As my previous blog post mentioned, I have spent some time recently on long haul flights. On one of these flights I watched Terminator: Genisys. I put off watching it for some time; I was in two minds whether to put myself through it or not. As anyone who knows me, Terminator 2: Judgement Day is my all time favourite film. It's been that way since I was about nine. I can't fully say why; I think it's the mix of action, the strong characters, writing and nostalgia. Like many Terminator fans I deny the existence of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. And Terminator: Salvation was okay.

When I heard they were once more revisiting the Terminator franchise, I was dubious. Then I watched the trailer and my dubiousness morphed into dread. They once again go back in time to send robots to kill Sarah Connor (essentially). It's all been done before.

Genisys starts with Kyle Reece explaining Judgment day and the takeover of Skynet. We start in the future, where the war against the machines is in full swing. The leader of men, John Connor reveals that the humans will win the battle against the machines that night, but they must send back a man to protect his mother, Sarah Connor. Reece volunteers himself and we witness the young soldier stepping into the contraption and disappearing into the lightening. Just before he leaves for the past, Reece sees a machine dressed as a resistance soldier attack John. The outcome is unknown.

One thing that impressed me was the reconstruction of the original Terminator scenes. I have watched both films side by side (like the sad person I am) and the similarities in scenes are clear. Any fan watching will be able to tell you that. There's the old 80s environments, Reece dropping from the sky and stealing the homeless guys trousers; everything is reconstructed to look like the first film. The Arnold Terminator appearing is also carefully reshot. They keep the punks looking through the binoculars and the 'Nice night for a walk' line. The only difference to those scenes is the appearance of other Terminators. A much older Arnie begins battle with his former self at the beginning of the film, and Reece is chased by a liquid T-1000 through the shopping centre. These scenes have obviously been lovingly recreated but with a modern twist.

This prompts the arrival of Sarah Connor. At the beginning of Genisys the audience is told she is a waitress and needs protecting. However, this is not the Sarah Connor that comes crashing through the mall building in a truck, flings open the door and says the famous line, 'Come with me if you want to live'. This Sarah Connor is much more prepared for what is coming and stronger than the Terminator one model.

I liked the way this younger Sarah dressed similar to how she did in Judgment Day - all black with a ponytail and even a similar leather watch near the end. But, Emilie Clark was not convincing. She just seemed too young. I know Sarah is only meant to be a young woman in the first film, but Emilie looked like a fifteen year old girl in this film. I didn't believe that she could fire those assault rifles. Linda Hamilton played a harden survivor; maybe Emilie was not meant to be a survivor quite yet, but she didn't have the same vibe Hamilton gave off in Terminator 2 - I couldn't picture her growing up to be the same lady.


This leads on to my next point; the timeline. We all know the Terminator franchise has had a few movies made. They keep finding ways to bring Arnold back. This reincarnation starts all over again, attempting to wipe out Skynet before it is even born. Miles Dyson's son is bringing out an app called Genisys aka Skynet, which will connect every aspect of your life. I've seen people arguing about the fact Miles Dyson's son wouldn't exist, but I'm prepared to say that he would. The fact he would have the same ambitions as his father is plausible. The trio plan to destroy the Genisys app before it can be released: cue cliche countdown of release date.

It seems an okay plot on paper, but I feel like they are trying too hard to keep this franchise going. Maybe I am a bit of a purist, but making new robots appear in the old scenes is just too much. It's almost spoiling the first films. They should let it go now, come up with a new film idea - a new franchise to milk.

The last huge drawback is John Connor. I don't wish to give too much away to people who haven't seen the film (or the trailer for that matter) but something happens to John that shakes me to the very core. The film messes with a key character in a way that changes the movies considerably and I hate it. John Connor is a hero of men, a leader and some say even a prophet, and to have him changed so dramatically in Genisys is just infuriating to me.

Overall I enjoyed Terminator: Genisys as a film. It was a good Terminator film, but I stress the word 'good'. It will never beat 1 and 2, but I don't think much will in my eyes. The script was better than some. However, the franchise seems tired, just like the Arnold Terminator. They should both retire.


Lauren