Terminator: Genisys (2015)

"The timeline John sent you to no longer exists. 

Everything's changed..."

Genisys? How do you say it? Is it just genesis?

Let's just call it what it is... It's Terminator 5.

In 1985, James Cameron gave us the unforgettable 'The Terminator'. I am a huge fan of 'The Terminator' and 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day'. They're by a director who had enough youthful energy and genius to pull off the low budget original, who then returned for a sequel with more money and made a film that was just as amazing. We can ignore the last two Terminator films in the franchise as James Cameron endorsed 'Terminator: Genisys', calling it the "official" third instalment in the franchise. I was beginning to think that this could be the film we've all been waiting for.

Unfortunately, this bloated and unnecessary sequel/prequel takes everything you love about the first and second films, erases them so that they never happened and gives us an inferior film to replace them...

'Terminator: Genisys' isn't as smart, isn't as thrilling and just isn't as good as the original two Terminator films.

It started off well with the apocalyptic future that we all know and love and I was digging the vibes that they had going. We saw the original events preceding the first movie and it was interesting to see the lead up to it. They managed to capture the future as the originals portrayed them. It had potential if it was to continue the way it was going but it quickly disintegrates. 

If every major plot point wasn't ruined by the trailers then it might have had the element of surprise on its side but you know the entire story from the trailer. Any tension that the film tries to create is deflated because you know what's next. I wouldn't waste two hours watching it, just watch the trailer and you'll get the whole film. 

The plot is convoluted and, at the end of the day, a bit clunky. It seems to have been made just for the sake of being made. There are plot holes within plot holes which is hard to avoid in time travel movies but this movie really unravels when you pull certain threads. What really bothered me about it is the fact that it makes a point of erasing the original two stories. This is a risky move because we all know and love the original films so they'd better have a fantastic excuse or a mind blowing retelling of the story to make that sacrifice worth it but, in the end, it's just not worth it. 

In terms of living up to the first two films 'Terminator: Genisys' isn't even in the same league. 

It has all the explosions and action that you'd like to see in a big budget hollywood adventure but without any of the tension, heart or power that it should have had. What made 'The Terminator' so heart-pounding was the danger and mystery of it all. When it steps up to 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day', the action is escalated to a whole new level and you feel like you're going into a warzone. 'Terminator: Genisys' has neither heart nor stakes. You don't care about anyone involved and you don''t feel like there's any danger so no matter how much money or CGI you throw at it, that fact still won't change.

It just goes to show that a talented directors vision can make all the difference.

Although he is a bit of a parody of himself in this film, Arnold Schwarzenegger is the best part of 'Terminator: Genisys'. He sits back into the role as the terminator comfortably and clearly has a lot of fun revisiting the character. He seems to be the only link left to connect people to the original films and he still has it, like he says in the film - "Old, but not obsolete".  He proves that he can still play an emotionless robot...

I thought Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor was good. 
Despite wearing an extremely low cut v-neck t-shirt to a battle with a terminator instead of a bullet proof vest, she is relatively badass. Granted, she doesn't come close to the immense badassery of the original Sarah Connor, played by Linda Hamilton, but she does fill her shoes sufficiently. What actually really surprised me was how much she looked like Linda Hamilton too. A mixture of great make-up and clever acting helps you believe that she's the real Sarah Connor. Bravo Emilia Clarke.

This being said, the romance between her and Kyle Reece is pathetically written and quite hard to watch at times without cringing. They have zero chemistry. 

Jai Courtney is absolutely useless as Kyle Reece and doesn't come anywhere near to what Michael Biehn did with the character in the original. His performance was stiff and he could have been taken out of the movie and I wouldn't have missed him at all. 

He too proves that he can play an emotionless robot...

The CGI walks on a shaky tightrope, constantly balancing between abysmal and great. There are certain scenes that look worse than the CGI in 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' which was 24 years ago. The fight between old Arnold and young Arnold and the opening apocalypse scenes are particularly bad. Although, the quality does pick up later on and you can see where the money was spent. 

I did enjoy the parallels to the original film but it all felt pointless in the end. Re-living scenes that you've seen in a better film is no way to enjoy a movie, I'd rather just watch the original classic and be done with all these remakes. 

Overall, 'Terminator: Genisys' started off with some potential but that hope is hastily shattered and it becomes insulting to the original two films. I am a die hard fan of the James Cameron films so it inevitably had a lot to live up to. Despite being associated with the terminator franchise, I think if you look at it as a stand alone film it still doesn't stack up too well. If it had stuck with the feel and the direction it was going in the first act then it could have been a decent sequel/prequel that I wouldn't have walked out of feeling cheated. 

I really wish that these terminator movies will be terminated and sorry Arnie but I hope that you won't be back...

"You're terminated, fucker."