Smart ‘Terminator’ series still defies expectations

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The “Terminator” series, with one exception, has a knack for rising above low expectations.

The exception is “Terminator II: Judgment Day,” which debuted with high expectations – the sequel was the most anticipated summer blockbuster in 1991 – and delivered on its hype.

But when the original “Terminator” appeared in 1984, it looked like a schlocky exploitation film (like the similarly named “Exterminator 2” of the same year) and star Arnold Schwarzenegger was considered something of a joke despite the success of the Conan movies. No one knew if he could play anything besides a barbarian.

“Terminator” proved to be one of the sharpest, toughest and most influential science-fiction movies ever made, turning Schwarzenegger into a genuine movie star. By 2003, though, Schwarzenegger’s career was flagging, and “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” which had a tiny budget compared with most action movies, seemed a sad attempt at a final box-office success before he quit movies for politics.

Instead, “Terminator 3” was a lean, mean thrill ride much in tune with the first film, and a solid hit to boot.

Now comes “Terminator Salvation,” which has more strikes against it than the earlier films. It breaks from the series’ formula. Without the time-travel premise employed in the earlier films, “Salvation” is set in the post-apocalyptic future rather than the present. Plus, the director is McG, the guy with the gimmicky name responsible for those horrid “Charlie’s Angels” movies.

But the biggest sticking point is we don’t have Schwarzenegger to kick everyone around. Sure, it has Batman in it (Christian Bale takes over the role of humanity’s savior John Connor), but who wants to see a Terminator movie without the star synonymous with not just the role, but the whole concept of the series?

Anyone who wants to see another smart, taut and exciting science-fiction extravaganza with outstanding action sequences, that’s who. “Terminator Salvation” once again defies low expectations, proving itself a top-of-the-line summer blockbuster, as satisfying on its own terms as “Star Trek.”

While the latter is a lark, an absolute joy to watch, “Salvation” is more solidly crafted, more thoughtful in its storytelling.

It is one of the rare action movies where the chases, fights and volleys of explosions evolve from the plot instead of impede it.

“Salvation” takes place in the year 2018, and the war between man and machines alluded to in the previous films is a full-blown engagement. The resistance fighters under John Connor’s command fly Huey gunships and A-10 Warthogs. With the thrum of helicopter blades often overhead, “Salvation” feels like the Vietnam War as fought on a Mad Max set.

The plot features a neat twist on the original movie. The villainous, computer-run corporation Skynet plans to kill Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin, also the new Chekov in “Star Trek”) before he travels back in time to father John Connor and save his mother, Sarah. How Skynet knows scrawny Reese will become

Connor’s father is one of the script’s unanswered questions, but may be the result of all the times the apocalypse was postponed in the earlier films (and possibly the “Sarah Connor Chronicles” TV show, though I haven’t seen it).

Before he meets Connor, Reese encounters a mysterious, heavily muscled man (Sam Worthington) wandering the desert. The man, who appoints himself Reese’s protector, says his name is Marcus Wright. He has no memory of the nuclear holocaust and no knowledge of the resistance against the machines. Because of the prologue, we the audience know Marcus is a Terminator not yet programmed to kill.

Connor, meanwhile, is planning an attack on Skynet’s headquarters in what used to be San Francisco. When Connor uncovers Marcus’ secret, he goes into a rage that doesn’t jibe with the series’ history.

Maybe years as a resistance leader have hardened Connor, but you would think that the one character who would understand the concept of a “good” Terminator is the one who taught the Schwarzenegger model to say, “Hasta la vista, baby.”

Even though Bale may be spreading himself thin between blockbuster franchises, he is a striking and commanding presence here. Bryce Dallas Howard steps in as Connor’s wife, Kate, played by Clare Danes in the third film. Helena Bonham Carter has a small but crucial role.

Screenwriters John Brancato and John Ferris also wrote “Terminator 3,” so the flow from one chapter to the next feels organic. Moving the “Terminator” movies into the man vs. machine war prophesied so often is a logical, if grim step.

The change in setting and mood keeps the series fresh. The climax is similar to the earlier films but contains some enjoyable twists. One is brazenly stolen from an installment of another huge science-fiction series, but I won’t complain. It works better here.

3-1/2 stars
Rated: PG-13 for language and intense sequences of science-fiction violence and action
Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Written by: John Brancato and Michael Ferris
Directed by: McG
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard