Terminator Genisys

Director: Alan Taylor
Writer: Laeta Kalogridis, Patrick Lussier
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke
Strengths: Fresh reboot, Fantastic CGI 
Weakness: Acting from some actors
Runtime: 126 minutes
Rating: 3/5

Plot: John Connor sends Kyle Reese back in time to protect Sarah Connor, but when he arrives in 1984, nothing is as he expected it to be.

Review: He's back and with a new set of allies, fighting for a new mission. The story begins with Kyle Reese and John Conner on the final assault against the evil AI Skynet. Before the final victory however, John sees a Terminator being sent through time and immediately realises it's for his mother's assassination. As a last ditch effort, he sends Reese, but upon arriving, realises that this is not the 1984 he had been prepared for and meets a much more hardened and trained Sarah Conner and her own Terminator she calls "Pops". Together, they decide to take on a new mission; reset the future and make sure Judgement Day never happens. 

Up until now, almost all the movies with the name "Terminator" followed roughly the same plot leading to the same struggle and outcomes as the original 31 years ago. What the makers tried to do this time was to somehow revamp and restart the story in such a way as to capture the hearts of the audience again by making the modern lifestyle of relying on smart devices part of the narrative, and for the most part, it works rather well. If I had to nit-pick, I would have to say that I wasn't particularly a fan of the acting of some of the characters, particularly Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney). On the other hand, Emilia Clarke delivers a fantastic performance as the new and improved Sarah Conner, and of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers his timeless performance as titular character.

While the movie has been widely panned by critics, I honestly think the movie is rather good. If you cling to the memory and storylines of the original and its many sequels, this may not be your cup of tea but if you could set aside those feelings, and see it for what it is, I guarantee there is very little to be disappointed with from this movie.

Reviewed by Intisab Shahriyar