Christian Bale is an intense guy. He can make reading the phone book sound like he's reciting the launch codes on a nuclear submarine at zero hour. This intensity, his full pucker delivery, works in a number of the projects he has attached himself to (3:10 to Yuma, Rescue Dawn, The Machinist). In this goofy, mishandled rattle box of a movie his seriousness plays like a man who is gritting his teeth and making race car noises while riding a merry-go-round.

This wholly unnecessary prequel/sequel (depending on how you want to view the chronology) shows audiences the fight between the human race, fronted by John Connor (Bale), and the legion of machines spawned from Skynet.

This is another in a long line of "what could have been" movies made over the past few years. Instead of a compelling piece of science fiction or at least a mesmerizing slab of Hollywood trash, director McG (We Are Marshall) ended up with a lifeless, content-free reminder of just how good James Cameron was in his heyday.

This is little more than a series of chase sequences glued together with an overabundance of yelling. Connor's fight is afforded no real cause outside of simple survival. This may sound like a good reason to fight, but good reasons don't mean they play well on screen. He needed some purpose, a deep, moving reason propelling him forward. This is missing - so this is disjointed and unsatisfying.

In addition, there is a decentralized counter-force working against Connor. This means there is no real bad guy. For the thousandth time, let's go through this: Every film needs one hero. It needs one villain. They need one central goal that puts them in direct and unavoidable conflict. Everything else will branch from this relationship. That's it. It is literally that simple. Attention Hollywood, please figure this out.

Connor discovers Marcus Wright, a confused guy who doesn't remember the apocalypse. Wright turns out to be part man/part machine. The point here is that Connor needs to decide if he can trust the thing. This is a pale replication of his relationship with the cyborg in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Again, this film is a sad reminder of how fun the concepts were when they were handled by more talented hands.

Wright is performed by Sam Worthington (Avatar) one of the least charismatic big screen presences of all time. All I'm saying is that it is logical to have the man play a machine.

The film is a mess. It is loud, senseless and unappealing. Worst of all, in parts it is downright boring. Avoid this tedious, fumbled shame and go rent the original film. Sure the special effects seem cheap by today's standards, but I am willing to bet you will still enjoy the flick more than this overpriced heap.




Related Reviews:
Christian Bale movies
The Prestige (2006)
Reign of Fire (2002)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
Cinematroplis
Fistful of Donuts





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Labels: Arnold Schwartznegger, Christian Bale, film, movie review, sequel