Terminator: Genisys is your typical mindless action flick
Terminator: Genisys is your typical mindless action flick
THE CASUAL VIEWER'S TAKE
Terminator: Genisys is your typical mindless action flick. I don't mean that in a bad way, it just is what it is -- big, dumb fun. It's by no way as bad as Michael Bay's, but it certainly wasn't as thought-provoking or thrilling as the originals.That said, the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Terminator franchise was worth the wait. He really was the best thing about this film -- wry, funny, classic Arnie in the best possible way. I loved the relationship between he and Emilia Clarke's Sarah Connor, but the film lacked the frenetic pace required to keep you on the edge of your seat. However, it was still a reasonably enjoyable way to switch off your brain and soak up the old-school glory of the shape-shifting T-1000.
- Rosie Dawson-Hewes
THE HARDCORE FANBOY'S TAKE
The key to a great Terminator movie is the pure chase element. The first two (even three) Terminator movies nailed it. The villains were ruthless, persistent and stop at nothing to kill their target quickly.
Not the Scooby-Doo-type henchman who would gleefully toy with their prey by relaying lengthy plans of world domination, then let slip some details of a Death Star-sized thermal exhaust port hole. And that's why this movie has let me down. The bad guy here is too friendly. Even when he's trying to kill his mother. There was a reason Arnie had just 58 words in The Terminator, and Robert Patrick had 97 in T2. Although there were some good throwbacks to the earlier films, this poor sequel should have been Terminated.