Hollywood has a sickness. It's been diagnosed with No-Originality-itis, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. There was a time where the news of a new installment in a beloved franchise attracted buzz like no other. The argument can be made that it's still that way today. The Marvel Universe is a franchise that seems to thrive on their continued success. We have the highly anticipated Star Wars sequel coming out at the end of the year, which will probably be the highest grossing film of the year, you just watch.
Yet, there are franchises that just need to stop while they're ahead. The Terminator franchise is at the forefront of that list. Terminator Genisys has been out now just over a week and it's generated quite the cash flow, which I feel can be contributed only to the fact that
Arnold Schwarzenegger is in it and that it has the word "Terminator" in the title. However, being the fifth film it does what it's predecessors couldn't: it delivered a story that is both fun, engaging, and yet also destroys what was good about the franchise to begin with.
Genisys
follows what seems to be the story outlined in the first Terminator. John Connor sends Kyle Reese back in time to protect Sarah Connor, but when he arrives in 1984, nothing is as he expected it to be. This film is the X-Men: Days of Future Past of the Terminator franchise in that the events that take place essentially erase what has already happened. Yes, SPOILER ALERT: THIS FILM ESSENTIALLY ERASES ITS PREDECESSORS! MEANING THE BEST TERMINATOR OF ALL TIME, T2, NEVER HAPPENED! Come to find out, a terminator was sent back to protect Sarah Conner when she was 9 and it basically raises her. WTF, right? As blasphemous as this sounds, the movie isn't all bad.
First and foremost, it's a fun summer popcorn flick. It's got some fantastic action sequences, and probably the best performance from Arnold as the metal destroyer since Terminator 2. In fact, I'll go as far as to say that wrinkly old Arnie is the best part of the entire film. He brings a charm to the Terminator, which might be a good thing or bad, depending on your taste. There's a more human aspect to the Terminator as we see it interact with Sarah Conner, played by Khaleesi from Game of Thrones (real name
Emilia Clarke, but all through the movie I kept seeing the Mother of Dragons), seeing as the closest thing she has to a father figure is this bulky assassin from the future. The casting in the film was sub par.
Jai Courtney just doesn't fit the bill for me as Kyle Reese. There's no swagger in his performance.
Jason Clarke made a better John Conner then
Christian Bale did, but ultimately and ironically it was the bringing back of Arnold that makes the most sense and works.
The film pays homage to the first two movies, reliving certain scenes from both. They bring back the T1000 from T2, which is unfortunately short lived. And there's a bit of a twist with Skynet's tactics half-way through, introducing a new terminator. When you boil it down though, it is a fun movie. Genisys is significantly better than
Terminator 3 and
Terminator Salvation, so it has that going for it. The action, the visuals, and the unnecessary time-jumping-story-destroying aspects make Genisys, oddly enough, worth checking out. For a franchise that should have ended after it peaked with perfection from its second film, Terminator Genisys at least is able to show how a Terminator film can be fun and entertaining...even though it mutilates the past awesomeness.
The Minions have arrived! After making their debut in
Despicable Me, the minions have been a source of relentless fun and uncontrollable laughter for viewers of all ages. Their wacky speech and their pill-shaped bodies seem to have struck a chord with people that they've finally made it into their own movie. I'll be honest, I was worried as to how funny this movie would be. Part of their charm is that in the two movies they've been in, they've played minor roles, which amplifies their hilarity. To be able to carry a whole movie lends to question whether or not their funniness would last or fall tiresome. I'm here to say, this movie delivers.
The film follows their evolution as they seek to find the perfect villain/master to serve. After many years of failing, the tired tribe of walking tic-tacs send out three brave souls, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob, to search the world for the best villain. The three of them venture to New York in the 60s and find themselves attending VillainCon, where
Sandra Bullock's Scarlet Overkill, the world's greatest villain, is the keynote speaker. Through some silly exposition, the three amigos find employment with Scarlet and the mayhem continues. Sandra Bullock is fantastic as Scarlet Overkill. She gives the villain a saccharine charm that almost makes you root for her. She's like a James Bond villain, but only for children. The secondary characters in the film are just as silly and fun to watch.
Being an animated film, the major demographic is children. It does seem heavy handed with child-geared jokes, though there are plenty of things in it that will appeal to the larger audience. It's a bit slow in the beginning, but once it picks up steam it doesn't let go. The huge play on British stereotypes really hits the mark and are quite funny.The animation is really well done; beautiful and crisp. If you've enjoyed the Despicable Me movies, this one will be just as fun. It's a great summer movie that the entire family can enjoy, and I HIGHLY recommend seeing it.
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