Batting third in our Many Movies of May series is Terminator: Salvation (Wolverine = 1st, Star Trek = 2nd). T:S packed a punch, but failed to achieve the heights of the first two Terminator movies. Blew that third Rise of the Machineschapter straight out of the water, however.

The Good:

• Finally, a Terminator set in the post-apocalyptic future. It took three of these things (and a TV series) to get us when we should've been after the first.
• No deficiencies to report in the following departments: robots, explosions, fightin'.
• The action sequences didn't needlessly suffer from extreme close-ups and choppy editing that's so trendy these days. There's a chopper crash in the first act goes down in one long, continuous shot that's a marvel to behold. Safety Tip: when boarding a helicopter, check for John Conner. If Conner = true, brace for impact.

• Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese is an odd choice, though he's better here than as Chekov (in the JJ Abrams Star Trek).
• Connor is portrayed as a legend in his own time, which felt erroneous. The guy is mysteriously plagued by the Neo-like burden of having his Savior of Humanity status called into question by High Command. Irritating.
• The Skynet-run terminator HQ featured computer and control interfaces designed for humans. Convenient. Pretty nerdy you even noticed.

• Christian Bale screen time is entirely too short.
• There's a spunky little kid named Star who should've been left on the cutting room floor. Thankfully, she was mute, which kept the damage to a minimum.
• Did not need the ridiculous Matrix Reloaded-style chat-with-your-machine-maker exposition.