By: Caden H. Hollander
They're back...we get it. Terminator: Genisys is directed by Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney. In the film, a futuristic organization called Skynet sends a Terminator, a machine that is man-like, back to 1984 to kill Sarah Conner. The Resistance, their enemies, send Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) to destroy the Terminator and save Sarah Conner. However, when Kyle arrives in 1984 he finds a past different than he expected, and once he finds Sarah Conner (Emilia Clarke), they have to work together to combat the dangerous forces of Skynet.
Just to start, I am a HUGE fan of 1984's The Terminator and 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day. These two films, both of which are directed by James Cameron, are incredible sci-fi epics that have fun action, great performances and fantastic filmmaking mixed in. However, since Cameron left the franchise after T2, Terminator movies have never been the same, with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator: Salvation both being poorly received by critics and fans. When I walked into the theater to see this film, I was hoping for a return-to-form for Terminator. To move towards the great writing and action of the first two films. And while this film tries to move back to the strengths of the first two films, it heavily fails.
They're back...we get it. Terminator: Genisys is directed by Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney. In the film, a futuristic organization called Skynet sends a Terminator, a machine that is man-like, back to 1984 to kill Sarah Conner. The Resistance, their enemies, send Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) to destroy the Terminator and save Sarah Conner. However, when Kyle arrives in 1984 he finds a past different than he expected, and once he finds Sarah Conner (Emilia Clarke), they have to work together to combat the dangerous forces of Skynet.
Just to start, I am a HUGE fan of 1984's The Terminator and 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day. These two films, both of which are directed by James Cameron, are incredible sci-fi epics that have fun action, great performances and fantastic filmmaking mixed in. However, since Cameron left the franchise after T2, Terminator movies have never been the same, with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator: Salvation both being poorly received by critics and fans. When I walked into the theater to see this film, I was hoping for a return-to-form for Terminator. To move towards the great writing and action of the first two films. And while this film tries to move back to the strengths of the first two films, it heavily fails.
While Terminator: Genisys is a fun movie, with solid action sequences and characters that you can invest in, the writing is some of the worst cinema has seen in years. The film's plot makes absolutely ZERO sense, with confusing references and a storyline that is littered with plot holes just as a beach is littered with seaweed. Nearly every 15-20 minutes I found another plot hole, which lessened the experience of the film.
Alright, so we get the point. Terminator: Genisys is not a good movie. However, there are a few upsides in the film. The action is well-filmed, and the chase scenes were really fun. The action was exciting and enthralling, and you could get into it. The performances in this film weren't bad, either. Emilia Clarke did a good job as Sarah Conner, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was actually surprisingly funny as the T-800 again. Jai Courtney and Jason Clarke were fine in the movie, as well. However, neither of those two gave a spectacular performance. They were both solid in the film. There are most certainly upsides to Terminator: Genisys, they unfortunately do not outweigh the downsides, by far.
On the overall, Terminator: Genisys is a summer blockbuster where you shove popcorn in your face and get into the action. However, unlike other summer blockbusters of recent months, such as Jurassic World, this film's plot is horrific. Its attempts at messing with the first and second film were, in my opinion, uncalled for, and the entire movie was nowhere NEAR the level of The Terminator and T2, which prompts me to give Terminator: Genisys a C. Comment below and share your opinions on the film! Thanks a ton for reading guys!