Terminator Genisys (2015) Movie Review

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The Good: One thing you can count on is that there is a lot action just like in all of the other Terminator films. There are some nice fight scenes where the Terminators display just how powerful they are, and it adds to making some really suspenseful moments. The director makes an honorable attempt at paying homage to the previous Terminator films by including some blasts from the past characters and references. Emilia Clarke (aka Daenerys Targaryen aka Khaleesi for you Game of Thrones fans) does a nice job of playing a tough, yet emotionally conflicted Sarah Connor. Of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger is just as charismatic as he was in Terminator 2, and fulfills his role that just so happens to conveniently cater to his acting strengths.

The Bad: The trailers absolutely ruined this movie for me. As you know, they give away one of the biggest plot twists. As you see it play out, you end up just sitting there waiting for it to happen with an anticlimactic feeling. While there are quite a few action scenes, they end up feeling dated. Terminator: 2 came out way back in 1991. Had Terminator Genisys come out in the late 90's or early 2000's then the actions scenes would have been more fitting. The action just seemed like rehashed scenes from Terminator 2, with a minor upgrade. It just felt like they missed a good opportunity to show us action scenes that we haven't seen before.  Oh, and Jai Courtney was just blah to me. Don't know what it is, but he just doesn't scream action star to me.

The Reason: This is a tough one because this film had the potential of going from "good to great" but instead ended up going from "good to just okay". If you never saw the trailer for this, then there's a decent chance you'll enjoy this film more than someone who did. This had the potential of also being a great sequel after Terminator 2, but now I'm just not so sure. You know I try to save you some money in the theaters, so by all means you can safely avoid the IMAX 3D and even the regular 3D. There were only 2-3 scenes where it's noticeable, it's just not worth it for the high ticket price. Matter of fact, see this movie for the matinee price. Don't feel pressured to go see this in theaters. It's an okay watch during the holiday weekend, but not necessarily a must see in theaters. Oh yeah, there's a very predictable end credit scene during the credits as well.

The Rating: 7.5/10

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