David Pierdomenico
Now facing its second reboot in four years, the Terminator franchise has been noticeably struggling. For many, the series has never been the same since Terminator 2: Judgement Day (and it probably should have ended there). However, there’s one sequel that is often cast aside with the likes of Genesys or Rise of the Machines, but the truth is Terminator Salvation is far superior to them both!
Negative Reputation
While certainly not as ridiculed as Terminator: Genesys, Salvation is often the overlooked and forgotten chapter in the series. It really doesn’t help that it’s best known for Christian Bale’s angry outburst on set. Other than that, the film admittedly suffers from a few major issues. Bale’s performance is trying to be intense and brooding, but it just comes off as bland.
It seemed he was stuck in character as Batman from The Dark Knight a year prior. Also, the film aims for a bleak tone for its desolate, post-apocalyptic setting, but it misses the mark a bit. Despite Salvation’s flaws, we’re not here to discuss what it did wrong, rather we’re here to highlight what it did better that we realized.
Trying Something New
There’s something rather formulaic to the storylines of most Terminator films. Even as beloved as Judgement Day is, it’s not all that different from the original in terms of basic plot. A killer cyborg is sent from the future to kill someone, and the human resistance sends back a lone warrior to be a protector. This synopsis could easily describe every film in the franchise, except for Salvation.
The fourth installment offered a fresh take, by giving audiences an entire narrative set completely in the post-apocalyptic future. Rather than watching a young John Connor be hunted by one machine and being protected by another, we actually see him in full action as a leader in the resistance. Again, the film certainly has flaws, but it it’s the only Terminator sequel that honestly tried to give audiences something new and unique.
One Brilliant Performance
Christian Bale may have struggled to give a memorable performance, but one such actor that really stood out was Anton Yelchin as a young Kyle Reese. Not only did he perfectly embody the mannerisms and speech inflections from Michael Biehn’s performance 25 years earlier, but he demonstrated the bleak life of a person raised in a post-Judgement Day world.
The Bale scenes may be forgettable, but half the plot focuses on Reese and Marcus (Sam Worthington), and based on these scenes alone, Salvation is certainly worth watching! One of Yelchin’s greatest strengths as an actor was his ability to emote a great deal of conflict and tension, just beneath the surface. Tragically, he passed away far too young in an auto accident in 2016, and Hollywood is not as bright without him.
Overall, Terminator Salvation is far from a perfect film. However, it deserves to be remembered more fondly that it is, and was certainly a huge improvement over Rise of the Machines, which just essentially recycled the plot of Judgement Day. Later this year, we’ll get a chance to revisit the franchise with Terminator: Dark Fate. It’s very exciting to have Linda Hamilton and James Cameron involved again, but let’s hope this new installment aims to try something different, just like Salvation did!
