Director: McG
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Bryce Dallas Howard, Helena Bonham Carter
Details: US/122mins / (12A)

The first two Terminator films were executed with the singular explosive style of James Cameron, showcasing an edge that very few action films have come close to since. The third chapter may have been a bloated mess, but the glimpses of the apocalyptic future we saw during T2 (robotic skeletons crushing human skulls) pre-emptively set up a new world, where a war between man and machine has engulfed the planet, leaving few survivors. It's a mouth-watering prospect to finally see Cameron's vision fully realised, even if it is under the watch of a new director. While this is a superior film to the mediocre third instalment, it somewhat inevitably fails to reach the lofty heights set by the first two trailblazing efforts.

John Connor (now played by Christian Bale) is a man now seen as a Christ-like figure by the followers of The Resistance - the group the rebels have established in order to fight the ongoing war with the mechanical armies of Sky Net. Along with Bale's Connor, we are introduced to a new character: mysterious ex-con Marcus Wright (Worthington), who donated his body to science in 2003 after his execution, only to awake in 2018 in a sparsely populated California, now overrun with machines. There, he meets a teenage Kyle Reese (Yelchin), who is number one on Sky Net's hitlist and who has no idea of the impact he is to have on the future of humanity.

The plot then takes in various new characters that are given little time to shine, and even less substance. Common, Goodblood and Howard (replacing Danes from the first film) are essentially wallpaper, and struggle to make an impact. Worthington, on the other hand, is fantastic. The Aussie newcomer plays the troubled loner superbly, and is the one great thing about the entire production. That's not to say that the action is badly-handled; McG has done a solid job juggling the massive budget, assembling the shell of what is a hugely impressive production - aesthetically, at least. It's a stunning looking film, and the action is slickly executed, if just lacking in penetration - hardly his fault, given the teen-friendly rating. The problems here are with the script, which has more plot holes than one of the featured robots after a run-in with an army full of rebels. Too many characters, awful dialogue and an ending that feels hastily reshot/edited, merely add to the negative column.

Still, it's epic in scope, and for the most part, every dollar of the $200 million budget is on screen. In that sense, it won't disappoint; but if you're expecting the brilliance of the first and second film replicated, you'll be sorely disappointed. There is still something about that iconic theme tune that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, though.

Review by Mike Sheridan