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Terminator Genisys backdrop

Terminator Genisys

out of 10
Mixedlukewarm or divided
Monk Score · 14 scored reviews · 7 not rated

Schwarzenegger still fits the role, but the timeline-jumbling script does not.

Verdict tier Mixed, lukewarm or divided, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.

  • Praised: Schwarzenegger's commanding screen presence
  • Criticised: Weak, convoluted script

Audience

User score 5.0 out of 10 from 1 rating, not enough ratings for a verdict yet

Not streaming in India

Critic consensus

What 20 critics are saying

Critical reception for Terminator Genisys skews negative to mixed, with most reviewers finding it a hollow and unnecessary entry in the franchise. Arnold Schwarzenegger's return is consistently singled out as the film's primary draw, with several critics arguing he remains the mechanical heart of the series despite his age. The most common criticisms target the convoluted, self-contradictory script and the film's failure to match the depth and impact of James Cameron's first two installments. A handful of critics found it passable as a surface-level action spectacle, but few felt it justified its own existence.

How the 14 scores spread

7 not-rated reviews aren't plotted

Positive / mixed / negative reviews

Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10

AI-generated summary of 20 critic reviews · may contain errors

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From the papers

Critic reviews (21)

Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated

  1. Top critic

    IBNLive

    Film review ·

    This fifth chapter in the saga is all sound and fury, with none of the character depth or emotional impact of Cameron's terrific first two films.
  2. Top critic

    Mid-Day

    Film review ·

    With 'Terminator Genisys' there's only one thing you need to know - prepare to have your childhood terminated.
  3. Times Of India

    Film review ·

    It goes without saying that the effects are top-notch. Terminator Genisys overhauls the franchise that made the phrase 'I'll be back' a part of pop culture. More than anything, you'll watch it for Arnold. For as once promised, he's indeed, back.
  4. NowRunning

    Film review ·

    Genisys starts off cleverly with a fresh take on a familiar plot, before drowning under the weight of its own smarts. Still, director Alan Taylor gives you enough entertainment to make this time-traveling adventure a decent way to pass time.
  5. Rollingstone India

    Film review ·

    Most of all Schwarzenegger: At 67, he can still kick girlie-man ass with the best of them (eat your heart out, Ant-Man). "I'm old, not obsolete," says the guardian Terminator, barely annoyed with the aging flesh attached to his metal ecosystem. He's back. And he's the Man.
  6. The Navhind Times

    Film review ·

    The science gets a little more complex with references like parallel timelines but everything else that could have been explored involving Sarah, John, T1000 and Skynet has been done before. On the surface you might get the gist of it but to get to the minutiae, you will have to scratch your head to figure out the exact sequence of events.
  7. Hindustan Times

    Film review ·

    Suffice is to say that Terminator Genisys will keep you entertained, as long as you don't ask too much of it. Oh yes, don't forget that bag of popcorn with a generous dollop of cheese.
  8. Zee News

    Film review ·

    Mounted on an epic scale with visuals in neon blue and golden hued frames with cool CCI images incorporated, the film is glossy and mind-boggling. Director Alan Taylor's pace of the narration is racy and he is technically savvy to deliver a well-synchronised action film, on par with the last four editions.
  9. Deccan Chronicle

    Film review ·

    Terminator Genisys is filled with all sorts of references and knowing winks and expects the audience to know Sarah Connor, Terminator and Kyle Reese. The constant references make it next to impossible to discuss it on its own terms. They also do the film serious discredit because it only reiterates what made Cameron's films so exciting, suspenseful and terrific.
  10. DNA India

    Film review ·

    Taylor is no James Cameron. Let's face it, he's competent, but is bogged down by a really silly script. Oh, that twist in the tale? It comes a little earlier than you would expect. An actor of the caliber of JK Simmons in this film is such a shame. And that, dear reader, is followed by another twist you really can't wrap your head around.
  11. KoiMoi

    Film review ·

    Terminator Genisys is probably the weakest films of the franchise and given a choice, I would prefer to watch the first two parts once again. The story strays off its course and brings in ample of monotony.
  12. Rediff

    Film review ·

    Even if reduced to a 'relic of a deleted timeline,' Schwarzenegger is easily the only attraction of this wishy-washy sequel, prequel, reboot, offshoot, whatever. But that's no reason to overstay one's welcome even if it's an iconic character. Rather especially if it's an iconic character. Like an old colleague of his said to him in another movie, 'You've been back enough.'
  13. BookMyShow

    Film review ·

    For series fans, Terminator Genisys will be relished by many. Catch it for Arnie, who's back, and for some epic action with great background score!
  14. Filmfare

    Film review ·

    Films like Genisys, like its immediate predecessors will be remembered as slick action vehicles. Films that blow shit up with style. But that was never the idea behind the Terminator's greatness.
  15. Firstpost

    Film review ·

    However many Terminators are unveiled, the mechanical heart and soul of the series will always be Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800. He's the android version of earlier, cast-aside operating systems: a Game Boy with a gun. "I'm old, not obsolete," he says in "Genisys." And that, surprisingly, is the case. Schwarzenegger's return to his most iconic role provides much of the appeal of this otherwise purposeless redo.
  16. Huffingtonpost.in

    Film review ·

    As anybody who is a fan of the first two films directed by James Cameron will tell you, there has never been any reason for any film on this subject to have existed beyond the year 1991, since Judgment Day -- an apocalyptic event that wipes out much of humanity -- was said to have been averted.
  17. LiveMint

    Film review ·

    What's worse than a dumb Hollywood summer movie? A dumb Hollywood summer movie that thinks it's smart. That's Terminator Genisys for you, the fifth instalment in a series that should have ended, despite promises made to be back, after the note-perfect second film.
  18. The Hindu

    Film review ·

    The film smartly plays with the fear of future where given a chance the mother doesn't want to mate again because she knows what her son has become. It is this magic realism that makes a fantasy play with your realistic fears.

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