In 1984, the movie ‘The Terminator’ was released starring Schwarzenegger, and this new movie, ‘Terminator Genisys’, is the follow-on from three other sequels, and a tv series.
This version of the otherworld story begins in the late 21st century with the legendary hero, John Connor, (who has led the humans against the machine Terminators), sending his protégé Kyle Reese back to 1984, to protect John’s mother Sarah, before he is born, and therefore ensuring the future of the Resistance. Confused? Why wouldn’t you be?
However before Kyle gets there, Schwarzeneggar has become Sarah’s protector, (known as the Guardian) and has been since her childhood, and the guardian’s task is to beat off his lookalike Terminator, who has arrived from the future to kill Sarah. And yet, Kyle is also on the way to also save her, sent by her son from the future.
The characters of Sarah, Reese and the Guardian find themselves in a world where they are trying to move on to another time, twenty years later
Confusion is the order of the day with ‘Terminator Genisys’, and that is where it falls down. It tries to be two or three movies thrown into one.
Schwarzenegger is himself and doesn’t even bother to try and act. In fact, he’s as wooden as ever, but he’s a star, and still as physically strong as ever at age 68 years. Jason Clarke did his best with the part of John, but he was let down by a poor script,
Sadly underused in the film was Oscar winning actor, JK Simmons who played a cop that witnessed destruction by the Terminator thirty years previous. However he, like Courtney B Vance, who played another minor character, was underused.
‘Terminator Genisys’ is allright for a reminiscent laugh about the 1980s movie. However, it’s not to be taken seriously.
David Flynn
