139) Terminator Salvation (2009)

139) Terminator Salvation (2009) Dir: McG Date Released: May 2009 Date Seen: May 21st, 2009 Rating: 3.5/5

While Terminator Salvation, director McG's shotgun revival of the Terminator franchise, was not strictly necessary, it sets the stage for more interesting future developments, some of which are even capitalized on in this first installment of a planned trilogy.  Many action scenes feel rushed and the plot feels like a throw-away set-up in service to the story's obvious but moderately well-executed punchline. This makes it prey to the "wait and see" logic of a tentpole franchise where the first entry is the perfunctory first step towards its sequels' greater achievements. In other words, there's lots of energy, good acting and enough moody set-pieces and chase scenes to make it worthwhile. The sequel will be better but for now, this will do. 

Stray Note: I'm upset with this film's inoffensiveness not because I wanted a hard R rating with all the bloody trimmings that the first two came with but because I wanted the film to slow down long enough for me to get more than just the suggestion of dread that comes with the mass extermination of human life. Alas.