Terminator Genisys (2015)
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney
Directed by Alan Taylor
I didn’t see The Avengers: Age of Ultron, but of this year’s big action movies so far, Terminator Genisys makes for good company with Mad Max: Fury Road, Jurassic World, and Furious 7. I was entertained throughout, and that’s what it’s all about when I go to the multiplex to see a big 3D spectacle.
While the classic sci-fi original by James Cameron debuted in 1984 and certainly doesn’t “need” updating, it’s fun to see how the aging (but not obsoleting) of its original star is handled in the new action thriller. (And he’s still got his robot chops.) Back in the day, The Terminator became a franchise spawning sequels, a TV show, books, comics, and scads of toys. It was rebooted blandly and humorously a few years ago by director McG as Terminator: Salvation. Now it’s Alan Taylor’s turn (he did Thor: The Dark World and several episodes of “Game of Thrones”).
Some might find the script heavy-handed and the shoehorned comedy a bit cringe-worthy and creaky (for instance, when the Terminator – now known as “Pops” – is arrested, the Bad Boys theme song from TV’s “Cops” pops up), but most will forgive and focus on the fact it’s a very well-made thrill ride with never a dull moment.
While it follows the original timeline at first, things take some turns – and zigs and zags. Sure, the time traveling changes create more questions than answers, but if I want an education about that sort of thing, I’ll tune in to a Neil deGrasse Tyson documentary. At least Terminator Genisys’ twirls are fun to follow; there are some genuine surprises and even a wow factor or two.
Here’s the lowdown: John Connor (Jason Clarke, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) has once again sent Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney, Divergent) back to us from a future where robots have all but crushed the human race. His mission is to save Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke, “Game of Thrones”), the woman who is destined give birth to John. But when Reese returns to the tubular and totally rad 80s to safeguard Sarah, he learns a fresh truth: The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has been safeguarding Sarah since she was nine years old. This revelation sets a completely different set of circumstances in motion, wherein a universal program under the control of Skynet called Genisys will bring about the end of the world as we know it.
The costars – including Byung-hun Lee as the new T-1000, Matt Smith, JK Simmons, and Courtney B. Vance – are fun to see. But it’s really the action set pieces, massive detonations, and all-out hand-to-hand combat that are the real stars of Terminator Genisys.
The blend of top-notch CGI, realism, stunts, and breakneck pace keep all the exploding balls in the air, and the 3D is blissfully easy on the eyes.
-
Film
Categorized:Reviews
