Arnold Schwarzenegger may be older but that does not stop him from destroying his younger self, as the former governor of California returns to one of his most recognisable roles in Terminator: Genisys.
The film opens a new chapter for the Terminator franchise, with a slew of new cast members joining Schwarzenegger, including Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke and Divergent star Jai Courtney.
The story follows resistance fighter Kyle Reese (Courtney) travelling back in time to 1984, the year of the first Terminator film, to save Sarah Connor (Clarke) from a cyborg humanoid assassin, the Terminator.
But he soon finds the events of the past have already been altered, taking him and Connor on a new mission to fight the killer artificial intelligence entity Skynet, with help from Schwarzenegger’s older, greyer Terminator, Connor’s protector.
“I said I’d be delighted to play the Terminator again, especially after 30 years of having starred in the first one, but we have to have a great story and a great script otherwise it won’t work,” Schwarzenegger, 67, said.
He’s brought new wisdom, new experience, a new sensitivity to the role that he is reprising of himself
In the opening of Genisys, Schwarzenegger’s ageing Terminator comes face-to-face with his Terminator from 31 years ago. Thanks to special effects trickery, the two engage in a fight as a tongue-in-cheek throwback.
“It’s very easy to underestimate what he’s doing with that character and what he’s done throughout this entire franchise, because we see he’s a machine, so there’s a rigidity to it, but it’s very carefully crafted,” said Courtney. Viacom Inc.-owned Paramount Pictures’ Genisys was made for $155 million and is projected by BoxOffice.com to open with $28 million in US and Canadian theatres this weekend.
For Clarke, playing out Sarah’s father-daughter relationship with the Terminator allowed Schwarzenegger to bring something new to his now iconic role.
“He’s brought new wisdom, new experience, a new sensitivity to the role that he is reprising of himself,” she said.
Courtney said he found a new way to approach Kyle Reese.
“We were really interested in finding the vulnerability with that character, and there’s great relationships to explore, not only with his fascination with regards to Sarah and his responsibility to her,” he said.
“You’ve got this very interesting, twisted family world.”