*A spoiler, and sucker free, review!

As an unexpected Father’s Day treat, I was able to catch an advance screening of Terminator Genisys with both my father AND my brother. I was so incredibly stoked to experience this new part of the series with the man who introduced me to it (dad) and the man (brother) who had to endlessly babysit me as I pretended to be a mini version of Sarah Connor. What made the outing even more special? Terminator Genisys did not, I repeat, did not suck. IT ROCKED SO FUCKING HARD AND WAS THE SEQUEL WE FANS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SINCE T2!!!!!

Listen. We’re just gonna cheerfully skip over the mess that was Rise of the Machines and Salvation, mmkay? The makers of Genisys did likewise because they clearly know what’s up! The film connects directly with so many of the important threads running through the original Terminator and Judgement Day — almost to the point of confusion and repetition — before it all comes together, leaving you smacking the arm of the person next to you in excitement because ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! IT’S ALL HAPPENING, MAN!

ahem Yes. Me and my two best dudes spent the subsequent half hour marinating in everything Genisys FINALLY did right for a franchise that’d long suffered (as many others have) from “shitty sequel syndrome”. The film managed to avoid knotting itself to where an open ending wouldn’t make sense. Instead, we’re left satisfied yet curiously excited to see how new events will play out. Can’t say that about anything past T2, amirite?! Mind you, the open ending is during a post-credit scene we weren’t warned about so, make sure you stick around for that! It seems Marvel has taught the studios well.

Naturally, there were a few valid concerns that Emilia Clarke wasn’t going to be able to fill the role Linda Hamilton breathed life into. I mean, let’s be real. One does not simply…out Sarah Connor…Sarah Connor. Still, Emilia managed to do just fine and brought the youthfulness needed for [redacted]. She worked the role to suit her and I truly think folks would be hard-pressed to disagree. And, yes, Ahhhhhnold is back! Several times over! “Old but not obsolete!” Though there was plenty of “movie magic” involved to de-age him at points, it’s not obvious so as to distract from the film itself. But let us discuss the feels invoked, okay?! There were some undeniable daddy/daughter feels thanks to [redacted] however…Kyle. I’d never particularly had an attachment to Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) when he functioned mainly as a background character, a means to an end. THAT’S SINCE CHANGED. Added to enjoying his character on its own, there are my newfound Sarah/Kyle shipper feels and, wtf, I didn’t sign up for this.

I loved how the Sarah/Kyle parental-units-to-the-future-world-leader thing wasn’t ignored as it was simultaneously kept from being the center of the story. Side note: Anyone beefing about Kyle being there in the first place must not be aware that he was ALWAYS essential to the story albeit in that background position I mentioned. In order for the plan of this film to work as well as it did, he couldn’t be neglected. Nevertheless, despite us getting a more 3D representation of who Kyle is, both on and off the battlefield, it’s clear that Sarah is running things. Genisys is very much about Sarah’s journey on this new, unforeseen path, both alike and different from the character we already know. And we can all breathe a sigh of relief. BUT WHAT WILL THE MRAS THINK NOW?

Terminator Genisys hits stateside theatres July 1st, just in time for the long weekend. Boom.