Out Of Time

Terminator: Genisys – movie review
Today’s review is for a movie I watched at home (borrowed) because I didn’t want to pay money to accidentally convey the idea I support Arnold Schwarzenegger by seeing it at the local movieplex.  Arnold was never a very good actor, but that is not why “we” supported him.  Arnold was a larger than life figure from the body building world and I suppose I (we) wanted him to be great in acting, too.  While he has been in a number of movies which I have enjoyed, T1 and T2, Twins, True Lies and Last Action Hero, to name a few, most have been absolute drudge.  Now, don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean I didn’t pay good money to see them at the box office.  It just means sometimes I’ll support something or someone for other than obvious reasons.  And don’t get me started on Arnold’s politics…
T5 (Genisys) answers the eternal question:  Can a bad movie still be entertaining?  And the answer is a qualified yes.   First, the rundown:  Emilia Clarke plays Sarah Connor.  I’m not immediately familiar with her other work, but she is a serviceable / heroic Sarah.  She is not as attractive as Linda Hamilton in T1 or as bad ass as Linda in T2, but she’s okay in a girl next door  – kicks ass kind of way.  Jason Clarke plays John Connor – aka, “the savior of humanity” – with a twist.  He’s okay, too.  Better as a villain than I thought he’d be.  Jai Courtney plays Kyle Reese – John’s dad.  I  have liked Jai in a lot of what I’ve seen, but I didn’t care for him in this role.  He just looked too buffed and heavy to be from a starving humanity in the future.  Maybe it’s just me, but I preferred the leaner and hungrier look of Michael Biehn in T1.  And, of course, there’s Arnold playing multiple versions of Terminators – none of them convincingly.
So, if I wasn’t thrilled by the actors, why did I enjoy the movie?  Basically, because I like action movies, and I’m old, so I enjoy sequels and reboots which take time to nod back to the original movie(s).  And this movie does (have frequent nods).  In spades.  What more can you ask for but chases, fights and things that go boom?
Well, if I can’t have a plot that makes sense (nope), how about individual scenes (still nope).  Okay, how about sequences that are realistic (nope and sensing a trend).  Okay, if I can’t have any of that, then you better give me good pacing (pretty good) and great special effects (yes, but nothing new).
So, the bottom line is it IS an okay / entertaining movie as long as you don’t think about it during or immediately after viewing.  Give yourself a few days and then try to evaluate it for effect and without the details.  (Kinda like what I’m doing now…)   Bottom line:  moderate recommendation.  If you’re a “T” fan, you’ll be happy to see it.  If you’re an Arnold fan, I don’t know…  Maybe you’ll be happy he’s trying to act again or maybe you’ll just be struck by how OLD he looks.  I won’t mind if there’s a sequel (if Arnold’s not in it), but I won’t pay money to see it.
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On This Day In:
2022	Defeated: So Far (Anyway)
2021	Elections Have Consequences
	It’s Cold Way Down There
2020	Fearless Security
2019	I Prefer A Neat Single Malt
2018	Seeking Finer Fruits
2017	Something That Is Absolute
2016	Animate And Encourage
	Out Of Time
2015	In Time
2014	Robust Interconnectivity
2013	What Have We Here?
2012	Tributaries And Eddies
	An Honest Politician
2011	Penultimate

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Animate And Encourage

Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a Freeman, contending for liberty on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.
―    George Washington
[Or to any terrorist – foreign or domestic…   —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2022	Defeated: So Far (Anyway)
2021	Elections Have Consequences
	It’s Cold Way Down There
2020	Fearless Security
2019	I Prefer A Neat Single Malt
2018	Seeking Finer Fruits
2017	Something That Is Absolute
2016	Animate And Encourage
	Out Of Time
2015	In Time
2014	Robust Interconnectivity
2013	What Have We Here?
2012	Tributaries And Eddies
	An Honest Politician
2011	Penultimate

Read Full Post »