Terminator Genisys (2015)

Fresh cast, ideas and full-on action give the reboot momentum despite an overloaded script. It improves on recent entries but does not match the Cameron originals.

Schwarzenegger shines in the lead role, especially in the fight with his younger self, but the film suffers from convoluted timelines, weak supporting performances, and a kidult tone that lacks the impact of the originals.

A reasonably entertaining sci-fi action-thriller whose ingenuity serves mainly to justify its existence, with Schwarzenegger as its greatest attraction amid ambivalence about the reboot.

The movie isn’t truly terrible but a sleek, disposable simulacrum that offers no grip or inspiration beyond its technophobia premise. Schwarzenegger alone provides personality and vital presence as the aging cyborg protector nicknamed Pops.

The film starts as an affectionate remake with nods to the originals but descends into diminishing quality with an overloaded script of chases and monologues. It fails to deliver a worthy successor to the James Cameron films.

Confusing time travel, lacklustre spectacle and bland casting make this an unexceptional reboot; Schwarzenegger's 'Pops' remains engagingly unstoppable.

The review calls the film clumsy and condescending as an action movie but praises its focus on Sarah Connor's conflicted arc and resentment toward her fated role. It notes that the endless callbacks and effects-heavy set pieces grow wearisome.

The critic finds the film a narratively clotted reboot that foolishly invokes the original while lurching from one turn to another, with flat direction. Schwarzenegger remains the franchise’s greatest attraction as an ageless cyborg, though the performance is edged in nostalgia.

The film is no fresh start but a mess, a convoluted reimagining that fails to think things through despite a sharp idea about consumers buying their own destruction. Action sequences lack memorability, CGI feels like tech ads rather than nightmares, and the story grows increasingly incoherent.

The critic finds the film a tired retread of the franchise with a confusing, overwritten plot and rote, uninspired action scenes. He singles out the lack of visual creativity and the diluted PG-13 violence as major flaws.

The critic views the film as a self-parodic, plastic pastiche that lacks interest or fatalism, with Schwarzenegger's role uncomfortably recalling his Batman & Robin performance.

The critic finds the film an unnecessary, witless reboot that murders memories of the originals through time-travel plot twists and dull performances from the cast. It is dismissed as a cynical, money-grubbing franchise machine lacking any ingenuity or humour.

The critic finds it the best Terminator film since T2, praising its clever reboot approach, humor, heart, and Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance while noting it falls short of T2's heights and has issues with Jai Courtney's lead performance.

The critic finds the film a confusing, asinine reboot reliant on contrivances and lazy storytelling that fails to build a coherent mystery. It held his interest during viewing due to its desperate attempt at franchise reset and action, but ultimately comes across as cynical and idiotic.

The critic notes that Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the T-800 but finds the convoluted time-travel plot erases prior investment in the series and feels confusing and repetitive. Action scenes are handled competently under director Alan Taylor, though the film overall comes across as a setup for further sequels.

The film fails to improve on earlier non-Cameron sequels, with a convoluted plot, heavy exposition and lack of soul or creative action sequences despite the return of Schwarzenegger. It may offer respectable entertainment if expectations are lowered.

The critic calls the film a redundant and flimsy fifth installment whose added timelines and robots amount to change for its own sake, resulting in perfunctory action and philosophy that fail to feel epic. Production design is singled out for making each time period distinctive while maintaining a consistent look.