Terminator: Genisys – Movie Review by Frances Winston

Directed by: Alan Taylor

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Matt Smith J.K. Simmons

In cinemas July 2nd

He said he’d be back and true to his word Arnold Schwarzenegger returns for his fourth outing as the T-800 killing machine that was first introduced to the world back in the original Terminator movie in 1984. He may have an additional 30 years (and a stint as Governor of California) under his belt since the original but as Sylvester Stallone and Liam Neeson have both proved, age is no barrier to action hero credibility and this is especially true when it comes to an iconic character such as this.

Kicking off in 2029 after judgement day and the rise of the machines John Connor (Jason Clarke) leads is resistance movement in one final battle against computer giants Skynet whose creations have decimated mankind. When they are too late to prevent the original Terminator being sent back to 1984 to kill his mother Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) they realise they will have to send someone back also in order to defeat the killer machine. As his friend and right hand man Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) steps into the time travel device John gets attacked by a machine and the 1984 he arrives in is not the timeline he was expecting. The original Terminator is now Sarah’s guardian after an earlier attempt on her life and his own memories are changing thanks to time paradoxes that have occurred. Determined to destroy Skynet before they take over the world they travel to 2017 to shut them down. But more advanced Terminators and technology than they had anticipated await them and they face a race against time and a battle for their lives to shut Skynet down once and for all.

You don’t have to have seen the original films to make sense of this as they very kindly fill you in on all you need to know about the plot. However, if you have seen them you will get a lot more from this movie as they totally pay homage to what went before. There are plenty of scenes that reference famous moments in earlier flicks and on the whole they take quite a tongue in cheek approach to the history of the franchise.

Love him or hate him the moment when Arnie proper (there is also a young version of him) appears on screen is fantastic. It’s the cinematic equivalent of slipping on an old pair of slippers and he really shows that he can laugh at himself. Clarke lacks the brawn of the original Sarah Connor, Linda Hamilton, but does an adequate job and has a good chemistry with Courtney which really develops as the story progresses. The plot is a bit all over the place. So many people are jumping back and forth in time and timelines are disappearing and changing that it’s best not to try to keep up and just strap yourself in for the ride. That said it does make it somewhat ironic that the movie features Matt Smith most famous for playing the ultimate time traveller Doctor Who (blink and you’ll miss him though).

This is great fun and a thrill a minute rollercoaster. It plays up to its roots while evolving the story and characters for a new generation. The effects are amazing – particularly in 3D and the set pieces are jaw dropping. A proper summer blockbuster in the good old fashioned tradition it’s not trying to take itself too seriously and as long as you don’t either this is thoroughly enjoyable. There are already two sequels announced and Schwarzenegger will definitely be in at least one so you won’t have to wait to long for your next fix either.