He Always Said He'd Be Back..."Terminator: Genisys"

Terminator: Genisys (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, J.K. Simmons,

Directed by Alan Taylor

The Story:

John Connor (Clarke) sends Kyle Reese (Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Clarke) from the Terminators. However, when Reese arrives, this 1984 is unlike anything he was prepared for. It appears that there have been a few more time travel uses that we weren't aware of, and now the past has changed and that creates the potential for failure in the future and complete domination by the machines. Thankfully, there is a Guardian (Schwarzenegger) on their side to help even things up.

There sure was a lot of hate and anger directed at the latest installment of the franchise.

I don't buy it. No, it's not the original, nor is it T2.

But it's the best sequel they've had since then.

Sure it's a reboot, reimaging, but that's what happens when everyone in the cast has aged.

Except Ah-nuhld. We've all accepted by now that he likely is a robot and won't age.

I can also live with that.

I didn't find Clarke to be "horribly miscast" as Sarah Connor. I thought she held her own just fine. I think this was my first exposure to her work as I don't watch Game of Thrones, and nothing else on her filmography rang a bell.

If there is any real weakness in the film it is Jai Courtney.  There's something about Courtney and I haven't put my finger on it yet, but he comes across as bland and rather boring in these films.

And he should be poised as the next big action star.

He's like Jeremy Renner-lite, all of the qualities, none of the charisma.

He bogged down A Good Day To Die Hard and was rather bland in the Divergent series as well.

The film might get a little greedy with the time travel aspects this go round, but I'm okay with that.

The film never managed to lose my interest, and they kept just enough twists and turns coming to make the ride a fun one.

Hey, after all is said and done, it was an entertaining film and I'll remember it much more than Terminator: Salvation

Final Grade: B-