I wanted to like Terminator Genisys. I did. I know it got slammed by the critics (26% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), but I am a fan of the franchise. I even watched Terminator Salvation (a movie that Christian Bale should never have wasted his time with) a few days prior in anticipation of this movie. I knew all about the movie’s problems. I knew that fans of the franchise would be, at the very least disappointed. I knew that many of the die-hards were upset with this movie. I had heard that it was confusing and difficult to follow. I knew that the trailer gave away the movie’s major twist. Yet I was willing to forget all of these things and held out hope that this movie could be more. I mean, this was The Terminator franchise. It couldn’t be worse than Predators, Live Free or Die Hard, or Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, could it? Those three movies were packed full of junk (especially Indiana Jones) and should have never have been made. I am happy to report that Terminator Genisys was better than the three movies I just mentioned combined, but it was disappointing. It was action-packed. It is very, very reminiscent of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (a film that, in 1991, was so far ahead of its time in terms of CGI that it was ridiculous). It told a story that would have been good had it completely disowned the previous movies in the franchise (especially the original and Terminator 2: Judgment Day). Instead, Terminator Genisys made it appear as if the first four movies in the franchise never happened. Really? That’s the story? What would have happened if what happened didn’t happen? This is a Terminator film. Most of us don’t want to turn on our minds too much for a summer action flick like this.
Continue reading Terminator Genisys (2015)
Category Archives: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Total Recall (1990)
Seeing this movie for the first time 20 years after its release and after hearing friend after friend say to me, “You still haven’t seen Total Recall? I can’t believe that. You’ve got to see it. It’s a classic”, I expected much, much more during my viewing. To think that Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released just a year later diminishes the value of Total Recall. Whether just or unjust, I couldn’t help but compare Total Recall to the theater experience of Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1991. While Terminator 2 had cutting-edge special effects, edge-of-your-seat action, and decent acting, Total Recall felt cheesy, worn, and clumsy. Additionally, the acting was atrocious.