Overall not bad, though with a complaint or two which I'll get into later. This film is first and foremost a war film; being centered as the plot is around a war between Man and Machine it would naturally be about... a war. Any complaints to the otherwise can thus end there.

Sound effects, graphics and models, camera angles, all of it brings the machine battles up close and personal. Add in some more machine types we haven't see before and that aspect of thsi film is great. Then there's the John Connor aspect, the living legend of the Resistance. As it starts, the war is well under way, with Connor the voice of the Resistance but behind the scenes the tactical leader is an old General (Michael Ironside!) who gives out the orders and doesn't believe in the Connor-as-prophet; conflict thus arises over who has the real power of command. THis, then, is the story of Connor in the beginning, of how he comes to be the head of the Resistance and living legend. An obvious beginning for a new trilogy. On this level, it all works pretty well. His meeting with his future father, the scar (though I'd have to look up the first movie to see how much was originally mentioned about that scar, as I can't remember the big deal over it), it's all in here.

And now for that complaint. A complaint for the trailer, actually, in that I'd like to strangle whoever made and approved that movie trailer. The big mistake is the scene in the trailer with "You think you're Human?" followed by him looking down and screaming; obviously it follows from that that he's a machine composite of some sort. Well, guess what? That's the Big Reveal of the film, the part that's supposed to be a big shocking surprise, only we already know it going in so that sorta takes away a vital element of suspense. Someone remind those Suits of the one basic rule of making movie trailers: never include any scene that's from more than a third the way through the movie!

Well, obverall not a bad movie. I didn't expect art or a love story and got just what I expected; an action war picture.