Terminator Salvation plugs a few of the narrative holes from the first three films and explores the first wave of Skynet machines, including Harvesters which scoop up human prey and two-wheeled Moto-Terminators which run down stragglers.

There are nods to the previous instalments such as when young Kyle tells Marcus, "Come with me if you want to live", perfectly echoing words to Sarah Connor in The Terminator, or the snippets of her cassette journals, seemingly voiced by Linda Hamilton.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s computer-generated likeness makes a cameo as one of the first T-800s to roll off the assembly line.

Bale looks ill at ease amid the pyrotechnics. He delivers the lines with his usually bombast, but we feel no bond with his character.

Worthington at least gets beneath the synthetic skin of his pivotal player – a hybrid with a human brain and heart powering a metal exoskeleton – exploring the inner conflict of an abomination torn between corporeal past and cybernetic future.

"The battle has been won but the war rages on," growls John, echoing the final words of Terminator 3.

On this lacklustre evidence, he won’t be back.

TERMINATOR SALVATION (Cert. 12A, 114 mins)
Stars: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jadagrace Berry, Common, Michael Ironside, Jane Alexander, Helena Bonham Carter
Directed by McG