Terminator: Genisys

"I'm not a man, not a machine... I'm more!" - John Connor

release year: 2015
genre: sci-fi action
viewing setting: home Bluray 2/25/17 and 2/4/16 and 11/15/15 and theater 7/12/15

synopsis: Events of the Terminator universe are altered due to various time-traveling individuals.

impressions: One of the characters said it best: just thinking about time travel makes my head hurt. For this movie, I didn't even attempt to make sense of the various forward and backward time jumps and how they altered events. There was no point in that. I just sat back and watched the action unfold. As others have noted, this sequel basically ignores Terminator 3 and Terminator: Salvation and instead is a direct sequent to Terminator 2. As such, it works, though the science is sketchy. But that's okay, because this movie contains: two different degrees of aged Terminator, a young Terminator, a T-1000 liquid metal Terminator, and a new Terminator unlike anything we've ever seen before. It also contains a pretty clear (to me) message about the perils/stupidity of having a life based around (and dependent on) constant connectivity via electronic devices. That message, I can agree with.

acting: Arnold does a good job as an older Terminator; we don't get to see any muscles, but he has plenty of lines and action. Emilia Clarke is all business as a tough Sarah Connor. Jai Courtney is soldier Kyle Reese, though I couldn't help thinking that he didn't look like him. Jason Clarke is John Connor in different time periods. Lee Byung-hun has a brief appearance as the lethal T-1000.

final word: Pretty good sequel with some fun stuff.

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