Terminator Genisys (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World)
	Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Predator, Escape Plan), Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones TV-series), Jai Courtney (Die Hard 5), Byung-hun Lee (G.I. Joe 1-2, A Bittersweet Life), J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man 1-3)
	Country: USA
	Genre: SF, Action
	Conditions of visioning: 13.07.2015, CINEMA theater, 3D
Synopsis: While the Human Resistance is about to win a futuristic war against machines led by Skynet, Kyle Reese (Courtney) is sent back in time after a Terminator sent by the enemy, in order to protect Sarah Connor (E. Clarke), mother of the future head of the resistance John (J. Clarke). But this story does not happen as it should have.
Review: The best way to watch this movie is not too long after The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, as it contains especially in its half hour many reference that you will miss if you don't have the first movies well in mind: story, characters, puns and even camera movements reproduced shot for shot (examples: The Terminator vs. the punks, Reese putting on the Nike shoes...). I found this quite pleasant although not as well done as in the original (I have just raised the rating of its review to 8/10 from 7/10 which was unfair). The events of the two other sequels are gently ignored. The idea of resetting the franchise using time travel reminds of what J.J. Abrams did with Star Trek and I quite like the story in Genisys. There is only one big loophole but it might be filled in the announced sequel(s). The humour in the movie is at a level between Terminator 2 and 3, i.e. slightly too much sometimes. The action scenes are nicely spaced and satisfying even though not always justified. I found the 3D conversion totally useless and even disturbing the viewing experience at times. Not recommended. About the actors: Good Old Arnold plays seriously an ageing Terminator and even brings emotion to it (I noticed it in particular in one scene towards the end), Emilia Clarke is not too bad, Byung-hum Lee an excellent choice for the T-1000 although too rare, but I didn't like the choices of Jason Clarke as John Connor nor Jai Courtney as a well-fed, strong, muscular Kyle Reese spoiling for me the intention of portraying a weak-looking soldier (like Michael Biehn did to the perfection) feeding on rats. I am now tempted to watch again the three other movies in the franchise, maybe also the two seasons of the TV-series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (which I own in Blu-ray), and why not reading the three novels that complete this Universe: T2: Infiltrator (2001), T2: Rising Storm (2003) and T2: The Future War (2004).
Rating: 6 /10