With a decades-long career that includes many classic films, a few notorious flops and a much-publicized run as California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger has become an icon of cinema for his unmistakable accent, his endless supply of winking one-liners and the over-the-top bravado he brings to each performance. Yet, arguably the height of his film career remains his work as the T-800 in the Terminator franchise, and now – 12 years since donning the leather jacket and shades for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines – Schwarzenegger is back (he said he would be, after all) for the franchise sequel/reboot Terminator: Genisys.
Initially set during the future battle between the human resistance and the machines, the film finally shows viewers the moment where John Connor (Jason Clarke) sends Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 – and the original James Cameron thriller The Terminator – to protect his vulnerable mother, Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), from the wrath of a terminator. However, when Kyle arrives in the past, he finds a battle-ready Sarah and her cybernetic protector (Arnold Schwarzenegger) are waiting for him in a timeline that is nothing like what he expected.
From that cool time-bending premise, Terminator: Genisys is able to include tons of callbacks to both of Cameron’s classic first two entries in the franchise, and the sight of the 1984 Arnold square off against his “old, not obsolete” current self is beyond exhilarating. The sequences which attempt to recreate early moments in the first film are definitely some of the highlights, and Schwarzenegger in particular is the best he’s been in years here, his dry sense of humor firmly intact. Considering just how poorly Terminator: Salvation was received, the fact that Schwarzenegger was in political office at the time and unavailable to reprise his role was something of a godsend. Terminator: Genisys gives him the comeback he deserves.
Likewise, Emilia Clarke is dynamite as Sarah Connor. Given the unenviable task of measuring up to Linda Hamilton’s unforgettable portrayal, Clarke captures both the vulnerability and strength inherent in the character, even if she doesn’t quite make the role her own. Moreover, she and Courtney share decent enough chemistry, though the latter appears just listless and woefully miscast as Kyle Reese. Despite all the problems with Terminator: Salvation, Anton Yelchin was a far better fit for the character, though understandably the studio decides not to carry over any elements from that film.
That leads us to Sarah and Kyle’s offspring, the man who has sat at the center of the conflict between humans and machines since this franchise started. Jason Clarke – the fourth actor to take on the role of John Connor in as many onscreen appearances – plays a battle-scarred version of the character with as much gusto as he can muster, but he isn’t able to salvage the material he’s given here, despite having proved with last year’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes that he is more than equipped to help elevate a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thrill ride to greatness.
Terminator: Genisys – which employs time travel as a storytelling device far more than previous entries – has lots of opportunities to delve into the complicated connections between John, Sarah and Kyle. However, though some truly great character stuff crops up, it is ultimately cut down by a mid-film plot twist (yes, the one spoiled in all the marketing materials, for some reason) that never manages to really make come together. Terminator: Genisys squeezes so many complicated plot developments into one film that its story ends up spiraling out of control before the credits roll.
Still, Terminator: Genisys offers far more inventiveness than either Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines or Terminator: Salvation, even if it pales in comparisons to the first two films it so obviously admires. Director Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) has yet to deliver an outstanding big-screen release, but while this film features a number of underdeveloped ideas (including the prevalence of technology in today’s world), it still stands as the best Terminator film in many years.