Review - Terminator Genisys

"Terminator Genisys" poster

When Arnold Schwarzenegger first uttered the line, “I’ll be back” in the original Terminator film in 1984, it became a staple of pop culture. “The Terminator” would forever be etched in the pantheon of sci-fi lore, along with Schwarzenegger and that iconic line. After 30 years, however, it might be better if the Terminator franchise goes away and never comes back.

“Terminator Genisys” is the latest movie in the Terminator franchise, and the fifth film in the series overall. It stars Schwarzenegger as the iconic T-800, Jason Clarke as John Connor, Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor, and Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese. Schwarzenegger still kills it as the Terminator and the movie is surprisingly funny at times, but “Terminator Genisys” fails due to a convoluted plot and trailers that revealed too much, too soon.

Schwarzenegger reprises his role as the T-800 in “Terminator Genisys,” and he feels right at home. Schwarzenegger proves that he’s old, but not obsolete, and provides some much appreciated humor. Any soul that this film has stems from Schwarzenegger’s performance. Unfortunately, there's not much else to love about “Terminator Genisys.”

The rest of the cast doesn’t work. Jason Clarke might have been an amazing John Connor if he had been given a better script to work with. Emilia Clarke was miscast as Sarah Connor. And Jai Courtney shouldn't be allowed to act. Seriously, I don’t know who thought he would make a good Kyle Reese. Any emotion he tries to convey comes across as bland and forced. As bad as Courtney is, he’s the least of the problems with this film.

Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor in "Terminator Genisys"

“Terminator Genisys” is an action movie, so there should be some memorable action sequences. However, the action in this new movie was either a rehash of what had been accomplished in the first two films, or it was completely unimaginative.

The plot of the movie is where film falls the hardest.

The premise is interesting enough. Kyle Reese is sent back in time to save Sarah Connor only to find that the timeline is altered. The helpless waitress Reese expected to meet is replaced by a hardened warrior. But the altered timeline and too much time travel make the plot confusing. Most of the story aspects of this movie just don’t make any sense.

There's a few plot twists throughout the film, but most of them were spoiled in the trailers. For anyone who doesn’t want to have most of the key aspects of the plot ruined before they even see the movie, avoid the trailers.

This movie gets more wrong than it does right. Schwarzenegger proves that he can still play a T-800, but other than that, there’s not a lot here in terms of quality entertainment. “Terminator Genisys” is as confusing and nonsensical as a mind numbing summer blockbuster could hope to be. Everyone should run from this terminator as fast as possible.