Terminator Genisys

I have great memories of watching the first Terminator. I was in a crowded theatre with my best friends and we were about to see what can be argued is the greatest time travel action adventure movie of them all. It created a villain so iconic that it can never be separated from the actor who created him. Only Arnold could bring such a great bad guy to life and it was the perfect role for him. He was truly unstoppable until he wasn't and that made for a thrilling time in the theatre.

The rest of the film was fantastic and filled all the time travel holes I could imagine. It became the standard for action movies where the foe was all but unbeatable. James Cameron got it right that time. The sequel was also very good. Then the next two film went off the rails a bit and I never thought we would ever see another Terminator movie. I am glad that wasn't the case. Terminator Genisys (which is not a word) is a lot of fun.

The first 20 minutes of the new movie goes like the original but then the twists start happening and we realized that we are in an entirely different timeline than the one we know. Kyle Reyes is still on the run but it is HE and not Sarah Conner that needs saving this time around. She also knows she is to 'mate' with Reyes to make John Conner but having sex with a stranger is not something she is into especially while on the run from the liquid metal terminator from T2. She herself has her own Arnold Terminator who rescued her when she was NINE (?) so she has known all her life what her 'mission' is. Skynet will find a way to happen again just like it always happens - regardless which parallel universe one is in. Or that is the way I see this whole universe.

This latest movie is a gift to everyone who has followed this Terminator universe since the beginning. There are all kinds of references to past movies and, while I will probably need another viewing to get everything straight in my head, I liked this one a lot because it tries very hard to bring all the plot threads together from past incarnations of this Terminator story.

It's unfortunate that the trailer revealed the REALLY big twist because knowing it kinda spoils things but there it is. Avoid this trailer if you don't want to know a REALLY BIG PLOT TWIST.



At the point that they are leaping though time I suddenly became lost but that didn't matter. Things here do not have to make logical sense. It's a freakin TERMINATOR movie and all I expect is for the movie to be big, dumb and loud. It is all those things and a bit more.

But it's a Terminator movie with heart and one hell of a science fiction story. For a property that I new so well, I found many fresh things to enjoy about this film.

Schwartzenegger is great and continues to surprise me in his old age. He doesn't have to be the hero and is quite happy to do his part to make the movie better. Another movie I enjoyed this summer.