Terminator Salvation is a 2009 American
science fiction action film directed by
McG and starring
Christian Bale and
Sam Worthington. It is the fourth installment in the
Terminator film series. In a departure from the previous installments, which were set between 1984 and 2004 and used
time travel as a key plot element, Salvation is set in 2018 and focuses on the war between
Skynet and humanity, with the human Resistance fighting against Skynet's killing machines. Bale portrays
John Connor, a Resistance fighter and the franchise's central character, while Worthington portrays
cyborg Marcus Wright. Terminator Salvation also features
Anton Yelchin as a young
Kyle Reese, a character first introduced in
The Terminator, and depicts the origin of the
T-800 Model 101 Terminator.