'Terminator Genisys' A Review

Terminator Genisys is a scifi action movie about potential nuclear winter and killer robots, a sequel/reboot of the Terminator franchise. In the not to distant future a malevolent artificial intelligence called Skynet has launched warheads all over the world and initiated the systematic extinction of the human race. The human resistance is lead by John Connor and on the eve of victory over the machines their final weapon is employed- a time machine. This is the premise of the 1984 Terminator however in this installment the timeline is disrupted and multiple individuals are sent back to fight over the future.

The plot of the movie relies heavily on the first two installments of the franchise which begs a predictably unflattering comparison. Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 is only a caricature of the fearsome, stolid, surprisingly soulful character it once was, as the installments have progressed he has degraded to simply the butt of the joke. Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese is cloyingly bland and almost manages to navigate the entire time with a single honest moment. Emilia Clarke does not have the compelling ferocity of Linda Hamilton but she does do the iconic Sarah Connor justice imbuing her with fire and competence. Jason Clarke as John Connor is underutilized and mismanaged giving a decent performance despite a borderline nonsensical role.

Like Jurassic World there is some pleasure simply in the nostalgia of the movie, revisiting characters and story lines we have some affection for. The narrative is fresh enough to begin with but depreciates in potency as it gets more and more complicated. They attempt to create an emotional journey along with the action but it is ineffective.

Mildly entertaining but substantially less satisfying than revisiting Terminator 2.

Rent It.