Terminator Genisys
There was a time where the role of
filmmaker was reserved for an elite group of people. Your Kubrick's, De
Palma’s, Scorsese’s, Spielberg’s, etc. Most of them are still around and
mentoring the next generation of filmmakers. Those being today’s filmmakers who
grew up watching the movies of the directors just mentioned. And a generation
of filmmakers working today who have seen more movies than any other generation
before them. And the same goes for today’s average going movie audience; they
have seen more movies and watch more movies than their parents and grandparents
ever did. Add to that, today’s filmmakers and movie goers are watching movies
that are the culmination of other movies, and this gives these directors and
audience members a higher level of intelligence when it comes to watching
movies. They know all the rules, they aren’t as easily shocked and they want
entertainment that is fresh and new, but also connected to what they grew up
on. Hence the reason why we have the fifth entry in the Terminator franchise
and why it was made the way it was.
Over the weekend, I went with a
bunch of mates to see Arnie’s latest offering; mates I have known for a long
time, watched a lot of movies with, and like to relive the old stuff we grew up
on. Going into Genisys was a nostalgic experience of sorts, like catching up
with an old friend or reliving a past experience. And in fact, this film plays
to that concept for the majority of it’s story, as key events from the first
Terminator film are revisited here to tell a revamped, re-imagined and
reinvigorated (?) film in the series which can either end it here, or keep
going in an all together new direction. Time will tell on whether that happens
or not.
But the basic storyline goes;
(without being a spoiler because I hate to have everything revealed to me about
a movie I haven’t seen yet, so won’t do it to you) we start things off in the
future, showing the world after Judgement Day. That event they’ve tried to stop
in two previous movies keeps happening, as the missiles are fired, to rain fire
and destruction down on the planet. We get a summary of how it happened, told
in a similar way to the opening monologue of T2, which was narrated by Sarah
Connor, but this time we’re guided through the story by Kyle Reese (Jai
Courtney). In fact, he seems to be the character whose perspective we share on
this journey. He was the doomed hero in the first film, had a brief cameo in
the directors cut of T2 and shown in his teenage years in Salvation. Here, he
is older and sticks pretty close to John Connor (Jason Clarke), the leader of
the human resistance.
When it looks like they might have
Skynet beaten, the technological entity sends it’s secret weapon back through
time; the Terminator. It’s destination? 1984, where it will kill Sarah Connor.
This is where the original film kicks off, and in a nice tribute to the first
scene featuring Arnie in the original film, we are treated to that in a
recreation that is a seamless match in almost every way. But here’s the twist;
instead of killing the punks he comes across, stealing one of their clothes and
commencing his mission, the cyborg is interrupted. “I’ve been waiting for you”
a voice says from the shadows, and out emerges a man, pulling a hood up to show
his face – it’s the Terminator, identical to the one he’s approaching, just
older. They duke it out for robot rights in 1984, and the better one walks away.
Kyle Reese then volunteers to go
back in time and track down the terminator that just journeyed back, and save
John Connors mother, Sarah. He gets permission from John, and is transported
back to 1984. Again following the events as they unfold in the original film,
Reese is pursued by a street cop, but this is no ordinary cop. It’s another
Terminator that shape shifts and transforms with its use of liquid metal
technology. Yes, it’s the T1000 that we all know and love from T2: Judgement
Day and the chase begins.
If you’ve seen the trailers to
this film, you will know the basic storyline; the past has been changed and
Sarah Connor is not the innocent waitress in 1984 we knew from earlier, but a
gun-wielding solider, who knows what’s coming, and she has her own assistant –
a Terminator; that being the one who popped off the other version of himself,
that was younger, and helps to save Reese from the T1000 and confuse Reese by
looking older. Are you confused? It sounds confusing I know, and many of us were
wondering why Schwarzenegger looked so much older than the cyborg he’s played
before. That’s because Arnie IS old now and won’t hide it. Rather, he plays a
Terminator that was sent back to the time when Sarah Connor was only a child
and hangs around as she grows up; since he’s covered in human flesh, that
component ages, but he’s metal skeleton underneath is still as strong as ever,
if just a little clunky and slow in parts.
Yes, this is a different kind of
Terminator film as you might have guessed. The set up is clever, in that it
ties in with events from the original film, but this is just the beginning of
things. Alternate realities or Paradoxes play a huge part in Genisys, and
you won’t need to concentrate too hard to keep up, as the story is pretty much
spelled out through the dialogue between the key characters. It moves quickly,
with action scenes that are well staged and creative. Taking elements from the
first two films you will recognise and admire, Genisys sets about to please the
fans, and for the most part it succeeds.
Being the fifth film in the series
and with Schwarzenegger a couple years shy of 70, Genisys doesn’t take itself
too seriously. Let’s face it, the Austrian Oak is not the muscle man he once
was, but he’s still very watchable. In fact, Arnie’s acting has improved over
the past few years, with his return to film from an eight year run in politics.
His portrayal of his most famous character here is fun and refreshing, as he
shows how the T-800 actually evolves when given long enough to walk around. In
the first three films, he’s only lives for about a day or so, but here, he is
functioning over three different time zones, as he becomes the Guardian for
Sarah Connor, forming a relationship with her as something of a father figure.
The relationship between the Terminator and Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke from
“Games of Thrones” fame) is well conceived and often funny, as it’s obvious she
has been carting around this bucket of blots for along time, as they debate,
argue and disagree on almost everything.
The film takes another interesting
turn when John Connor shows up on the scene, even when we're led to believe he
has remained in the future after sending Reese back. But he’s not the John we
met at the start of the film; he’s been compromised. At some point, Skynet got
to him and infiltrated his body with their technology, making him half man –
half machine. The man who was once the boy two Terminators had tried to kill
before now becomes the villain of the piece, as the power which has made him
indestructible, has also corrupted him. He now wants Judgement Day to carry
out, even after dedicating the majority of his life to fighting the machines.
This situation creates an interesting character dynamic between John, Sarah and
Reese, who are all connected, but from different times and worlds. As they help
each other and fight each other, The Terminator just seems to go along for the
ride, offering the brute force attack when it’s needed and throwing in a few
comedic lines for good measure.
Having grown up on the Terminator
films, knowing them inside and out, it’s hard not to compare the sequels to the
first two films. They will always be the best in the franchise, if it does
continue. I believe those involved in making Genisys know that and respect that
fact. They took a few chances making this film, with an aged Schwarzenegger
returning to the role after a twelve year hiatus, and meddling with historic
events from previous stories that are so well regarded, I’m sure they were very
conscious of doing it justice during the filmmaking process. But as I was
saying at the start of this review, today’s filmmakers are movie fans. Like us,
they’ve seen a lot of movies, and know the rules. Some will take those risks
and bend the rules, maybe even break them a little for the chance to tell the
same story in a new way. That being said, Genisys will divide many fans of the
franchise, but may attract new ones; either way, this film was made with plans
to continue itself in some way. How that will be done is open for discussion
now.
Credit to the writers for the idea
behind Genisys, as you might be wondering what that has to do with the title of
the film? Think technology - think the iCloud - think Skynet using that as a
weapon... that's all I'll say. It's an interesting way to factor in how
connected we are, and how that could be used against us.
Personally, I’m still trying to
decide what my final decision is on Genisys. It did tie up loose ends, but then
opens another door to more stories. It re-discovered characters with new
actors, some of which performed well, while others were miscast, but I won’t
say who – you will be able to work that out for yourself.
And as for good old Arnie? He’s
definitely back…again. He did a good job here, not neglecting his age, but
using it in a respectful way, and showing that even at his age he is still a
movie star. Where as T3 appeared to be the final curtain for him before going
into politics, he has returned to his most iconic character. I don’t know if he
ever planned to do that, but he has, and I’m sure Arnie plays a significant
part in how his characters are written and the final outcome of his movies.
Most A list actors do that, as they all have a grand plan of sorts, and carry
out that plan one film at a time. So on that note, does Terminator: Genisys
look like the end of the Terminator, and the end of Arnie’s career? Somehow I doubt
it. We will we have to wait 7-12 years for another Terminator film? I doubt it.
And what will the future of the series look like? Well, as that famous line
from the Terminator saga goes, “The future is not set. There is no fate but
what we make for ourselves” Put more simply, if Genisys makes millions, you can
expect more Terminator films. And whether Arnie will be involved or not, you
just know He Will Be Back! (again)
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