‘Terminator’ sequel proves too robotic, unnecessary

By Roger Moore

“Terminator Salvation” is one of the most visually impressive films in the series. The action is nonstop and the look borders on dazzling.

Fittingly for a movie about machines, director McG (“Charlie’s Angels”) and writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris have cobbled this together from bits of earlier models — effects and action beats from recent “Dark Knight” movies, settings from earlier “Terminators.”

But ironically for a series that’s supposed to be about an embattled humanity struggling against those who lack it, there isn’t an emotional moment in this.

A murderer (Sam Worthington) is executed in 2003, but not before a cancer-stricken researcher (Helena Bonham Carter) talks him into donating his body to science.

Darned if 15 years later killer Marcus doesn’t wake up after a rebel raid on a Skynet facility to find himself in the middle of the war between ever-upgrading machines and the humans who once controlled them.

Christian Bale is the messianic voice of the resistance, broadcasting by shortwave, rallying commandos for strikes against the strongholds of the robots.

The cities are a wasteland, but Connor has hope.

His mom (Linda Hamilton, on cassette tapes) prepped him for the future, the one that visited her in the past and impregnated her.

Connor needs to find and protect Kyle Reese, played by Anton Yelchin as the well-armed teen who will grow up to be his father (Michael Biehn in 1984’s “The Terminator”).

Memorable lines are recycled: “Come with me if you want to live.” “I’ll be back.”

But as fierce as the firefights are, as stoically heroic as Bale is in this lead role (nobody lights a flare with as much flair as Christian Bale), the movie lacks a villain we can focus on or a character we really root for.

That makes this a “Transformers” movie without the wit, a “Terminator” without the pathos.

It’s far from awful, but “Salvation” is close to joyless, something easily predicted when this redundant film was first announced.

After three earlier films and a TV series, you’d think that a new installment in the People vs. Skynet saga would be unnecessary.

Sadly for McG and his fellow recyclers, that’s the one prophecy here that proves to be true.

‘THE TERMINATOR’ (1984) Mostly takes place in: 1984.

Plot: Future resistance fighter Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is sent back in time to protect leader John Connor’s mother (Linda Hamilton) from the evil cyborg Terminator (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger).

John Connor played by: Doesn’t appear, though his conception does.

Terminators featured: T-800, HK (Hunter-Killer) tank & aircraft. The T-800 features living skin and tissue over a metal endoskeleton.

‘TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY’ (1991) Mostly takes place in: 1994, with an expected “Judgment Day” of Aug. 29, 1997.

Plot: Connor sends a reprogrammed Terminator (Arnie) back in time to protect his 10-year-old self from the liquid metal, shape-shifting T-1000 (played by Robert Patrick).

John Connor played by: Newcomer Edward Furlong and very briefly in a future scene by Michael Edwards, who is a model and Priscilla Presley’s former live-in boyfriend.

Terminators featured: T-800, T-1000. The T-1000 can change its shape and impersonate people; also make “knives and stabbing weapons” out of its arms.

‘TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES’ (2003) Mostly takes place in: 2004, the original Judgment Day having been averted.

Plot: Kate Brewster (played by Claire Danes) reprograms the T-850 that killed her husband, John Connor, and sends it back in time to protect them from the T-X.

John Connor played by: Nick Stahl, who also portrayed Yellow Bastard in the film “Sin City.”

Terminators featured: HK, T-1, T-850, T-X. The T-850 (again played by Arnie) was basically an upgraded T-800. The T-X, or “Terminatrix” (played by Kristanna Loken), had a liquid metal covering surrounding an endoskeleton with advanced weaponry. ‘TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES’ (2008-09) Mostly takes place in: 2007. The recently canceled TV show deviates from the timeline and disregards “T3.”

Plot: A few years after the events of “T2,” Terminators return to the lives of John and Sarah Connor (Lena Headey). A reprogrammed female Terminator named Cameron (a nod to franchise creator James Cameron) is sent back as a protector.

John Connor played by: Thomas Dekker, who also will appear in the upcoming “A Nightmare on Elm Street” remake.

Terminators featured: Cameron (played by Summer Glau) is an unknown model but most likely some variation of an 800-series; T-888, T-1001 (played by Shirley Manson).

‘TERMINATOR SALVATION’ (2009) Mostly takes place in: Post-apocalyptic 2018.

Plot: John Connor battles Skynet, tries to save his father (Reese), and make sense of the mysterious Marcus Wright.

John Connor played by: Christian Bale, a guy you may know from a little film called “The Dark Knight.”

Terminators featured: T-1, T-600, T-700, T-800, the enormous “Harvester,” Hydrobots, HKs, Motorcycle-Terminators and the unique Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), who was converted to a Terminator from his human self — he retained his original brain and heart but also has a metal endoskeleton.

— Kansas City Star