For those who intend on seeing the latest rendition of the “Terminator” series, it may be best to wait for this one to come out on video.

Aside from the heart pounding bass-rush from the movie theater surround sound system and an endless amount of computer-generated action sequences — that were already done in the first three film — spending $7 on a student ticket in an economy like this is not likely the wisest of decisions.

To recap the previous “Terminator” movies, one person is in charge of saving another person, which in turn will inevitably save the future of the human race.

James Cameron’s original “The Terminator,” released in 1984, featured character Kyle Reese, played by ’80s heartthrob Michael Biehn, who was sent back in time to save Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) from the evil man-looking machine played by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In doing this, they can conceive a child, John Connor, who will in turn save the future of the human race.

In 1991, James Cameron released “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” so Arnold Schwarzenegger could be sent back in time again — this time a friendly machine — to protect John Connor (Edward Furlong) so that once again, the future can be saved.

In this fourth and hopefully final flick of the series, John Connor continues to fight his battle in 2018 save humanity.

Christian Bale, who first played the witty serial killer Patrick Bates in “American Psycho” (2000) and progressed to his superhero role as Batman, fights to save the world against the machine champion, John Connor.

This time however, Connor must also save himself by rescuing Kyle Reese, played by young actor Anton Yelchin.

Australian-born actor Sam Worthington plays part-human, part-machine Marcus Wright,sent to the future to unknowingly help Connor with this task.

The rest of the film consists of pointless characters that seem to serve no real purpose other than completing a cast that is supposedly at war.

Schwarzenegger does however manage to make a quick 3-minute appearance — at least, a cut-and-paste copy of the 1980s version of him does.
The nearly two-hour movie is filled with very little plot but lots of action in an attempt to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

While this may work for some, many may still leave the theater wondering what exactly just happened.

While Cameron was able to smile at the award-winning success received by his first two “Terminator” films, the director of “Terminator: Salvation,” McG, most notable for his 2000 version of “Charlie’s Angels,” will more than likely not see as much achievement.

When “Terminator: Salvation” is available for rent, which should not be far off, it’s certainly worth the rental, even if just to remind us that some movies need to be just left in the past.

Reach the reporter at bryan.brougham@asu.edu