Terminator Genisys – review

Terminator Genisys is the fifth film of the franchise.  First off, I hate this title. Calling it Genisys in this misspelled fashion just looks like what a kid from the 1990s would call “kool.” The movie itself takes a nostalgic look back into the old familiar territory of the first film and changes much of the mythos of the series. It is a bold move to basically toss out the content of the previous 2 movies and start a new trilogy. 

The end of the war with the machines is nigh and John Connor, played by Jason Clarke, leads the resistance in destroying Skynet. When they discover they sent a Terminator back in time to kill Sarah Connor, played by Emilia Clarke, back in 1984. Kyle Reese, played by Jai Courtney, is sent back in time to protect Sarah, however when he arrives he finds that Sarah isn’t the helpless young women he expected to find and she is guarded by a Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, which she has affectionately named “Pops.”

The acting is fine. Jai Courtney does a good job at playing Kyle Reese but Emilia Clarke is just too cute to come off as tough as Sarah Hamilton did in the role. Arnold Schwarzenegger is entertaining, but he should be, he had four movies to perfect the role. I generally like Jason Clarke but it was as if the filmmakers went out of their way to make John Connor as much of jackass as he was in the other films. At this point I really begin to wonder if this dolt is ever really worth saving.

The story is really complicated if you are new to the franchise. Going back to elements of the past and essentially re-writing history is a novel idea.  The action sequences are fun to watch but would have impressed me more using practical effects. The movie basically warns us of how humanity has gotten lost in technology and Skynet will become aware right under our noses.

If you enjoyed Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day this movie will be right up your alley. If you are a stickler for details and wonder how this can fit in with all four films you will be disappointed. Next time they should be bold and make the movie rated R like the good films of the series. It isn’t really ground breaking but it is entertaining and will kill a couple of hours. Just be sure to stay until after the credits.