Terminator Genisys

The worse the film, the better you know the rules of its narrative. What starts out as promising entertainment that boldly requires viewers to be well familiar with the previous films and to find their bearings in several time planes soon turns into tiresome recycling of previously utilised ideas and the same narrative formula. Furthermore, the filmmakers didn’t make any effort to disguise the fragmented nature of the episodic narrative. The elimination of a villain in one period is followed by a shift to another period, in which another villain is taken down without really addressing what happened in the preceding minutes. The most extreme bits of screenwriting laxity and the overall mechanical nature of the film, in which you won’t find much that is sincere other than from Arnold, take the form of additional patching of holes in the logic with dialogue explaining what happened when the camera wasn’t running. Why bother with the more skilful incorporation of explanations into the ongoing plot when you can resolve everything ex post with a few horribly stilted lines. The gritty 1980s stylisation is luke-warm due to the PG-13 rating and mainly relates only to how the film looks. Because of the hackneyed characterisations and bland actors (or rather, blatantly bad actors, which is true mainly in the case of Courtney, who is simply unable to portray complex emotions), the mediocre melodramatic storyline with “daddy” and his adopted daughter (a tough girl who quickly turns into a victim who has to be protected and rescued) doesn’t work, nor does the attempt to add depth to the characters’ motivations. Arnold, who is the only one of the actors who clearly rises above all of this, can scowl a lot, but he can’t give any firm shape, order or meaning to this trash heap of worn-out blockbuster ideas. Unfortunately, the film is not pulled out of its misery even by the action scenes that form its foundation and which are filmed in a completely dull manner, without suspense, surprise or regard for 3D technology. If a two-hour recognition game of “find all of the (visual) quotes from Cameron’s movies” is enough to make someone happy, I wish them pleasant viewing. Personally, however, I would rather watch those Cameron films in their full-blooded form instead of this watered-down mash-up. 40% (07/03/2015)

The script must have been written by Jára Cimrman, based on one of his plays. So it's clear, you are my son, but you could actually be my father, or brother, and if the time paradox allows, father and son at the same time, along with my mother, who’s actually my daughter. Whatever. Time paradoxes have always been there, they are part of the sci-fi genre. What I just realized is that the Terminator has no place in today's cinemas. What seemed revolutionary and innovative at the time of the release of Cameron's first two Terminators, which enchanted awestruck audiences with the metamorphoses of the T-1000 model thanks to digital effects that were at the dawn of their age, now, in an age overcrowded and overstuffed with CGI atrocities, no longer impresses anyone and has nothing to offer beyond that. And when you present the core of the story, those time paradoxes I mentioned earlier, as clumsily as Alan Taylor does, then there's a problem. Especially since the film doesn't have a single (!) memorable action scene that you'll remember years from now. Unlike, for instance, Terminator 2, which is a textbook of the action genre. And Arnold? Due to the plot, his presence here is rather symbolic, all he has to do is show up and throw in a few one-liners and fans will be satisfied. But he's fine, and it has to be said, the only (surprising) bright spot of the whole film. If the Terminator has to age, it should certainly be in the way Arnold has demonstrated here. (07/14/2015)

It's certainly not a bad film. The opening part, which plays with the viewer and (mainly) with the first part of the saga, was even excellent, but then it (very smoothly, I admit) turned into an extremely and unnecessarily overcomplicated goulash, which was only saved by every shot, every line and every "smile" by Arnold Schwarzenegger. If someone asked me for one reason to see the new Terminator, I'd tell them it's because of Arnold. Actually, for the Arnolds, to be exact. Otherwise, I was disappointed by the lack of action scenes, the sometimes very flashy digital gimmicks (not true of the 1984 T-800, but definitely true of the school bus crash or the helicopter chase), the supremely unsympathetic Jason Clarke, and I was literally annoyed by the scene in the end credits. (07/16/2015)

Each further rewriting of the notoriously well-known history is riskier, but the path in this direction is more than promising. Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier confront iconic scenes head-on, showing us explicitly the use of time travel and giving Arnold Schwarzenegger a chance to break his metal jaws himself – and he fulfills this deadly task perfectly. At the moment when it is clear that Mr. Schwarzenegger will not leave any scene without proclaiming it properly, Terminator: Genisys becomes almost a family spectacle, which perfectly suits the fact that the changes concern exactly those storylines that used to disappoint me with their pessimistic outcome. Even a heretical thought crossed my mind that this ending could be a complete conclusion and end the whole saga with a thirty-year gap. If I am really just naive and the subsequent installments will crush my optimism, it will be a great pity. The Terminator no longer chills you like it used to, but considering that it doesn't even try to do so, such a transformation is accepted surprisingly easily in view of zero expectations. Especially since Emilia Clarke throws Game of Thrones far behind her and becomes a Sarah Connor straight from the most ambitious fan fantasies. (07/11/2015)

Meh The Fifth Terminator pretty much disappoints in pretty much everything. Arnold is pushed to the background at the expense of Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese's story, which admittedly isn't very compelling, nor are the two actors. The script makes virtually no sense and the paradoxes and problems associated with time travel are all openly disregarded, and when it stops playing on a nostalgic note after half an hour, it ends up being a generic action sci-fi flick that relies more on quantity than quality. There's plenty of action, but it is usually no more than average, and at some points they go way too over-the-top (the helicopter chase was something truly terrifying). The film plays second league in all aspects and hopes to bludgeon you with references, Arnold, and lots of explosions, shootouts, and fights. And it doesn't quite work. The result is a more or less uninteresting hundred and fifty million action sci-fi flick where there's always something going on, but you probably won't be entirely sure you're enjoying it. Not enough for Terminator, but speaking for myself, I'm not too surprised. (06/30/2015)