TERMINATOR: GENISYS

US, 2015, 126 minutes, Colour.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emelia Clark, Jai Courtney, J.K.Simmons, Courtney B. Vance, Byung-hun Lee, Sandrine Holt.
Directed by Alan Taylor.

Somebody replied that they would never see a film which could not spell Genesis correctly in its title. Well, it is not that Genesis – rather, it is her world conspiracy for machines taking over power, a new beginning, so why use the traditional name? This is a new Genisys.

But, that is getting ahead of things.

The original to Terminator films became classics soon after the release, James Cameron (pre-Titanic and pre-Avatar) directed them to quite some critical acclaim as well as huge box office. There was another Terminator, Terminator: Salvation, film with Christian Bale but, it soon became lost to memory. So, why another? Why not?
Arnold Schwarzenegger has finished his time as Governor of California and has returned to his screen career. Since The Terminator films were some of his biggest successes, time to capitalise on him. But, isn’t he too old? That is a question that recurs in the screenplay – with the wonderful response, consoling to those who are not as young as we used to be, “old but not obsolete”.

In fact, Schwarzenegger is not obsolete – and has an opportunity to appear in several incarnations of the Terminator. There is some footage from the first film with his coming back from the future to menace the young woman, Sarah Connor, who is to be the mother of the future saviour, John Connor. That was The Terminator. The character in Terminator 2: Judgement Day was much more benign, sent as a protector. It is he who is still around, vanquishes the killer machine and continues with his duties. Since these are all time-travel films, this terminator has survived from 1984 to 2017, becoming a little more wrinkled, and much greyer… But not obsolete!

To get us in the mood, with the touch of the post-apocalyptic, there is a pre-credit sequence where San Francisco is spectacularly destroyed. Then to the future, a grim place, where the machines have practically taken over and the rebellion against them is led by John Connor (Jason Clarke). There are to be two raids on the machine centres, in Colorado and at the core factory in San Francisco. But, John wants to send a loyal lieutenant back into the past to care for his mother because time can be altered and San Francisco could escape destruction. The earnest young time traveller is Kyle, Jai Courtney.

While the Terminator films are meant to be rather escapist, you have to try to keep your wits about you as you time travel with the characters, try to work out what has changed and what has not, The time travel takes Kyle back to 1984 (with some flashbacks to Sarah Connor and her childhood to remind us of her story in case we had forgotten) and the period before the destruction of San Francisco. Can Kyle and Sarah travelled forward to 2017 and prevent the destruction?

The answer is obviously use, but much more easily said than done. Off they go, pursued by the police, pursued by disguised machines, melting and recovering as they did in the previous films, hoping to find the old terminator, affectionately called Pops, who does eventually turn up but has been delayed by the traffic! There is a further complication as they find John Connor in 2017, not exactly the John that Kyle had had known before he was sent back to the past.

At this point, it is best to surrender the mind and just respond to the visuals and the emotions, the split-second timing, helicopter flights, Pops doing all he can to help – and reassuring Sarah, “I’ll be back”, getting into the centre, the attempts with weapons and explosives to destroy Skynet (the name given to the machines’ plan for domination) and a whole lot of mano a mano fights.

So, it is more or less as expected, despite the time and plot complications, an entertainment for the fans – and the final credits evaders will miss the throbbing clue to indicate, of course, that Skynet still lives.

1. The popularity of the terminator films? As entertainment? Its exploring themes of humans and machines? Time travel? Altering and changing time? The family? Protection?

2. The popularity of the films in the 1980s? The 21st century version? Incorporating the past, the near-present, the future?

3. A film of special effects, the machines, the melting, changing of the machines, wounds and recovery? The battles, the fights? Explosions? Stunts and action? The musical score? The title, the play on Genesis and creation? Skynet? The network, the robots, the dominance of machines, the conspiracy to destroy the humans? Robots, machines ruling?

4. The prologue, the comment about the times, the past, the visuals of the destruction of San Francisco and the spectacle of the effects? Audiences
anticipating the action to follow?

5. Kyle is a boy, his gift, Genisys, the countdown, his family, the party – and the potential for destruction? The boy later appearing with his family, Sarah, Kyle and Pops and their concern and protection? At the end?

6. The screenplay going into the future, John as the adult John, his face and disfigurement, leading the action against Skynet, his rousing speech, his followers? The plan for destruction in Colorado? At the Centre in San Francisco? Kyle and his loyalty? John wanting someone to go into the past, to find Sarah? Kyle and his volunteering, going into the machine, seeing John assaulted by the chief terminator and transformed?

7. Kyle, arriving in the past, naked in the street, the beggar, the getting the clothes, the police pursuit? The young policeman and his being protected by Kyle?

8. The visuals of the terminator 1984, Schwarzenegger in his young version? His being sympathetic terminator, to protect Sarah, the visuals, the fight with the destructive terminator? Destroying him?

9. The plan, the possibilities for altering the future? The past, Sarah as a little girl, her parents, the terminator protector, and knowing the details of what was to follow? Never being free? Love for her son, knowing him as the saviour of the future? Kyle as the father? In the 1980s, the pursuit by the police, the Asian terminator and his relentless chasing, imaging the deadly terminators past films?

10. Pops, old but not obsolete, his continued help? Sending off Kyle and Sarah in the time travel? Their leaving? Arnold Schwarzenegger and his sense of humour?

11. Arriving in 2017, the crash, naked, the police, the car pursuits? Pops and his finally arriving, grey-haired, delayed by the traffic? John, his appearance, plausible? Pops realising that he was a terminator, transformed? The shooting? The dangers, the pursuit, the time limits to destroy Skynet?

12. The young policeman, now older, helping, the interrogations? The terminators disguised as police?

13. Skynet, the officials, the plans, the advertisements, relying on John for his help? The countdown?

14. Kyle and Sarah, trying to get to the plant, the helicopter, Pops saying I’ll be back! John, the pursuit in the helicopter, the clashes?

15. The drama in the plant, the pursuit, the explosives, the weapons? Doors shutting?

16. The final fights, John versus Pops? John’s ultimate destruction? Pops and his surviving?

17. Skynet destroyed, the billboard screens and the advertisements going off?

18. Sarah finally free, the relationship with Kyle, with the young Kyle?

19. The scene in the final credits, Skynet still alive?