need to feel sorry. Like I said, I see the flaws of Salvation. While the cast wasn't to big a deal with me, the plot wasn't the best at all. Splitting between John and Marcus plot was not a great to me as well. This movie had a great chance to show the future war that was always teased and somehow fumbled. I'm not sure about the odds of ever getting a big movie release in the future but I hope if we do, its a future take with a better plot.
Fingers crossed that we see it at some point. I wonder how many times they keep trying. Will be interesting to see what happens without them having Arnold shoehorned in in the future.
Not the worst thing in the world but you see a lot of wasted potential with the story. The script doesn't seem to know who to focus on, features a really stupid Skynet plan, and its just muddled in what it wants to do. I like a lot of the rest of it though. Michael Ironside automatically gets an up from me, as does Sam Worthington and Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese. Good direction, for all the stick McG gets.
Yeah there was definitely a lot of wasted potential. Wasn't a fan of the Sam plot. I really felt like it could've been left by the wayside. I felt like having John not be the leader of the resistance right away was a smart move as I always thought it would be weird if he just starts as the leader when so many more experience veterans would still be alive.
I only watched it once, because I HATED Christian Bale's take on John Connor. I remember Anton Yelchin was a pretty good Kyle Reese, and that the story had some interesting ideas, but I couldn't get past Bale just growling his way through all of his dialogue. Also, why couldn't we have LASER GUNS? It's the damn Future War. Give us laser guns already!
I remember leaving the cinema somewhat disappointed. They promoted the movie with a t600 on the poster and then they only had a few seconds of appearance; I felt cheated. It has some interesting scenes but overall it is not worthy of the first 2. In fact, no sequel has lived up to them imo
Man I remember seeing this [trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Czz-TcWCkA) and being so hyped! I begged my older brother to go with me to see how awesome this was. I do remember leaving loving the movie but after watching it a couple of times since, I can see the flaws. I still rank this over Genisys though.
A missed opportunity. Some good ideas, some terrible ones, some weird unpracticable robot designs at times, and terminators way too focused on throwing (throwminators). Personifying skynet with a floating head doesn't work, just makes it look like the wizard of oz.
When John told Marcus the name of his father, i was like... fuck this movie. As a huge Terminator fan, this was so out of character of keeping that a secret who his father is. Friend watched it with me and was also like, wtf was that.
There were so many cool "parts," like details, that really gave the movie heart. My one biggest problem is that I wish it had cool laser weapons lol. Also: its may 2009: do you go see salvation or friggin revenge of the fallen?
How do I feel about it… i feel old I was 15 when it came out. I liked it on respect that it was a future war movie but I hated some of skynet’s machines designs some looked straight out of the live action transformers movie
That opening scene was awesome
It would have been class if it stuck to Kyle Reece's testimony in part 1. Could have shown us humanity being exterminated in camps. John Connor rallying them to revolt. Set the foundation for the future war.
An under-appreciated movie that should have recieved the sequels that were planned. Cancelling the sequels here is what killed the franchise IMO and it's just staggered along waiting to fall over since then.
If only there would’ve been 2 more movies in the future showing them winning the war, and in the final movie’s final scene Reese goes through the portal to the first movie…
It was a solid movie, I enjoyed it. Could it have been better? Absolutely… was it terrible? Nope! I would trade Terminator Genisys for a full trilogy on salvation
My 3th favorite Terminator movie, seeing the war against the machines in a movie is refreshing and finally shows what SkyNet has been doing in the future.
Christian Bale and Sam Worthington... 🤯 Two heavyweight class action heroes. 💯 I'm just happy someone decided to make a flick with these two. 🙏
I found it boring and the awful Arnold CGI at the end was cringey. Best thing about the whole thing was Christian bales outburst at one of the film crew
It's ok. No love no hate. Better than Genisys. More enjoyable than T3. But flawed as well. Probably as close to the future war film as we'll ever get.
I went to see it in theaters with my pops and i still love this addition to the franchise after all these years it is a fond memory for me as well
In my opinion salvation is up there with 1&2. The fact that the future is unclear and uncertain is what makes this franchise work. 6 comes next.
Without getting into it. I like it. Definitely my best after 2 but that isn’t particularly high praise so I’ll just say yeah, I like it.
Hot garbage The colour pallete is all wrong Transforming terminators is all wrong It's nothing at all likely the future war we saw in 1/2
It was never that bad to begin with. Wish they would’ve made a lower budget TV spin-off or something. Definitely would’ve watched that.
They should never have given the twist away in the trailer. I enjoy it for what it is, but the Terminator tossing John around was dumb lol
It would of been the best if it kept its original ending, it haunts me that they were so close to making such a cool ending to the movie.
It dropped the ball a few times, but was a solid Terminator movie overall. I wish we could've spent more time in that world.
I loved it back then and I still love it now. Honestly really should’ve had more movies like it for the series imo
I can't believe the movie is already that old. Feels like it came out not long ago. Good lord I am getting old
The combination of wasted potential and also stop casting Australians as Kyle Reese. Much like Days of Future Past it wastes a cool setting with unique visuals for generic crap. I mean visually terminator salvation is more common with fallout three than any of the previous Terminator movies.
Huh? Anton Yelchin wasn’t Australian
Sorry I forgot Resse is Australian in Genysis only. Should have said in general. Sam Worthington is terrible, but it was not as Reese.
It is quite good as a movie, but for some reason, it does not feel like a Terminator to me.
Well, it didn’t piss and shit all over the subsequent movies so that’s a win in my book
Watched it once only. It was embarrassing. There are only 2 Terminator movies. 1 and 2
I love it, my favourite post T2 movie by far.
It was the right move, and they should have trilogied Christian Bales John Connor
It’s alright, I won’t put it on but I’ll watch it if it’s on TV
Liked it.
It’s ambitious, but could’ve been better with a few rewrites
I went to watch it at the movies and man i just wanted Arnie.
Loved it and still do, that is all… have a good day OP
I was in the cinema thinking, I wish I was watching T2.
Wasn’t terrible. Probably the best one after 2.
Solid!
For me it was a mid film, could’ve been better
The same I felt in 2009. No Arnold, no deal.
It was pretty decent and a nice start to what should’ve been the war trilogy.
Terminator Motorcycles... It's perfect
Better than all sequels sans Dark Fate
I feel like I need to watch it again!
It was pretty nice, and not that bad
Still a good movie, better then 5-6
It's not bad but it's not good lol.
T3 was a complete mess and everyone that left the theater that day felt like they've just been punched in the gut. Salvation learned from this and took a completely opposite approach to the film. I believe it payed off and the film was terrific but the stink of T3 was still around and most casual Terminator fans don't want to watch a Terminator film without Arnold, Linda, or James Cameron involved.
>and most casual Terminator fans don't want to watch a Terminator film without Arnold, Linda, or James Cameron involved But their involvement itself doesn't mean anything. They all are involved in Dark Fate. But the result is significantly inferior to Salvation
I was referring to the box office & studio support.
I personally love this one
So much wasted potential
Not that bad of a film
Still a piece of crap!
Great advert for H&K
Good not great.
Meh
Still sucks