Today’s quick review: Terminator Genisys. Years in the future, John Connor (Jason Clarke), the leader of the human resistance against Skynet, sends his trusted friend Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back in time to protect his mother, Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), from a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) sent to kill her. But when Kyle arrives in the past, he finds a brand new timeline and a chance to destroy Skynet before it comes online.
Terminator Genisys is a sci-fi action movie that puts a new twist on the Terminator formula. This time around, Kyle’s trip to the past is derailed by radical changes to the timeline, resulting in a new set of allies, more advanced Terminators to fight, and an alternate Skynet that must be stopped before it can take over the world. The movie’s creative ideas breathe life into the franchise, but their execution leaves something to be desired.
Terminator Genisys has a strange setup. It takes the events of the first Terminator film as a starting point before veering off into new territory. The key plot elements are still there: cyborgs, time travel, and a bad future to avert. But the details are scrambled, giving the movie its own rhythm and its own opportunities to establish a new storyline. To its credit, this leads to some decent action sequences and a distinctive story.
Where Terminator Genisys runs into trouble is actually weaving its ideas into a cohesive story. Genisys bounces from one concept to the next without worrying too much about how they fit together, leading to a plot with bizarre twists and a handful of dangling threads. The characters are passable, but they lack the depth of their original incarnations. In general, Genisys dreams up big changes to the series but lacks the craft to make them work.
Terminator Genisys ends up in an odd niche: It will appeal the most to sci-fi fans who are familiar with the Terminator franchise but aren’t too heavily invested in it. Its changes to the status quo and shaky execution will put off hardcore fans of the series, but its daring ideas and serviceable action do give it some appeal for the right viewer. Those willing to roll the dice should give it a shot. Those hoping for another classic should skip it.
For a more steady take on a similar plot, try The Terminator. For another sci-fi action movie about a robot uprising, try I, Robot.
6.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for decent action wrapped around an uneven story.