Terminator Genisys

The script must have been written by Jára Cimrman, based on one of his plays. So it's clear, you are my son, but you could actually be my father, or brother, and if the time paradox allows, father and son at the same time, along with my mother, who’s actually my daughter. Whatever. Time paradoxes have always been there, they are part of the sci-fi genre. What I just realized is that the Terminator has no place in today's cinemas. What seemed revolutionary and innovative at the time of the release of Cameron's first two Terminators, which enchanted awestruck audiences with the metamorphoses of the T-1000 model thanks to digital effects that were at the dawn of their age, now, in an age overcrowded and overstuffed with CGI atrocities, no longer impresses anyone and has nothing to offer beyond that. And when you present the core of the story, those time paradoxes I mentioned earlier, as clumsily as Alan Taylor does, then there's a problem. Especially since the film doesn't have a single (!) memorable action scene that you'll remember years from now. Unlike, for instance, Terminator 2, which is a textbook of the action genre. And Arnold? Due to the plot, his presence here is rather symbolic, all he has to do is show up and throw in a few one-liners and fans will be satisfied. But he's fine, and it has to be said, the only (surprising) bright spot of the whole film. If the Terminator has to age, it should certainly be in the way Arnold has demonstrated here. (14.07.2015)

The worse the film, the better you know the rules of its narrative. What starts out as promising entertainment that boldly requires viewers to be well familiar with the previous films and to find their bearings in several time planes soon turns into tiresome recycling of previously utilised ideas and the same narrative formula. Furthermore, the filmmakers didn’t make any effort to disguise the fragmented nature of the episodic narrative. The elimination of a villain in one period is followed by a shift to another period, in which another villain is taken down without really addressing what happened in the preceding minutes. The most extreme bits of screenwriting laxity and the overall mechanical nature of the film, in which you won’t find much that is sincere other than from Arnold, take the form of additional patching of holes in the logic with dialogue explaining what happened when the camera wasn’t running. Why bother with the more skilful incorporation of explanations into the ongoing plot when you can resolve everything ex post with a few horribly stilted lines. The gritty 1980s stylisation is luke-warm due to the PG-13 rating and mainly relates only to how the film looks. Because of the hackneyed characterisations and bland actors (or rather, blatantly bad actors, which is true mainly in the case of Courtney, who is simply unable to portray complex emotions), the mediocre melodramatic storyline with “daddy” and his adopted daughter (a tough girl who quickly turns into a victim who has to be protected and rescued) doesn’t work, nor does the attempt to add depth to the characters’ motivations. Arnold, who is the only one of the actors who clearly rises above all of this, can scowl a lot, but he can’t give any firm shape, order or meaning to this trash heap of worn-out blockbuster ideas. Unfortunately, the film is not pulled out of its misery even by the action scenes that form its foundation and which are filmed in a completely dull manner, without suspense, surprise or regard for 3D technology. If a two-hour recognition game of “find all of the (visual) quotes from Cameron’s movies” is enough to make someone happy, I wish them pleasant viewing. Personally, however, I would rather watch those Cameron films in their full-blooded form instead of this watered-down mash-up. 40% (03.07.2015)

An absolutely un-charismatic film. It’s also archaic in the worst possible way. I'm sorry, but if I got my hands on a legendary franchise and a hundred and fifty-five million to spare, I'd go the route of innovation, not recycling. To hell with logical lapses and rewriting timelines, that's the least of the film’s evils. What bothers me about Genisys is that they built a bunch of cheap actors around Arnold (who’s the only goof thing!) and wrote absolutely bloodless characters who just go through bigger or smaller action sequences, so that you can clearly see where it will all lead. By the way, this whole dramaturgical system of most studios, i.e., going for craft certainty, is perhaps the most striking here. This is because of Alan Taylor, who obviously knows how to keep the crew on set under control, just like I do with my cat when I don't want him to walk on the table (do remember any film that had the name of the director of the action scenes in the opening credits?). If the sterility of Thor: The Dark Worldwas kept afloat by Kevin Feige's production scheme, in this film Taylor shows his creative cluelessness to the fullest and the new Terminator looks as if the desperate editors in the editing room glued together something that should at least resemble a two-hour film. PS: The fact that Cameron praised it means that either his brain has definitely turned blue or he's a sell-out. (08.08.2015)

A pretty good instalment. There is just the issue that the story with its leaps from the past to the future and from the future to the present made such a mess of it that it is hard to set it to the timeline of the previous instalments. Especially of the third instalment, which it completely ignored. On the other hand, it is made better by Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose sparse acting is good enough to not only entertain, but also awake some nostalgia. Just enough for three stars. (29.03.2016)

Meh The Fifth Terminator pretty much disappoints in pretty much everything. Arnold is pushed to the background at the expense of Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese's story, which admittedly isn't very compelling, nor are the two actors. The script makes virtually no sense and the paradoxes and problems associated with time travel are all openly disregarded, and when it stops playing on a nostalgic note after half an hour, it ends up being a generic action sci-fi flick that relies more on quantity than quality. There's plenty of action, but it is usually no more than average, and at some points they go way too over-the-top (the helicopter chase was something truly terrifying). The film plays second league in all aspects and hopes to bludgeon you with references, Arnold, and lots of explosions, shootouts, and fights. And it doesn't quite work. The result is a more or less uninteresting hundred and fifty million action sci-fi flick where there's always something going on, but you probably won't be entirely sure you're enjoying it. Not enough for Terminator, but speaking for myself, I'm not too surprised. (30.06.2015)

Each further rewriting of the notoriously well-known history is riskier, but the path in this direction is more than promising. Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier confront iconic scenes head-on, showing us explicitly the use of time travel and giving Arnold Schwarzenegger a chance to break his metal jaws himself – and he fulfills this deadly task perfectly. At the moment when it is clear that Mr. Schwarzenegger will not leave any scene without proclaiming it properly, Terminator: Genisys becomes almost a family spectacle, which perfectly suits the fact that the changes concern exactly those storylines that used to disappoint me with their pessimistic outcome. Even a heretical thought crossed my mind that this ending could be a complete conclusion and end the whole saga with a thirty-year gap. If I am really just naive and the subsequent installments will crush my optimism, it will be a great pity. The Terminator no longer chills you like it used to, but considering that it doesn't even try to do so, such a transformation is accepted surprisingly easily in view of zero expectations. Especially since Emilia Clarke throws Game of Thrones far behind her and becomes a Sarah Connor straight from the most ambitious fan fantasies. (12.07.2015)

And the arrival of Windows 10 begins to provoke a wave of fears... An entertaining mishmash spiced with action with an interesting theme, but a miserable screenplay, ruined in places by stiff dialog and sloppy effects. Overall, I had a better feeling after watching part five than after four and five because it at least tries to link the story to Cameron’s masterpieces, even though this comes nowhere near them. Courtney is still miserable, but less irritating than in the preceding movies, the Clarkes had their best moment some other time or in some other movie, but they give a decent performance. In fact, I would say that we were treated to the most ingenious version of John Connor yet and the twist in the spoiler trailers is one of the most positive aspects of Genisys. Good ol’ Arnold Schwarzenegger is the viewer’s favorite, of course, and the best thing you’ll see in the movie. He repeats himself, says great lines the way we love it, but he’s no longer the Terminator we know. There was only ever one of those - or rather two - Cameron’s. Overall pretty decent entertainment that updates us (very like Jurassic Park, but with diametrically different results - a box-office failure), but not a full-fledged part of the saga, more of a bolt-on. (10.07.2015)

Everything with measure is okay, as long as you don't start thinking about it. Because getting into this mess of a script is really tricky, because all the pasts, futures, presents, alternative pasts, etc., will make your head spin, and that's a shame for a property like Terminator. However, as a compilation of the best shots and iconic scenes from the previous four parts, it works quite well. Unfortunately, in general, it totally lacks the feeling of the second one, it doesn't have the drive and the well-crafted eye-candy visuals from the third one, and you won't find the gloomy post-apocalyptic atmosphere from the fourth one either. Where are the times of Kristanna Loken and her battles with Arnold, because after 12 years, we haven't really moved forward in terms of technology! For example, there's nothing like awesome truck scene. And that is something to think about. (16.07.2015)

It's certainly not a bad film. The opening part, which plays with the viewer and (mainly) with the first part of the saga, was even excellent, but then it (very smoothly, I admit) turned into an extremely and unnecessarily overcomplicated goulash, which was only saved by every shot, every line and every "smile" by Arnold Schwarzenegger. If someone asked me for one reason to see the new Terminator, I'd tell them it's because of Arnold. Actually, for the Arnolds, to be exact. Otherwise, I was disappointed by the lack of action scenes, the sometimes very flashy digital gimmicks (not true of the 1984 T-800, but definitely true of the school bus crash or the helicopter chase), the supremely unsympathetic Jason Clarke, and I was literally annoyed by the scene in the end credits. (17.07.2015)

A narrative mess and basically an unnecessary variation on the already sufficiently dissected Terminator legend, which, despite everything, works quite smoothly and becomes at least a very entertaining, B-grade sci-fi action flick. It's better not to think about the frantic time twists, given the existence of previous episodes, and the suffocating atmosphere of inevitable fatality has been replaced by action, situational humour and a number of necessary postmodern references, but maybe that's why Terminator Genisys pleasantly surprised me and didn't disappoint; it moves along, there's always something going on, the young cast is at least watchable, and the great Arnold, in my opinion, lived up to his questionable presence in the film by more than a measure, and once again strongly reminded the world that he alone is the one and only Terminator. And to be honest, maybe that’s all it was about. 65% (15.09.2015)

In terms of quality, Terminator Genisys is roughly comparable to the previous film, Salvation. It lacks the wow-effect of the first part; the perfect second part will probably never be equalled, and the third part wasn’t that overwrought. I really welcomed the return of the legendary Terminator in the form of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who rocked the most, even if he didn't (classically) say much (+ his most overused lines were amusing). Technically, it was decent, which is fully understandable given the budget and the times, and as far as the story goes, it wasn't all that bad, but it was missing something. Personally, I was most bothered by the character of John Connor (mostly because of his performance). All in all, an average sequel to a famous sci-fi saga, which is a rather weaker offshoot compared to its predecessors. (05.07.2016)

At a time when blockbusters in general are already being forced to use time travel to preserve characters and locations destroyed in previous installments, it was interesting to see how a series that used time travel before it was cool would respond. And it is indeed with grace. In fact, the latest installment of the robot saga doesn't even make sense on a basic level, to the point of being laughable even to itself. It merely throws in a bunch of scenes and sequences that try to capitalize on the legacies of the first two installments, insidiously pointing out the directorial limitations of the dull routine Taylor and the acting incompetence of everyone involved (except Jason Clarke). In particular, the casting of the walking curb Jai Courtney as the role once played by Michael Biehn describes quite nicely how far the current Terminator target audience is out of step with the one back then. I'm not saying the whole thing isn't universally entertaining, what bothers me is that the whole original horror vision of an indestructible slow creature from which there's no hiding has been replaced with generic time and space traversal, catchphrases for twelve-year-old nerds, and action scenes created by grizzled special effects people at four in the morning when the caterer is out of coffee. Arnold Schwarzenegger could easily die already, so the studios can discover after the next installment that there’s no more interest in the franchise and start pimping out something else. (30.10.2015)

If this movie didn't have Arnold Schwarzenegger, it probably wouldn't leave me completely positive. Arnold simply proves that even in old age, he is the star and he carries the film to a successful conclusion. From a screenplay standpoint, it's unnecessarily cluttered, despite the fact that the plot is ultimately incredibly simple. It's a shame, I was expecting a little more. (20.07.2015)

It took me a while to make up my mind about this movie. The negatives are just too many. For starters, I don’t think the movie as such even needed to be made, but okay. The cast isn’t exactly one of the movie’s strong points. Arnold is awesome as usual and my favorite, Emilia Clarke, is great, but all they got was a dull script and a bunch of really unlikeable supporting actors. None of the actors, with the exception of Arnold, fit their role. Mediocre through and through, which isn’t doing the Terminator franchise any favors. Nevertheless, after all the terrible trailers and poor sales at the beginning, it’s not such a disaster as I expected it to be. (18.08.2015)