Back in 2009, after Terminator Salvation left the film series firmly offline, the rights went up for open auction; what was once a powerhouse of science fiction is now scrap metal being pawned off to the highest bidder. Yet at this franchise Judgement Day, there was one legend trying to make it right, Joss Whedon. He wrote an open letter to the existing rights holders offering to buy them for a whopping $10,000 (that’s right, 4 zeros!). Though partially intended as a joke, it was also a serious message to stop making money their primary objective. He appealed to them as a passionate and devoted fan wanting to give the series the justice it has been searching for since the mid 90's. To make another masterpiece of science fiction rather than more disposal summer blockbusters, “End this bloody bidding war before it begins, and put the Terminator in the hands of someone who watched the first one more than any other movie in college”...... of course he lost. Heart is seldom the currency of Hollywood, so the rights went to Paramount for many many millions, and now six years later, we have the result in the reboot film Terminator Genisys. And now more than ever do Whedon’s words ring true. Genisys is a film that, despite having some good things going for it, has completely lost track of its own plot and all too often finds no soul beneath its alloyed chest.
In 2027, a Terminator is sent back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones), the innocent future mother of John Connor (Jason Clarke – Zero Dark Thirty, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), the leader of humanity’s resistance in the war against the machines. Soldier Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney – A Good Day to Die Hard, Insurgent) travels back to protect her only to find the timeline has changed and she’s not exactly in need of protecting anymore.
The biggest problem here is not the new ideas introduced or the old ones revived. Everything individually would have worked fine but Gensiys has so much going on that it sends the system crashing into overload. Contrary to its programming, it does manage to self-terminate purely by not deciding what film it’s trying to be. Is it a sequel? A remake? A reboot? At times, it tries to be all and more, which turns the story into a haywire mess leaving so much need for regular explanations and recaps that the main cast frequently get lost among the events. This means abandoning the core strength of Cameron’s outings: the emotional relation. The plots of T1&2 are so simple that the focus shifted entirely to understanding how Sarah and John related to them. There are some marked efforts to do the same here, and the occasional moment does find its mark with no problemo, but all the rest is rushed to enjoy. Then there’s the central villain, (which has been spoilt by trailers but just in case names are deleted here) who is essentially a robo John Cena (spoiler, he wins). The endless need for escalation takes things too far making him feel too formidable an opponent to make any confrontations feel less than one sided. Even the insertion of a plot device weakness doesn’t help and the inevitable convenient defeat just feels like he’s taking a fall on queue.
The surprise weapon up the robo sleeve turns out to be nostalgia. At first as Jai Courtney narrates a newbie's catch up and we watch a room full of people stare at his junk pre-time travel, it feels a little like a collection deleted scenes from the past films. They’re interesting but don’t really feel required. However, when we do blast back to 1984 and start dubbing over the original, it’s a lot more rewarding than expected. A great deal of efforts has gone into re-creating and re-enacting several iconic scenes from Cameron’s original with new twists. At all times, it feels respectful to the old while offering the new fascinating perspective of preparation. What if Sarah Connor knew everything that would happen to her and had all time and resources she needed to prepare for it? Even the surprise throw in of a T-1000 is welcome. Although Lee Byung-hun (GI Joe, RED 2) can’t compete with Robert Patrick’s icy stare, his action scenes are by far the film’s best. His abilities provide the right levels of craziness without taking things too far and while superior it feels believable for the group to overcome him. In fact, when the aforementioned robo-Cena starts monopolizing the screen you’ll actually miss him. Though there’s no mistaking the biggest bullet in the nostalgia cannon, and that’s Arnie himself who frequently holds the film up single metal handedly. The aging “pops” character fits him perfectly (his living flesh covering ages in normal time), and the frequent references of being “old, not obsolete” echo our own feelings towards him still playing this role.
If things had stayed in 1984, this would have been a very different film. It would be as good if not better than Rise of the Machines but as soon as things head to the present/future, the predictable “let’s destroy Skynet once and for all” plot kicks in the screws keep hitting the floor. Everything feels rushed and half baked and way too jumbled. Alternative timelines work fine with definition and consistency but Genisys keeps trying to straddle them all throwing all kinds of paradoxes and plot holes all while stumbling from one scene and set piece to the next. Even some of the big action sequences feel weak, most notably a helicopter showdown that offers minimal excitement while firmly emptying a clip into physics. It’s been infected with malware trying to erase every ounce of soul but fortunately some does cling on thanks to Emilia Clarke. Despite the predominant sprinting towards the finish, she manages to catch her breath long enough to deliver some good relatable moments about her pre-destiny. How (now since childhood) her entire life has not been her own choice and shows a good balance of acceptance mixed with begrudging resentment. The expectation of her was a darker-haired Daenerys who delivers a good balance of strength without the absence of weakness. The same cannot be said for Jai Courtney’s Kyle Reese’s Pieces. He has been badly miss-cast here. He can’t bring enough urgency to his performance and frequently feels dreary, bland, and a painfully poor comparison to Michael Biehn. JK Simmons (Spiderman, Whiplash) sadly feels wasted a flimsy comic relief, but Jason Clarke does a passable JC and his earlier rousing speech hits home nicely. Matt Smith does well in his mystery role which does develop curiously.
Terminator Genisys is fair attempt to revive a beloved franchise that feels squandered by a bunch of paranoid Paramount executives too focused on getting the money back on their investment. It tries to reach out of every audience young or old, but over-stretches and falls flat on its face with a mighty clunk. Unlike last month’s Jurassic comeback, it doesn’t feel like a triumphant revival, just another test of faith. It’s not a total loss of a result, and when viewed with managed expectations, it's entertaining enough to stay seated but the extreme loss of potential may have long standing fans clawing at their faces in frustration. It ticks all the required boxes but few carry their expected impact. The word is that Genisys would be start of a new trilogy, but on these results, the future doesn’t feel worth fighting for.
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