"Terminator Salvation" Offers Little Hope for Fans

Christian Bale Sheds His Bat Suit to Play the Legendary Leader John Connor

If the "Terminator" sequels keep coming out with the same frequency, it actually may take until 2029 for the series to finally finish. Although the latest film, "Terminator Salvation," looks as if it was intended to be the final entry in the franchise, it doesn't do much to resolve the ultimate battle between humanity and an artificial intelligence known as Skynet.

"Batman" Star Christian Bale Plays the Famous Resistance Leader in "Terminator Salvation"

Christian Bale, best known for playing Bruce Wayne in the new "Batman" movies, is a thirty-something John Connor in the year 2018. Legends say that Connor is fated to save mankind from the machines, but other people, especially some resistance leaders, don't believe that he is the savior he's supposed to be.

A few surviving scientists have created a way to block signals from the Skynet computer, which would deactivate the countless Terminators and other automated assassins. Connor volunteers to test the device in the field, but he also learns that Skynet is looking for Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), the man who, in 2029, will travel back in time to become Connor's biological father. At this point in time, though, Reese is just a teenager.

The Birth of the T-800 Terminator

As John Connor searches for Kyle, he also uncovers the plans for the T-800, the Terminator model that tried to kill his mother back in 1984 and also saved him as a teenager in the 1990's. Skynet is rounding up surviving humans for experiments that place living flesh over machinery, which is what makes the T-800 unique.

Meanwhile, Kyle is having some issues of his own in Los Angeles, especially with Marcus (Sam Worthington), a man who escapes from a Skynet complex, but has no memory of the last several years. Marcus is surprisingly strong and, as a resistance fighter named Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood) points out, he has an exceptionally strong heart.

"Terminator Salvation" is Rather Bleak

Although directed by McG, the man responsible for the explosive "Charlie's Angels" movies, "Terminator Salvation" is a bleak film that looks a lot like the "Road Warrior" films from decades past.