Terminator: Genisys - C-

Rated PG-13, 119 minutes

You can count on one thing: when Arnold says he'll be back, he'll be back. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as The Terminator in the action-packed but bloodless reboot "Terminator: Genisys," which is a completely different story than previous outings. The wobbly, confusing story drags the movie down a little and may confound  "Terminator" purists, but those looking for loads of action and impressive visuals are likely to find it. After finding himself in a new time-line, Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) teams up with John Connor's (Jason Clarke) mother Sarah (Emilia Clarke) and an aging terminator (Schwarzenegger) to try and stop the one thing that the future fears, "Judgement Day." Directed by Alan Taylor ("Thor: The Dark World") and co-written by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier and based loosely (make that very loosely) on the James Cameron's original "Terminator" characters, "Terminator: Genisys" is an energetic, fast-paced yet muddled entry in the "Terminator" franchise, which rewrites the Connor story altogether, with some parts working better than others. Mostly, many won't care for this vastly new time-line, which makes John Connor the chief villain and negating much of the previous outings (essentially, the entire first film) and his savior role from the other movies. Second, the bland pairing of Courtney with Emilia Clarke (along with the equally bland Jason Clarke as John) lacks spark and genuine chemistry, given their relationship is the backbone for the whole film. The impressive visuals and action sequences carry the movie through the confusing and redundant story (OK, we get it, the robots are indestructible, just how many times and ways do you have to shoot them to prove that?) that lumbers along between fights and time travels until a slightly disappointing finale. As for Arnold, he's actually a fine addition to this outing and it's great having him back, though his much-talked about fight with his younger self is far too brief in the first act; also a solid addition is Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons, who provides a little levity to the proceedings as a rescued cop with ties to our time-traveling pair. The entertaining but vapid "Terminator: Genisys" is a serviceable action film with some impressive visuals, but in terms of the whole Terminator time-line, it struggles from being obsolete.