Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-11-23
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 111 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Terminator Salvation restores some of the balance of huge explosions and emotionally compelling plot to the Terminator series. Set entirely after the nuclear assault that left the computer system Skynet in control of the world, Terminator Salvation follows John Connor (Christian Bale) as he grapples with both murderous robots and his superiors in the resistance, who aren’t sure they believe the prophecies that Connor is destined to save humanity. Into the midst of this struggle tumbles Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington, who would later star in James Cameron’s Avatar); the last thing he remembers was being executed in prison decades before. Baffled, he falls into company with Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin, Star Trek) and a mute little girl who soon get captured--but Wright then meets and bonds with Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood, Eight Below), a resistance fighter who remains loyal to the confused Wright even though Connor suspects he’s not what he seems--or what he believes himself to be. Terminator Salvation isn’t the astonishing synthesis of action and feeling that either The Terminator or T2 were. Despite this, Terminator Salvation has at least two skillfully orchestrated action sequences that will get your heart racing, and Worthington’s beguiling mixture of toughness and vulnerability gives his relationship with Bloodgood a genuine pulse. It’s imperfect, but compared with the hollow carcasses that most action movies (including Terminator 3) turn out to be, it’s worth seeing. --Bret Fetzer

DVD Description

Stills from Terminator Salvation (click for larger image)

Set in the post-apocalyptic 2018, with Christian Bale starring as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

Synopsis
After reinvigorating the world of the Caped Crusader with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Christian Bale turns his talents to an altogether different franchise with this fourth film in the Terminator series. The Welsh actor plays John Connor, who joins forces with Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) to battle Skynet. Terminator Salvation is directed by McG (Charlie's Angels).

Customer Reviews

This Could be the Start of Something Special
Terminator Salvation restores some of the balance of huge explosions and emotionally compelling plot to the Terminator series. Set entirely after the nuclear assault that left the computer system Skynet in control of the world, Terminator Salvation follows John Connor (Christian Bale) as he grapples with both murderous robots and his superiors in the resistance, who aren't sure they believe the prophecies that Connor is destined to save humanity. Into the midst of this struggle tumbles Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington, who would later star in James Cameron's Avatar); the last thing he remembers was being executed in prison decades before. Baffled, he falls into company with Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin, Star Trek) and a mute little girl who soon get captured--but Wright then meets and bonds with Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood, Eight Below), a resistance fighter who remains loyal to the confused Wright even though Connor suspects he's not what he seems--or what he believes himself to be.

Terminator Salvation isn't the astonishing synthesis of action and feeling that either The Terminator or T2 were. Despite this, Terminator Salvation has at least two skillfully orchestrated action sequences that will get your heart racing, and Worthington's beguiling mixture of toughness and vulnerability gives his relationship with Bloodgood a genuine pulse. It's imperfect, but compared with the hollow carcasses that most action movies (including Terminator 3) turn out to be, it's worth seeing

Great For the Fans! Good for the Casual Viewer too! A Good Reboot of a Famous Franchise
Here we are at the fourth entry of the Terminator franchise and the big questions everyone asks are; does it improve on the weakest episode ( the third film : Rise of the Machines) ? and does it live up to the first two films that are such amazing sci-fi classics?
The good news for every Terminator fan is, that it certainly does improve on the Rise of the Machines. But on the down side, it doesn't quite live up to the first two films - but then, how could it?
And so onto the good points. Firstly, it is dark and menacing throughout, and the landscape of the future is excellently done. It really does feel like you are in the world, post Judgement Day. Another definite winner is the character of Marcus played by Sam Worthington. He really steals the show in this film and outshines Christian Bale. Anton Yelchin plays a good Kyle Reese too and is doing pretty well for himself starring in both this and the excellent Star Trek reboot this year.
There are plenty of nods to the earlier films too - a really amazing set piece with a really well done CGI cameo will have you on the edge of your seat. Tapes from Sarah Connor to her son are a clever touch too. Another nice clip, is how John Connor gets his face scarred (as shown at the start of T2).And what is really goo about these little touches, is that they are not handled as badly as those in Rise of the Machines which were ham-fisted at best, and at worst, humiliating for the fans.
The film moves on at a nice pace too and you don't feel like it has been dragged out too much. This film has been touted as being the first in a new Terminator trilogy, and the Terminator licence is up for renewal, so this may be the last entry in the canon but on this showing, i believe there is enough here to justify the next two films. It is not the huge disappointment that Phantom Menace was!
So, there are lots of good points to revel in. However, there are some down sides to this film.
The weakest element is actually John Connor, played by Christian Bale. And i don't think this is all really down to Bale himself. He is great as Batman and was brilliant in the Machinist, but in this film he is outshone by Sam Worthington. It almost feels like the writers were too afraid of his character to do something different and new with him. He feels very one dimensional. Bryce Dallas Howard as John Connor's wife is very under-used too. I quite liked some of the ideas for her role that were put out in Rise of the Machines, but here she is not given much screen time, and little plot to work with. A cameo for Michael Ironside too could have been worked much better too.
The main plot is a little bit weak too. This could be down to the fact that the writers knew this was going to be the first in a new trilogy and are saving better for later on (if it happens!). Luckily, the character of Marcus and his plotline masks this somewhat.
Overall, i really enjoyed this film and will enjoy watching it time and time again. It has definitely got the franchise back on track, and i hope that the proposed trilogy is completed - it definitely merits the final two parts in my opinion.
I would recommend this to fans of the franchise - there are plenty of things in here to please them. The fans will definitely get more out of this than your regular cinema goer. For the casual observer, it could be a little confusing to follow this film, so i would definitely recommend watching the preceding films to get up to speed on everything that is going on.
For the fan, this would get four stars, and for the casual viewer i would give it three stars.

If you want to see two more Terminator films then buy this and hopefully the producers will go and make them! On this showing, it is entirely worth it in my opinion.

Action packed, an improvement on T3
I was really looking forward to the release of Terminator Salvation because I was hoping to see more of the action and battles that we get glimpses of in the previous films. On that front this film delivers hands down as the camera work and special effects are quite breathtaking.

The story follows resistance fighter John Connor (Christian Bale/Batman) in his quest against Skynet, the supercomputer that has become self-aware and subsequently declared war on mankind. The other main characters are Kyle Reese, Connor's father (remember T1?), and Marcus Wright, a death row prisoner who donated his body to Cyberdyne Systems for medical research. This character (played by Sam Worthington) is probably the most interesting one of the movie. On top of that you have Michael Ironside (remember 'V' and 'Starship Troopers'?) playing a no-nonsense general - brilliant!

Though rated PG, the film is actually very dark and brutal in tone with some very creepy robots doing a lot of killing. It isn't a particularly nuanced movie though, with an abundance of bland and cheesy dialogue and no real surprises in the plot. At times Christian Bale does seem rather miscast and you also wonder what could have been if James Cameron was at the helm to direct and/or produce. Hardly any time was given to story or character development which makes me suspect a director's cut will be released shortly after this theatrical version to help fill some of the gaps.

Terminator Salvation is definitely a sharp improvement on the last movie (T3) but not really up there with the first two films (T1 and T2), which were both classics that would have been difficult to match. However, it has stunning, though relentless, action and that ticks enough boxes for a simpleton like me.