‘Terminator Salvation’ bombs

No matter how big the box office bailout, “Terminator Salvation” does not save itself in terms of novelty or cerebral appeal.

No truth or beauty here, folks, just lots of gunfire, grunting and ticked-off hunks of metal.

The fourth in the series, “Terminator Salvation” earned $67.2 million during the extended Memorial Day weekend. The thing cost $200 million to make. Ouch.

And it was pretty painful to watch. Christian Bale, as emotionless as ever, portrays John Connor, the future human resistance leader originally played by Edward Furlong.

Bale is about as exciting in the role as a hunk of bologna, and there’s little meat to the plot. The year is 2018 and the post-apocalyptic setting is way washed-out (it hurt my eyes). Skynet — a self-aware computer system — and its army of Terminators are ever on the prowl, looking to kill humans. But no one’s going back in time to save someone in “Terminator Salvation” because we need it now.

So does Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), John Connor’s father who doesn’t know he’s John Connor’s father. Reese is also younger than his future son (don’t ask) having not yet been sent back by John to 1984 to save Sarah Connor, his mother, who Reese knocks up during his mission to save humankind.

In “Salvation,” Skynet takes Reese captive and it’s up to John to save him so that Reese can one day go back in time to save his mother from a Terminator. Beyond that, the plot is super basic: destroy Skynet’s headquarters in San Francisco and save the prisoners. Yawn.

Deafening chase scenes and gratuitous violence force one to stay wide awake, however, desperately seeking a glimpse of the sci-fi magic formerly provided by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“Salvation” provides just a glimpse of the governator’s face though and it’s a computer-generated mug that looks like a video game. Austrian body builder Roland Kickinger provides a real body for the T-800 Terminator model, and that was pretty hot.

Other Terminator models unveiled in the movie are unimpressive, not including the giant Transformer Terminator, whose legs spew motorbikes. Then there’s Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) who’s half Terminator and half man.

Wright donated his body to science back in 2003 after getting executed by the state for murder. Helena Bonham Carter, portraying a doctor, convinces him to do so in a weird scene at the beginning, but I don’t get it.

Worthington and his character are really the only things that make “Salvation” halfway interesting. Even though he’s half-machine and supposed to be evil, Wright’s human side is stronger. He’s a big believer in second chances too, but I’m not so sure how many more Terminator movies they need to make. But believe this: it will be back. Just ask John Connor.

“A battle has been won, but the war continues,” he says, after blowing up Skynet San Fran. Apparently, Skynet has headquarters in every major world city. Will it never end?

Like shootin’ and fightin’? This movie delivers. Otherwise, “Terminator Salvation” offers very little, script-wise, and even less when it comes to thought-provoking scenes that stick with you. If the movie weren’t so loud, I could have got a nap.