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.

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.

He’s back, and he’s a burn-out this time around.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Inception-like quality to the narrative would probably leave you muddled, but old faithful Arnie fills in the comprehension gaps with some robotic regurgitation of scientific mumbo-jumbo.

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.

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.

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.

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.

…runs virtually on the same lines as the first Terminator…

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.

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.

With ‘Terminator Genisys’ there’s only one thing you need to know – prepare to have your childhood terminated.

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.’

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.

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.

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.

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!