Stars: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Common, Jane Alexander, Helena Bonham Carter
Running time:115 mins
Rating: ★★★

ARNOLD Schwarzenegger carries out his threat that “I’ll be back” although his presence in this fourth Terminator movie isn’t quite what might be expected. He does appear but he’s not quite himself.

While Arnie is busy playing at being governor of California, it’s left to the latest Batman, Christian Bale, to lead the latest instalment in the franchise that many considered dead and buried after the less than enthusiastic response to Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines.

With McG, who directed the two Charlie’s Angels movies, at the helm some people weren’t expecting much from the fourth Terminator.

They might be surprised.

Terminator Salvation isn’t a standout blockbuster event, but does what is required ruthlessly and efficiently.

Bale is the latest actor to play John Connor, a man whose life has always been entwined with the fate of mankind. The world is, and I quote the synopsis here because it’s getting complicated, “on the brink of the future that Connor has been warned about all his life”.

All this flitting back and forth in time is taking its toll on my ability to process the information and make out what on earth (or any other planet) is happening and who is doing what to whom.

Connor’s worried by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) whom we first see on Death Row being chatted to by Helena Bonham Carter.

When Marcus turns up in the present, 2018, Connor has to decide whether this “stranger from the past” can be trusted.

Judgment Day has been and gone, leaving civilisation in a pretty sorry mess. In the gloomy post-apocalyptic landscape, artificial intelligence network Skynet sets its army of Terminators on the remaining humans, hiding out in pockets of resistance.

Devotees of Terminator lore will be able to follow all this much better than me. Best just to sit back and enjoy the rollercoaster ride which delivers virtually non-stop action, giant robots, high speed chases and very big explosions.

Worthington, to be seen at the end of the year in James Cameron’s Avatar, makes a more memorable hero than Bale’s deadly serious Connor. Anton Yelchin, fresh from impersonating Chekhov in the Star Trek movie, turns up as Kyle Reese and Bryce Dallas Howard is Connor’s doctor wife.

And yes somebody does say, “I’ll be back” although whether Terminator Salvation will rock the box office enough to justify another in the series remains to be seen.