#REVIEW: “TERMINATOR GENISYS”

Review by Jonathan Godfrey for Mr. Will Wong

In 1984 an all new time-travelling romance hit the silver screen. Two star-crossed lovers on the edge of tomorrow birthed a messiah in the mouth of madness. The mouth was that of the mechanical monstrosity titled, Terminator. Mother and Child survived the ordeal only to face it again years later. Judgment Day: the machines sought to punish humanity for its hubris. The Mother and Child stayed alive. Our extinction was thwarted… time and time again.

It’s 2015 and the machines are back. Skynet has been upgraded, the Terminators too. However, John Connor is ever the tactician, even if his tactics seem familiar. Terminator Genisys opens up with John Connor leading the Tech-Com resistance. He even sends his friend Kyle Reese into the past to protect his Mother.

This time around Kyle Reese is played by Jai Courtney, and John Connor by Jason Clarke. John’s mother Sarah is played by Emilia Clarke, who looks so much like a young Linda Hamilton it’s uncanny. Unlike Linda’s version of Sarah Connor, Emilia’s was raised by a Terminator, an aging T-800 she calls “Pops.” Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his role as the T-800, and he’s got the same charming demeanor he brought to the role for his T2 performance.

There’s a lot of T1 here too, as Kyle and Sarah have met again for the first time. The paradoxes are plentiful, after all this is the fifth Film in a time travelling tale. What’s real and what’s possible has become increasingly complex. The villains of Genisys support this point. Cyberdyne is an institution now, one with a public presence. It’s everywhere; it’s a household name; it’s an iPhone app… it’s on Android too.

The omnipresent Cyberdyne Systems has also become home to a new nemesis. His name won’t be revealed here, but he is as aesthetically cool as the T-1000. Industrial Light & Magic are to be commended once more for their innovative work on this series. This time they tackle microbotics and electro-magnetic weaponry. The kind of stuff that reminds the viewer how cool Terminators can be. There’s lots in this chapter that accomplishes exactly that.

Terminator Genisys has numerous Easter eggs, Arnold with his A-Game, and an engaging storyline. It’s fun. It’s a worthy summer Blockbuster, and it’s in theatres Wednesday, July 1, 2015 via Paramount Pictures Canada.