I am old, not obsolete

TERMINATOR GENISYS (2015)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

There are so many alternate timelines in the "Terminator" series that I kind of lost count. The first movie created an alternate timeline, as did its first sequel and the second sequel, which had a darker outcome. So I am guessing at least 4 or 5 timelines exist although the filmmakers associated with this new "Genisys" are ignoring the second and third sequels, "Terminator 3" and "Salvation." No matter because I am not sure about the continuity of these timelines and I could care less - "Terminator Genisys" is an enjoyable sequel that interlocks itself with the first two installments and still manages to be creative and somewhat fresh enough to keep us glued to the screen. Sure, much of it may seem recycled but the various time travel paradoxes and the sincere performances help a lot.

In a rather prolonged opening half-hour, we learn that John Connor, the leader of the resistance against the machines (those cyborgs, those damn terminators), is ready to send his most trusted soldier, Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney, ably cast) to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor from the Terminator. So what we are getting seemingly is a retread of the original James Cameron 1984 classic, "The Terminator." We see the original T-800 Terminator model (played by Schwarzenegger, with a touch of CGI so he can look younger) confronting those 80's punks (minus Bill Paxton) until suddenly...POW! "I've been waiting for you," says another T-800 model in a hoodie. And just when events unfold as one expects with Kyle running from the police and taking a homeless man's pants, Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) arrives to save Kyle from a new T-1000 model (the T-800 model was crushed by another T-800 also played by Schwarzenegger in the earlier scene with the punks)! So now there are three Terminators in 1984 and one of them is the good cyborg whom Sarah calls "Pops." Awwwwww...wait, what? Well you see this Terminator has been protecting Sarah since she was a tot in 1973! Talk about convoluted, but I went with it. There is also some business about a Genisys mainframe operating system that is about to go online in 2017 - it is actually Skynet, the artificial intelligence that started Judgment Day. Terminator fans should be well aware of all Skynet - others, you may have to catch up on the other films.

"Terminator Genisys" follows the hallmarks of the earlier films - explosive action scenes, extra banter between Kyle and Sarah, T-800 giving us exposition - and the surprise is that it still maintained my interest. Directed by Alan Taylor ("Thor: The Dark World"), the movie has plenty of high-octane thrills and a nonstop, heart-pumping rhythm to it. But it also pauses for some reflection between Sarah and Kyle, the heart of this story, and that gives it an edge over the histrionic "Terminator 3" or the needless "Salvation" sequel. Emilia Clarke gives us a three-dimensional Sarah Connor, nicely balancing humor with pathos (though she can't quite beat Linda Hamilton for ultra-militant toughness). This Sarah not only takes charge, she also gives commands like some millennial Army general (women in the sci-fi, fantasy world of 2015 cinema have definitely proven to be more powerful than ever before, showing their self-worth with men as the second banana).

There is a major twist involving John Connor (played by a hypnotic Jason Clarke) that the trailers gave away, which I will not reveal here (it is a doozy). It also gives much needed oomph to a series that probably should run out of gas a decade ago. "Terminator Genisys" has a silver-haired Arnold (still as steely-eyed as ever, though the infrequent forced smile may induce some cringing) and a formidable team with Kyle and Sarah (admit it, despite being played by different actors, it is great seeing them again), and several action scenes that can make your skin crawl. At its best, this new "Terminator" waxes some philosophy about meddling with the past and the future and how far one's passion and love for another human being, knowing the consequences, should go. I want to say that this movie seems to close all the loopholes and alternate timelines of all existing "Terminator" films but that is wishful thinking. Where there is one alternate timeline, there is always another.