REVIEW: TERMINATOR GENISYS
Playback Rating: Seven out of Ten - A flawed but satisfying movie.
Terminator Genisys is the prequel/sequel/reboot of what has become a five film series. Starting with James Cameron's The Terminator in 1984, we've seen liquid T-1000's, bad Arnold Schwarzenneger's turning a new leaf, the nuclear apocalypse, and Christian Bale's infamous meltdown on set of Terminator Salvation. Terminator Genisys, not unlike last year's X-Men: Days of Future Past attempts to rewrite canon to rejuvenate the beloved cult favourite, attempting to take the audience on new and exciting adventures as well as respect the source material.
For the most part, Alan Taylor's incarnation of the series is nostalgic, respectful and delivers a sense of fan service for older audiences. We are taken on a journey, jumping across several of the series' past movies and the scenes within them, and it becomes a little exciting to see old encounters for the modern audience.
Audiences new to Terminator Genisys will be at a loss, as they will not experience the sense of nostalgia that many of us remember from a time gone by.
Nevertheless, Terminator Genisys, as a story, is incredibly confusing for both veterans and newbies. In short, Terminator Genisys takes us from 1984 to 1997 to the 21st century in order to again, avert judgement day and consequently stop Skynet from taking over the world.
We have seen it all before, though Taylor manages a unique blend of fan service, heart pounding action and enough story to take us for a ride, even if the trip is a little bumpy.
Newcomers Jai Courtney, Emilia Clarke and Jason Clarke take the lead alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose very name has become synonymous with the phrase "I'll be back."
A lot of the time, Jai Courtney comes off as a soldier with a bit of heart to him, Emilia a strong and independent fighter (which seems to be the necessary trait of every woman in film nowadays), and Jason Clarke is a powerful, perhaps miscast John Connor. All actors add to their parts accordingly, but it is Arnold Schwarzenegger himself who seems to steal the show, time and time again with well timed comedy to lighten the mood.
The action between man and machine, even machine and machine, is nonstop with enough slower moments to balance out the film. There are a lot of enjoyable action shots and scenes to grab a hold of, and some not so memorable moments.
I'm not gonna lie, there are a lot of plot inconsistencies with this movie. At one point, you could think that you know exactly what is going on, but the next, you will forget how we got here in the first place. Terminator Genisys rarely apologises for its convoluted plot line and insane time travelling shenanigans, in fact it thrives on its vagueness. The writers manage to explore crazy new scenarios that no sane person ever could have thought up, but it is a journey that we are more than happy to be taken on.
The more I think about Terminator Genisys, the more I think that I'm crazy for enjoying it.
But when I think about the respect of the source material, the balance of hard and fast action to light comedy, and the sheer confusion that will befall us, Terminator Genisys is more than just brainless action, and it truly is a trip worth taking. Even if the brain will be thinking overtime to make sense of the movie.
If the Alan Taylor directed incarnation is any indication, with an exceptional display at the box office, this could be the start of a whole new trilogy.
Playback Rating: Seven out of Ten - A flawed but satisfying movie
