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Movie Review: Terminator Genisys

Dane Jackson

Full disclosure: I’m a huge Terminator and Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, and since I’m so in love with the franchise and the world that James Cameron created over thirty years ago, I’m very critical of the later movies in the series (Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines [2003] and Terminator Salvation [2009]). In what is essentially a reboot of the Terminator universe, Terminator Genisys trips over its overly-complicated plot and questionable casting choices. While it has flashes of the Terminator Genisyscharm of The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), Terminator Genisys ends up limping to the finish line.

The fifth installment in the Terminator franchise opens up with a prologue of sorts catching people up on the events of Judgement Day, Skynet, and the war between humans and machines. We’re introduced to the new film’s Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) and John Connor (Jason Clarke) as they stage an assault on a Skynet to stop the war for good. Unfortunately, they’re too late and a Terminator has already been sent back to 1984. With a nostalgic nod to the original film, Kyle is sent back to save Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) from the T-800. The only problem is that, just as Reese is about to make the time jump, John Connor is attacked by one of his own men (Matt Smith). This seems to have altered just about everything because this version of 1984 has the original T-800, a Sarah Connor that is just as bad ass (if not more) than T2‘s version. There are some reinterpretations of some classic scenes from Cameron’s first two movies in the Genisys version of 1984, but they ultimately just made me want to go back and watch the original films again instead of seeing their rebooted doppelgangers. One highlight from this extended sequence though was seeing the 1984 Arnold go up against the new version Terminator, named Pops (Arnold Schwarzenegger).

Speaking of Pops (a name Sarah affectionately gave her Terminator), Schwarzenegger is the glue that holds this movie together. When he’s on screen, it’s a better movie; when he’s not, it drags along. Jai Courtney, as Kyle Reese, is obviously the franchise’s new heir apparent. The problem is, he just has no charisma compared to his cast mates. Not only was it hard to buy him falling in love with Sarah Connor, but I just didn’t feel emotionally invested in his updated story line. A quick way to improve this movie would have been to feature more of Pops, and less of Kyle Reese.

In order to stop Skynet once and for all (and its new Operating System Genisys – think iCloud and Google Drive gone bad), Sarah and Kyle go into the future – not to stop Judgement Day like Sarah wants, but further into the future because of a new memory in Kyle’s head that occurred during his initial time jump. Here’s where the plot gets a little more convoluted. In an attempt to explain why they’re in the future and why they’re facing a new, unforeseen threat (or, as the movie describes, a threat so telegraphed it could’ve been sent by Western Union), the screenwriters trip over a clunky plot that requires more explaining than was offered.

Terminator Genisys wasn’t all bad. There were multiple action sequences that work amazingly well, including the final fight between Pops and the new timeline Terminator. Plus, the 3D was actually pretty enjoyable as well. I’m very critical of 3D, but Terminator Genisys did it right. Overall, it’s a typical summer action thriller. It’s good for the two hours you’re in the theatre, but forgettable within a few days. The only reason it’s stuck with me so much is because of how much I’ve tried to fit it into the franchise canon. Terminator Genisys was a necessary evil though – in order to move the franchise forward for the next generation, they needed to find a way to distance it from the past. Now that they have most of the exposition out of the way, I anticipate better movies to come. It’s just a shame that it looks like Courtney will more than likely take more of a lead role in the future.

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Dane Jackson

Dane Jackson has been writing about movies since high school when he had a monthly column in the school paper about cult movies. His cinematic tastes have matured (slightly) since then.
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