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Initial Thought: I decided to do a back to back sequel feature. Interesting note is Bryce Dallas Howard was in Terminator Salvation and some of the actors here have worked with writers from Jurassic World. I have to say that I didn't realize this until after watching these movies. Another thing that connects these two films is Stan Winston's animatronics versus being replaced by CGI. Anyways I've enjoyed the Terminator series. The second of course being my favorite whereas part three was the worst. I think the best thing about it was Kristanna Loken's butt to be honest haha. The only gripe I had with this one before watching was the name seemed a bit silly. Other than that I was definitely interested in seeing the continuation of the Terminator.
Characters/Acting: It's quite awesome to see Arnold Schwarzenegger returning as one of his most iconic roles. The only other cast member I was excited for was Emilia Clarke. These two were the major reasons to check this one out for me. After watching it though I can tell you some others really stood out as well. Emilia Clarke was fantastic as our heroine Sarah Connor. She pulled off the badass vibe as well as showing the softer side. I can't forget she had the sexiness too. Arnold Schwarzenegger made his role remind us of good ole Judgement Day. His performance really mirrors that one and despite being older proves he isn't "obsolete yet". Jai Courtney kind of gives me that Sam Worthington vibe. I like the both of them though. Anyways he was pretty good and enjoyable to watch as usual. J.K. Simmons is awesome as usual as the ridiculed detective. His reactions to everything are funny. Jason Clarke was great as John Connor. He looked badass like he should. When he became the main villain I was stunned. That was quite a different take on the character than I was expecting. Matt Smith didn't really do much here. He was pretty much just there. Possibly to pull in more viewers. However, I did like that he was a personified version of Skynet. It kind of reminded me of he Red Queen from Resident Evil. Byung-hun Lee really pulled off the Robert Patrick look in my opinion. He is always a badass in his movies. He continued to do so here. I was hoping to see more of a few of these characters.
Story: After finding himself in a new time-line, Kyle Reese teams up with John Connor's mother Sarah and an aging terminator to try and stop the one thing that the future fears, "Judgment Day". I like that several of the previous films and even the television show are somewhat referenced here. I liked the re-imagining of certain scenes since they couldn't legally add old footage here. The action is pretty badass and intense. I liked the new terminator design. Just when I think they've created all kinds of designs they one up themselves. The stuff with the detective was pretty fun and unexpected. I can honestly say I didn't really see that twist coming as I stayed away from any media for this after the first trailer anyways. It was pretty well done and different. The ending was pretty good. There is a scene after the credits that doesn't really matter too much. It just kind of instigates a sequel.
Directing/Writing: Alan Taylor hasn't done too many movies with only Thor: The Dark World that comes to mind. He has however done numerous spots for Lost and Game of Thrones. Laeta Kalogridis is the writer that brought some good work to the film industry including Night Watch, Alexander, and Shutter Island. Her co-writer Patrick Lussier is also known for directing. He has made Drive Angry, Dracula 2000, and My Blood Valentine. Only the latter was any good in my opinion. Here they work together for a really fun and exciting journey.
Final Thought: Two excellent sequels in one day! It surpasses most of the films and goes along with part two for me. I think this paid good homage to the series while making it it's own. It's a little confusing at first with all the timeline mixes, but it's actually quite fun after that. It has some really great action sequences. The one-liners are great. The whole concept is enjoyable. It's a new sequel that works and will still send the shivers down your spine. Ignore the negative critics reviews. If you like the series I recommend checking this one out.
