Terminator: Genisys looks completely bonkers. Judging from the trailers, the film seems to take what fans thought they knew about the franchise and spin that on its head.
Maybe that's not a good thing. Reviews for the new film starring Emilia Clarke and Arnold Schwarzenegger are coming in, and so far, most critics are struggling to see the point of this latest installment.
First up is the plot. Of course these reviews aren't going to spoil the film, but we already know from the trailers that human-resistance hero John Connor isn't exactly, uh, human anymore. Justin Chang over at Variety found that turning John Connor into a villain didn't really help the film.
"'Terminator Genisys' aims to reset the entire franchise by eliminating John Connor's revolutionary heroism as the narrative constant around which everything else must revolve. In eliminating this premise, however, the filmmakers don't offer much in the way of compensation: The what-the-hell invention of the first half gives way to a growing sense of desperation in the second, as our heroes find themselves running from one skirmish to the next, while the baddies keep showing up and finding new ways to say 'You can't win!' before going up in flames."
But so what if the story doesn't make any sense! This is a Terminator movie, after all — surely there is some great, bloody action to be had. Not so much, according to Todd McCarthy of the Hollywood Reporter.
"The first three films in the series were R-rated and viscerally benefited from it; this one is rated PG-13 and its action scenes feel like diluted rehashes, obligatory and devoid of visual creativity in the same way the violence feel staged and photographed."
In fact, nearly every review of the film comments on how the movie suffers for its PG-13 rating. When it comes to performance, nobody really stands out — with multiple reviews stating that Clarke's portrayal of Sarah Connor is competent, but that the badass action heroine is a fairly one-note character.
It sounds like this franchise is limping along, struggling to find relevance in the modern age. It's uninspired, unexciting and simply uninteresting — in spite of the storyline's efforts to mix up the formula. In that regard, James Rocchi may say it best in the final paragraph of his Terminator: Genisys review for The Wrap:
"The least inspiring thing about 'Terminator Genisys' is how it's a fifth film that doesn't improve or expand on the prior four so much as it's meant to clearly set up Part Six, Part Seven and possibly even more. In 1984's 'The Terminator,' machines came back from the future to wipe out humanity; with 'Terminator Genisys,' a whole franchise comes back from the past to water down summer moviegoing."
Ouch. Maybe you are better off just going to see Jurassic World again.
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.
