“…absolutely action-packed and pumped full of Schwarzenegger’s mechanical charm…”

In 1984, director James Cameron dropped a science fiction action bomb by the name of The Terminator on the world. At the time, it wasn’t expected to do well, yet over 30 years later, we still find ourselves saying, “I’ll be back,” in that Austrian accent that has become as American as apple pie. With decades passing between the first film and now the fourth sequel in the series, a great deal has changed. Good old Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor of California from 2003-2011, and women have made massive strides in the cinematic industry since Sarah Connor was first targeted for termination. Staying true to his promise, Schwarzenegger is back in the fourth sequel in the classic series. While it is absolutely action-packed and pumped full of Schwarzenegger’s mechanical charm, Terminator Genisys (directed by Alan Taylor, 2015) spits on any and all of the generally-accepted rules of time travel, and, when prompted to explain, it merely shrugs it off because it thinks it can. Despite the confusing and numerous jaunts through time, this film does manage to maintain the playful fun the Terminator series has always carried throughout its reign. However, it is only the impressive technology that seems to be new, and everything else is hardly unique or unexpected.

This time around, the film begins at the assumed end. Under the leadership of the legendary John Connor (played by Jason Clarke) and with Kyle Reese (played by Jai Courtney) kept closely under his wing, the dreaded Skynet has finally been defeated by the human resistance…or has it? In one last desperate attempt, Skynet sends back a terminator to kill Sarah Connor (played by Emilia Clarke) under the rationale that preventing John’s birth will wipe away the decades of human resistance and keep the machines on top. Kyle Reese volunteers to go back to protect Sarah, but the past he finds upon his arrival in 1984 is nothing what he had anticipated. With Sarah’s guardian known affectionately by her as Pops (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger), the three find themselves in a jumbled and knotted ball of timeline yarn and the fate of the entire human race resting on their shoulders.

Widely known as “the dragon lady” from the massively popular HBO television series Game of Thrones, I couldn’t think of a more perfect actress to play a young and, this time around, strong Sarah Connor than Emilia Clarke. Acting alongside Jai Courtney and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the three strong performances envelope moviegoers once more into a world of terminator assassins and software-fueled warfare. Of course, the future of the human race is always on the line in the terminator series, so that idea is nothing new. However, in this fourth sequel, the once only hope of the human race, John Connor, has become the only hope for Skynet’s survival. The advanced terminator technology is both impressive and enjoyable to watch, and there is plenty of gunfire and explosions to keep action-lovers entertained.

What I was most excited to discover was the appearance of actor Matt Smith in Terminator Genisys. Fellow fans of the beloved, BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who will instantly recognize him as the 11th Doctor, which so happens to be my favorite Doctor. However, his role in the film is also the most ironic considering the overall lack of concern this film has for explaining the time travel paradoxes. The Doctor would certainly point his sonic screwdriver with fervent disapproval at the haphazard trips through time.

Despite my issues, Terminator Genisys isn’t a terrible film. It’s an amusing revival of a series fans absolutely wanted to see more of. Schwarzenegger is still impressively buff, especially for his age, and seeing him alongside a younger generation makes for plenty of humorous moments. While the sequels in the Terminator’s case will never touch that original kickoff movie, this film certainly didn’t sully its good name beyond repair. This one gets a 6/10 for the pew-pew action and for sparking my desire to rewatch some Doctor Who.