Terminator: Genisys- Movie Review

Rating: C- 

I am disappointed. Before viewing Terminator: Genisys, I was hopeful. I firmly believed that we were finally getting a Terminator movie that would be just as good as the original. I believed that we were finally getting a Terminator film that would meet the incredible standards that the second film presented. Yet, we got alternate timelines and utter confusion.

The first ten to fifteen minutes of this film rule. We finally get an awesome glimpse into John Connor's future. We see what the world is like after it's taken over by the machines. We also see the T-800 get sent through time to 1984, the date of the original film. Then, the film starts to spiral out of control. As Kyle Reese (played by Jai Courtney) is being sent through time, something occurs an alternate timeline is created. At this point, I rolled my eyes and sat through a disastrous, plot hole ridden, mess of a film.

The original Terminator and Terminator: Judgement Day are two incredible films. They are pivotal in the foundation of modern action movies. Both had awesome characters with emotional depth and amazing plots. And then James Cameron parted ways with the franchise. With his departure, three below average movies have been made. Terminator: Genisys is one of those three.

One issue with this film is the acting. In the film, Emilia Clarke plays Sarah Connor. Instead of trying to give her own take on the character, she just did an average Linda Hamilton impression. Although not the worst part of the film, I never once bought into her character. The film tries to give her emotional depth like the Cameron films, but it just doesn't work. Jai Courtney is another issue. Courtney plays the role of Kyle Reese. Reese is my favorite character within the entire franchise. Michael Biehn's performance in the first film was awesome. Jai Courtney was just completely miscasted. He was just okay. He brought nothing to the Kyle Reese character. Now, I don't if it was poor directing or poor acting. Either way, Jai Courtney should of never been casted in this role. Besides those two mediocre performances, the rest of the cast is pretty decent. Jason Clarke's take on John Connor was devious and incredibly interesting. Math Smith also plays a really interesting character (don't want to reveal who for spoiler purposes) and delivers a solid performance. Yet, the cream of the crop, in terms of acting in this film, is Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is awesome in this film. He's funny, intense, and just the classic Terminator. Yes, Arnold gives the best acting performance in this movie. In real life. 

Another problem with this film is the storyline itself. It makes no sense at certain points. It contradicts other Terminator films and leaves tons of unanswered questions. If you are a diehard fan of the franchise, you will get lost and you will get angry. Yet, if you want to turn your brain off and just watch stuff explode, you'll enjoy this movie. Unless you saw the trailer. Because if you watched the trailer to this film, you see every cool action scene besides the final one. I'm just honestly shocked people sat down at a table and approved the production of this movie. Although a decent action movie, this did nothing for the franchise. It created issues that only another bad sequel will try and solve. Besides some decent performances and alright action scenes, this movie is a gigantic disappointment.