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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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