Terminator Genisys

While Conan the Barbarian made Arnold Schwarzenegger famous, The Terminator made him a star. And after a one-film absence, he's back in Terminator Genisys, the first of the franchise in 3D.

The evil computer network Skynet nuked humanity in 1997. By 2029, its Terminator robots fight John Connor's (Jason Clarke) resistance movement. The humans finally kill Skynet, but not before it sends a Terminator back in time to 1984 to kill John's mother Sarah. John's lieutenant Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) follows the Terminator back in time.

Kyle finds himself in a past that doesn't need him. Sarah (Emilia Clarke) already knows about Skynet, Terminators and the human resistance that hates them, and saves him from another Terminator. Her "Pops" (Arnold) is a reprogrammed Terminator that saved her before. And they now plan to save humanity from Judgment Day... not at 1997, but 2017. There, Skynet unveils its newest and most surprising Terminator to-date.

Arnold's return should please some fans. He once again spouts his catchphrases and awkwardly passes for human. It was good for a few laughs, but overall, it was average stuff. It's like I've seen a lot of this before. On the plus side, the makeup team convincingly packs on the years and wounds.

The visual effects department was mostly good. The more-robotic Terminators are mostly CGI, but they are convincingly integrated with real actors. The new Terminator was a pretty nifty nanomachine monster; its best effects were its use of super-speed. The film even recreates Arnold's introduction from The Terminator with a body double and some stock-footage. That was the only bit where the cracks in the effects showed.

What I mostly remember from the last installment, Terminator Salvation, is that I saw it. Compared to that, Terminator Genisys is an improvement. The identity of the new Terminator throws the story for a surprising loop. His connection to Kyle Reese, common knowledge from The Terminator, is amusing when Reese learns it. And most of all, JK Simmons' detective character provides some good enthusiasm. That's a lot more in this movie's corner.

I didn't hate Terminator Genisys, but I wasn't blown away by its spectacle. It's a decent matinee at best. And it's a conflicting movie.