Terminator: Genisys (July 2015)

Official Australian release date: 1/7/15. Viewed: 29/6/15.

Director: Alan Taylor

Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Jason Clarke

Genre: Action / Sci-Fi

Rating: M

‘Terminator: Genisys’ (or Terminator 5) is another sequel/prequel/reboot coming out in 2015 (‘Jurassic World’, ‘Fantastic Four’, ‘Jungle Book’, ‘M:I5’, ‘Transporter Refueled’, ‘Vacation’, etc. ), but it’s a very well-made film with plenty to offer long-time fans and anyone looking for a good action film. The film starts in 2029 (i.e. after the events of ‘Terminator: Salvation’) and John Connor is now played by Jason Clarke, with Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese – technically his dad, since he’s the guy in the first film that gets Sarah Connor (now Emilia Clarke) knocked up. It may take a little while to get your head around it, but the filmmakers are assuming you know some of the backstory!

Basically, John & Kyle win the post-“Judgement Day” war against the Terminators/SkyNet – which makes for an exciting opening 20min! – but not before a T-800 (Arnie) is sent back to 1984 to kill Sarah. This takes us full circle and we end up right where the first film starts! Pretty cool, but something’s change in the timeline and old Arnie is (somehow) there to stop just-arrived Arnie. From there, it slowly starts to make sense and fit together – in a parallel-universes kind-of way – but it doesn’t really detract from the story too much. The plot is pretty simple and the same as all the films – stop SkyNet, which involves lots of being chased, shooting, explosions and one-liners!

JK Simmons is funny as a ‘believer’ and gets a few good scenes, but Arnie gets some great lines and moments, especially with his “smiles”! But the main stars are Clarke & Courtney, who work well together and are both better than the actors that played them in the previous films. There’s a little bit of seriousness at the end, but action/fun/set-pieces galore throughout – on the Golden Gate Bridge, in helicopters, in trucks… always moving and fighting!

Overall: Fun and fast – better than the last two films in the series.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.  

Jurassic World (June 2015)

Official Australian release date: 11/6/15. Viewed: 13/6/15.

Director: Colin Trevorrow

Actors: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson

Genre: Action / Sci-Fi

Rating: M

‘Jurassic World’ (or Jurassic Park 4) is set 22 years after the original film (and 14 years after the last film), on the same Costa Rican island, with it now a fully-functioning theme park. Why anyone would open or invest in it after the events is another story altogether and never really mentioned! Owen (Pratt) is the Sam Neil replacement and is charming and solid throughout and Claire (Dallas Howard) is the Laura Dern replacement and becomes less stuck-up and annoying as the film progresses. Jake Johnson (Nick off ‘New Girl’) is great as the computer tech in the control room and gets a few funny moments – a more than admirable job as the Jeff Goldblum replacement!

The film keeps a similar formula to ‘Jurassic Park’ – two kids, a concerned parent-figure (but not the actual parents – why are they never with their kids?), a dinosaur escaping and everyone running for their lives! There’s some nice throwbacks to the original too – the score motifs, the kids stumble into the foyer of the memorable final scene, the original/distinctive jeeps are seen, Dr Wu – the geneticist – is played by the same actor, Hammond is mentioned a few times and there’s a heard of Gallimimus at one point. I was glad to see more Stegosaurs and also to see Ankylosaurs for the first time in the series.

My main issue was the similarity to some aspects of ‘Jurassic Park III’ – there’s a dinosaur bigger than Tyrannosaurus Rex that kills everything; there’s Pteranodons that get loose and their consequences never properly dealt with; and the Velociraptors aren’t really treated as vicious killing machines until it’s needed in the story. However, it doesn’t really need to make much sense when there’s so many great moments of tension, then action, then surprise throughout – and some genuine wonder with the Deinosuchus in the Sea World part. A well done final scene(s) cap off an enjoyable experience.

Overall: An exciting return-to-form for the series – there will be more!

Gav's Rating: 4 stars. 

Entourage (June 2015)

Official Australian release date: 4/6/15. Viewed: 8/6/15.

Director: Doug Ellin

Actors: Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon, Jeremy Piven

Genre: Comedy

Rating: MA

If you haven’t seen any of the ‘Entourage’ TV series (which ran from 2004–2011), then you may occasionally be at a loss during the film. The film starts off with a brief ‘where-are-they-now’ (on a yacht in the Mediterranean, surrounded by dozens of women, obviously), but doesn’t offer much background otherwise, assuming if you’re watching it, you already know the four main characters – Vince (Grenier), Eric (Connolly), Turtle (Ferrara) & Drama (Dillon) – plus Ari (Piven), who is almost more essential to the show/film than any of the others.

As usual, there’s plenty of guest stars – Wahlberg, Alba, Favreau, Neeson, Grammer, Busey, Saget, Spade, Hammer, various NFL players – which sometimes add something to the film, but often seem unnecessary and seem to be there purely to make it feel like Hollywood. There’s a minor plot for each of the entourage – Vince directing his first film; Drama hoping for a breakout role in that film (& getting embroiled in some online retribution); Turtle trying to get date a girl who happens to be a professional wrestler; and Eric doing pregnancy things with his currently separated wife. Nothing revolutionary plot-wise and – besides Royal Blood at the start, Jane’s Addiction at the titles and Tame Impala in the middle – there’s some very average music throughout.

Ari is slightly calmer and – even though he still screams and says mean things – he comes off as more charming and less abrasive than before. Great to see Piven & Thornton acting together – arguably to only two ‘real’ actors/stars in the film! Also, credit to Haley Joel Osment, who plays entitled, ignorant hick superbly. The main issue most people will have with this film is its portrayal of Los Angeles – young/skinny women in bikinis (or not), always a party, always sunny, always a brunch. Possibly true, but it does often feel plastic/forced. However, the film isn’t bad – it just feels like three episodes rolled into one, with no real sense of tension or resolution at all. It’s just a comfortable ride with familiar faces.

Overall: A fun, simple comedy and extension of the series.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.