It's not anything special, but it wasn't awful. However, there were some really awful moments like the CGI Arnold (WHAT THE FUCK), Christian Bale overacting again, and the ridiculous and unnecessary love subplots that ultimately go nowhere. It was also a major copout when they blow up the entire Skynet place than you hear voice over saying that there is more like this all over the world. Also, with the first 2 you get a real sense of hopelessness which does not exist anywhere in this movie.
A plot-hole filled mess from a story standpoint. Some of the action sequences are really impressive and the Terminator designs and sound effects are quite incredible. Still the intelligence that was present in Terminator and T2 has been completely lost, replaced instead with video-game quality contrived plot lines that entirely on complete and utter chance. Leaving you wondering: this is the best idea a genius computer could come up with? Seriously? It's better than T3 and the TV show though.
Not awful, just generic and pointless. Apparently our dystopian future consists of MTV action sequences and action-figure physics. Instead of tiresome winks at T1 and T2, they should have injected the visceral, thudding action sequences they contained. Worthington and his journey is the only thing worth paying attention to, yet that also is mangled in the noisy, confusing mess of the final third.
Just as I can direct my feces into the toilet every morning, so too can McG "direct" a film. And, just as McG's name seems to be missing a few important letters, so too does this film seem to be missing somthing that someone who maybe spent more time paying attention in film school than using his 3-letter name to pick up chicks could have brough to the series. (sorry for the run-on) Still, Bale tries hard, and terminators running about the screen killing people almost always guarantees goodness.
Terminator Salvation is an embarassing, verbose, redundant and superfluous attempt to revive the already perished and stagnant series. Why Bale snapped over this is beyond me. Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a cameo appearance in full CGI glory, but the entire experience is indisputably retarded. McG's vision of the war-torn future and battlefield is full of detestable and abhorrent explosions, ash and flames that are in the end insufficient in essence. An extensive letdown overall.