I thought it was better than T3. McG definitely knows and respects the Terminator franchise. However, I must admit that I got a little bored, and I'm not sure why.
The action scenes were good, I liked Marcus and Kyle (Yelchin did a great job as Kyle), but the rest of the resistance fighters besides Connor weren't fleshed out that well. It was cool seeing Michael Ironside again, but he pretty much just did his standard hardass thing. Why is John Connor taking orders from him or that guy at the beginning anyway?
I think Christian Bale brought the right intensity and hardness to the role, but I didn't warm to his character. Marcus, Kyle, and the mute girl provided more of an emotional impact or connection to me. So did Blair.
I was expecting more from Kate. I think Claire Danes did a better job, one of the few things I can say T3 had over this film. Common was better in Wanted.
There were no strong female characters in this film. The closest would be Blair. Which is suprising since ever other Terminator film had a strong female character-Sarah in the first two and Kate in three. Not to mention Sarah and Cameron on the TV show. I think for the sequel, if there is one, they need to work on Kate's character or give more time to Blair. The Linda Hamilton cameo was great though.
I was a little disappointed that John Connor didn't save the day. So far, he hasn't saved the day yet in a Terminator film. But at the same time I didn't get why he took off on his own against Skynet. That didn't make any sense.
I also didn't get why Marcus bought it when Connor said Kyle was his father. For one, there was an obvious age difference between the men. Also, it could've been a different Kyle Reese. I was hoping Marcus was going to have an incredulous look on his face or be disbelieving at first.
The Arnold cameo was cool, and the CGI was pretty good but not perfect. I am glad that the had the final showdown with the old T-800 series.
Hopefully there will be a sequel, but they need to work on creating more likable protagonists. Next time, let John Connor be the hero and the most interesting human character in the film.
Were there any references to the Sarah Connor Chronicles? I was so hoping that Kyle would mention Derek, but it didn't happen.
Also, were there any scenes after the credits rolled? I didn't stay to find out.