Movie review: Terminator Genisys

Terminator Genisys, a prequel to the original film, takes us back in time to see who Sarah Conner was and how she became the mother of Resistance hero John Connor. Terminator cyborgs seem as timeless as they are relentless, but a fractured timeline with an unexpected past may change everything.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Guardian/Pops), Jason Clarke (John Connor), Emilia Clarke (Sarah), Jai Courtney (Kyle), J.K. Simmons (O'Brien), Dayo Okeniyi (Danny Dyson), Courtney Vance (Miles Dyson), Byung-hun Lee (T-1000).

Terminator Genisys is billed as a prequel but the film changes so much we thought we knew that it is more like a relaunch of the franchise. With bits of previous film clips and CGI, Terminator Genisys adds depth to the story and shows us a backstory for Sarah that is hard to imagine. Using a fractured timeline the film is even able to do some rewriting of history. The action and pace of the film are wonderful, even if the time jumps are tough to follow at first, and the story is very entertaining.

Acting was darn good in this one. Bringing back Arnold had to be challenging, and CGI is obviously used in several scenes. Yet, his creepy new terminator smile was hysterical and he can still deliver a good line. Emilia Clarke did very nicely as Sarah, delivering a performance that fit the character well. Courtney was a good choice and did well, as did Jason Clarke as John. The remainder of the supporting cast was solid and enjoyable.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were exciting and the film obviously had a healthy budget. Action scenes, and many other parts of the film, were helped with a heavy dose of CGI which for the most part was well done. Dialogue was enjoyable with some nice humor thrown in along the way. Sound and soundtrack were both nice.

I really thought the Terminator series was about done and starting to smell of desperation but Terminator Genisys could easily be the platform for a relaunch. The film redefined the characters and the story, and did both quite nicely. Fans of the series should enjoy this one, if they can ignore the critics knocking it.

With plenty of violence, mild nudity, sci-fi gore, and mild profanity, teens should be fine with this one. You may have a hard time keeping them away from it!

Released: 2015
Reviewed: 5.27.16
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel