The first two Terminator movies were made in a time where studios were not afraid to scar kids, either through violence or some emotional torturing. Although the films were not "made for kids'' per se but parents in the 80's and 90's didn't care about age restrictions.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day is probably one of the best sequels ever and because of that the sequels have been a disappointment and I'm of the opinion that the sequels have been unnecessary . Enter Genisys, the 5th sequel since T2... is it also a disaster? Let's dig in.
Off the bat, story-wise Genisys is better than T3, Salvation et al in a sense that it has action and it's funny. The fact that they do a lot of tongue in cheek references to the first two Terminator movies works well but unfortunately the film is hollow.
It does not have the emotional depth of T2, the internal logic of the story and even its premise is totally flawed by the time the 3rd act rocks up - I had totally checked out. I didn't bother sitting to watch the end credit sequence teaser they have.
What's the problem? Genisys tries to play smart by creating an alternative reality to the first two Terminator movies without being explicitly saying that. Throw in time travel and some very dodgy story choices and the fact that the first two movies were so iconic, then the film starts to unravel quickly.
Emilia Clarke aka the mother of dragons, shamepies, tries to give it some true grit as Sarah Connor but she can't save this shoot 'em up. Arnie's one liners are funny but not even that can save this movie and Jai Cortney as the new Kyle Reese is too buff and too soulless to create sympathy for the character. The twist was given away in the trailer - so dumb - I wonder what the studio was thinking when they okayed it!!
I guess the studio is thinking $$$$. I don't think the story was on their utmost mind when they made this 'cause a lot of things don't stick. I actually hope this film tanks globally so we are not forced to endure another tedious Terminator movie with below par story telling.
Take my advice and wait for it to be on TV unless you are one of those people who loved San Andreas and every Fast and Furious movie, then this would be up your alley, but if you want some coherence, heart and a little bit of brain to your flicks, stay away - you've been warned.
Rating *1/2
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index
* Junk **Almost bearable ***Now we cooking **** Almost perfect ***** Classic