"Terminator Genisys" falls flat with critics
He's back.
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to "Terminator Genisys" for another installment in the 31-year-old franchise. In spinning off from the original canon, "Genisys" has struggled with critics.
In "Genisys," the human resistance led by John Connor (Jason Clarke) is on the brink of reclaiming Earth from the Skynet robots in 2029. He soon discovers a Terminator has been sent back in time to kill his mother Sarah (Emilia Clarke) so he sends soldier Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back in time to protect her. Sound familiar? Upon Reese's arrival, he discovers Sarah has been waiting for him with an aging Schwarzenegger-Terminator as her protector - cue alternative timeline.
"I think if you're going to pick up the story again, you have to go into the deeper, you have to go into the more complex," Clarke said in an interview.
Even with a budget of $155 million and Alan Taylor ("Thor: The Dark World") on board as director, most critics have problems with "Genisys" as compared to James Cameron's original, which was shot for a thrifty $6 million.
Here's what critics have to say about "Terminator Genisys":
"Now Terminator Genisys takes an already-convoluted premise and convolutes it even further, to the point where even Marty McFly and Doc would cry, 'Stop! No more twists!'" - David Edelstein, Vulture
"What is it with cash-grab sequels thinking that the way to justify their own existence is through excessive plotting? This movie has like six villains, none of them compelling." - Vince Mancini, FilmDrunk
"Convoluted timelines and one-dimensional characters are one thing, but the most unforgivable sin Genisys is guilty of is being dull." - Brian Truitt, USA Today
"The largely still impassive, still mighty Mr. Schwarzenegger remains the franchise's greatest attraction and most-special effect, even if he sometimes brings to mind one of those gruffly lovable geezers that older stars can't resist playing so they can keep basking in our adoration." - Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
"'I'll be back,' the man said, and he kept the promise, but I'm not sure we wanted him back like this." - Ty Burr, The Boston Globe
"Part sequel, part reboot and part remake, "Genisys" is both seriously fun and seriously flawed." - Michael O'Sullivan, The Washington Post
"Salvation was boring, but Genisys makes you sad. Risk-averse Hollywood has made a crash-test dummy of a once great franchise, simply throwing everything at it to see what it stands." - Henry Barnes, The Guardian
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