Remember when trailers would name-appropriately trail the movie? Me neither. I don’t think anyone does. But occasionally trailers are still shown after the main feature. Back to the Future Part III was advertised at the end of Part II, and The Matrix Reloaded ended with a preview of The Matrix Revolutions. As next installments of cliff-hanging series, though, these sequels were like the old serials from which trailers received their name (in one of multiple explanations).

I suggest that previews of big movies starring the main actor of the film you’re currently seeing also follow this model. Why? Because after watching this teaser (boy does it tease right) trailer for next summer’s Terminator Salvation, which is showing with The Dark Knight and which stars TDK’s Christian Bale, I’m too distracted by my excitement for the nex season to fully concentrate on the blockbuster at hand. Wouldn’t it be better if Warner Bros. instead slipped this trailer in right before the Dark Knight credits with an announcement like, “you’ve just seen Christian Bale in The Dark Knight; see him again next summer in … ”

A roundup of favorite comments about the trailer itself (as opposed to its placement) after the jump:

• Erik Henriksen at the Portland Mercury’s Blogtown: “For fuck’s sake, considering it’s a PG-13 Terminator directed by McG, it doesn’t look nearly as terrible as it should.”
• Jared Pacheco at JoBlo/Arrow in the Head: “Dare I say McG’s TERMINATOR SALVATION might actually be worth watching? That’s the first thing that crossed my mind.”
• Vic Holtreman at Screen Rant: “My first thought? It’s not awful.”
• Devin Faraci at CHUD: “I’m surprised that the teaser is so short on imagery - they have a lot of great physical action scenes in the can that could be shown. Still, this is an appetite whetter indeed, and I’m excited to see what goodies they bring to Comic Con next week.”
• Josh Tyler at Cinema Blend: “What little there is to see however, looks alright. It’s also worth noting that the movie’s awkward, unweidly subtitole ‘The Future Begins’ is nowhere to be found in the trailer. Maybe that means they’ve dropped it. We can only hope. “