The 5th installment in the Terminator franchise has to be looked at as its own film. If we compare it to Terminator 2--one of the greatest sci-fi films ever--then we will be in for a let down. But if we acknowledge what it is for today's society, it's a really good movie.
In Terminator Genisys, we are faced with the post-apocalyptic world of 2029, where machines rule and humans attempt to defeat them. John Connor (Jason Clarke) prophetically sends Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back in time to 1983 in order to save his mother, Sarah (Emilia Clarke), from a cyborg assassin. However, when Kyle goes back to 1983, Sarah already knows what's been going on and the world is a lot different than the one that we saw lived out in the first Terminator film.
Even though the dialogue is painful during many scenes, the premise is exciting and well thought-out. For a movie about time travel, plot holes are usually inevitable. But Genisys avoids most of them by covering its tracks along the way. However, it does suffer from the age-old problem of time traveling too close to the time of the catastrophic event--thus making the film more suspenseful, but also making the characters' task much more stressful. There were a few other minor head scratchers, but nothing that we haven't already asked in the first two movies.
And we can't forget about Arnold Schwarzenegger. This film is truly at its best when he's on the screen. We're always waiting for him to do or say something. His presence is just as strong now as it was almost 25 years ago.
As good as this movie is, I'm not sold on Emilia Clarke, who plays Sarah Connor. She's not a bad actress, but she's not a great one either. And that, combined with dialogue that's too wordy and inattentive direction, makes her worse. Jai Courtney is a little better, but still suffers from similar issues.
Alan Taylor's directing is good when it comes to interpreting the events in the script, but not as much with character decision. Sarah lives in 1983, yet she talks like she's straight out of 2015. And the little things, when less would be more, end up making what would be a brilliant film into mere popcorn entertainment.
But popcorn entertainment isn't a bad thing. Some of my favorite films fit into that category. It may not be the sort of movie that hardcore Terminator fans were waiting for, but honestly I think hardly anything would work for them.
Twizard Rating: 86
The 4th chapter in the Terminator series, Terminator Salvation, might lose the character of the franchise a bit, but it doesn't lose the spirit, and is a necessary piece in order to continue and expand the film universe.
Here we get a weird hybrid of an origin story set in the future. John Connor (Christian Bale) is faced with Skynet's first attempt at a cyborg with human features, Marcus (Sam Worthington). Now Connor must abandon all he knows in order to see past what Marcus actually is--a weapon constructed by his enemy.
It's completely predictable and cliche, but it's not without its positives. The main theme of second chances looms over our heads the whole film, but it's an important one to say the least.
Salvation is definitely one of the more intriguing films in the series simply because it's the first time we really get to see the future. We already sort of know what's going to happen, but it's that anticipation that makes is more enjoyable and we can finally see the events come to fruition that had only been talked about up until then. Without tiring out the concept, it's necessary to see the Terminator universe in this way.
It's safe to say that the series loses its character quality a little bit in this film. John Connor is much more serious, and so is our terminator protagonist. There's less of the fish-out-of-water humor, as the levity is very few and far between.
But what doesn't work more than anything is the "relationship" between Marcus and Blair (Moon Bloodgood). They share a meet-cute and are supposed to be fond of each other, but we don't actually see any of this. Their initial connection to each other consists of scenes wasted on lusty glances in place of actually building chemistry that would have rationalized a connection between the two characters. Therefore, their relationship doesn't make any sense, nor does it live up to its potential of really being a driving force in this film.
While I actually enjoyed Terminator Salvation, I just wish that it took some slightly different approaches.
Twizard Rating: 74
It's a little dated, but 1984's The Terminator is nevertheless jam packed with entertainment. The effects seem cheesy by today's standards, but are impressive considering the lower budget. And the movie's impact on modern day action films is undeniable.
In The Terminator, a cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from the year 2029--when machines rule the earth--is sent into the past to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose unborn son will lead a human rebellion against the machines. One human from the future, Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), is hired to follow the cyborg into the past and save Sarah from assassination.
While I'm not a huge fan of James Cameron's writing when it's comes to dialogue, he always has really deep premises. And often times I feel as though he casts actors because of their look rather than their acting ability. The Terminator is no different. The dialogue is painful at times, but the themes are still relevant and the narrative is consistent. And Biehn's poor acting is utterly distracting. Luckily Schwarzenegger has limited lines.
I also wish that Sarah and Reese's chemistry had been a little more realistic. It isn't bad, but it isn't great either. Their dynamic feels a little forced and sudden with no buildup.
There are a few plot holes and paradoxes in the film, but we can't expect anything else from an 1980s time travel film.
Although ahead of its time, it comes off as more ordinary when compared to modern action flicks. Possibly because it influenced most of them. But the '80s setting makes for great nostalgia when viewed today.
Twizard Rating: 92
