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 4/8/26 and 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: After a short scene in the future, this looked like a retelling of the first movie's events...right up until things went in a different direction entirely. 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 sequel 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 message about the perils/stupidity of having a life based around (and dependent on) constant connectivity via electronic devices. The scenes of the masses engrossed in their phones and tablets while grinning mindlessly...really resonated with me because of peoples' addiction to such right now, in real life. That will never fucking be me.
acting: Arnold does a good job as an older Terminator; we don't get to see any muscles, but he has plenty of good lines and solid 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 a lethal T-1000.
final word: Pretty good sequel with some fun stuff.
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