Matt Smith the Only Reason to Catch Terminator Genisys?

Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Dundun, dun, dundun…dundun, dun, dundun… The Terminator – that old VHS film you sneakily watched behind your parents back turned actual movie franchise you can take the kids to – is back in cinemas, and this time, *squints to the horizon… it’s paradoxical.

Literally bending time to stop you making incredulous noises about how old Arnold Schwartznegger now looks, Terminator Genisys posits a world where Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) – the human protected for Sarah Connor (Game of Thrones‘ Emilia Clarke) – time travels to an alternate time line where, rather than going toe to toe with the original T-800 in a far better movie, he comes face to face with a battle-hardened Sarah Connor and her own T-800 whom she calls ‘papa’.

Sensing things have gone a bit Pete Tong through ‘time memories’ (yep, Kyle Reese is now a Time Lord) our intrepid trio soon learn that the pesky nuclear holocaust has simple been delayed (again) until 2017 – and that someone has done a little bit of tinkering to humanity’s saviour, John Connor (Jason Clarke) – which would have been shocking if it hadn’t been revealed in the trailer…cough…

Now, if that all sounds convoluted, unnecessary and a tad bit rubbish – then you’ll find plenty of critic who agree with that sentiment (except the Daily Mail, who loved it and hilariously praised its ‘Spy-movie treachery’. Tinker, Terminator, Solider, Spy anyone?)

But there is one shining light in all of this, one beacon of hope, one saviour for humanity that isn’t Edward Furlong or Jason Clarke or even passionate lighting enthusiast Christian Bale and that man is… Matt Smith or ‘Matthew Smith’ as the credits to the film call him.

USA Today, who awarded the film one and a half stars out of four, while discussing the performances in the film, had this to say about the former Doctor: “[Emilia]Clarke is caught between Linda Hamilton’s waitress-in-distress Sarah from the first film and the hardcore warrior woman in the second, never really owning the role outright. J.K. Simmons is wasted in a cop role that begs to be larger, and a mysterious character played by Matt Smith (Doctor Who) is arguably the most interesting player in the entire movie but is barely used as well.”

Series T-800 Robot in Terminator Genisys from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions

That’s right, Matt Smith is the best part of Terminator Genisys and he’s barely in it!

Digital Spy, which weren’t feeling as generous as USA Today and awarded the film one star out of five, didn’t see much from Smith to rise him above the substandard material and instead, well, just felt sorry for him: “…while Matt Smith (now “Matthew Smith” according to the opening credits) must have felt like a raggedy man after yet another timey whimey adventure, albeit in a small part.”

IGN praised Smith for bringing ‘menace to a small but important role’ and Hitflix were equally as kind to Smith albeit with the caveat that the significance of the role is perhaps overplayed: “Wait, did I say significant? I meant he plays a role that is designed to be shocking and amazing and instead just feels like a very silly attempt to keep dragging this damn thing out.”

Ever since he made an appearance as part of the frankly shoddy Entertainment Weekly cover shoot – which made it look as though the cast had won a day pretending to be generic soldiers in a Terminator photoshoot at a mall – Smith has disappeared from all promotions for the film, which has got Radio Times (and us, let’s face it) asking: “Where the hell is Matt Smith?”

Elaborating further, the RT teased: “Smith does indeed play one of most important roles in the film. But at the same time, don’t go in expecting him to be sticking around. His scenes are vital, but few. (Also, fun fact: his American accent has flashes of the Eleventh Doctor. It’s weird.)”

So how significant is this role? Well, many of the reviews have already spoiled it and, if you consider the possibilities, it could really only be one of two options – and no it isn’t that one.  Perhaps, sadly, it may turned out to be more significant for the film than it is for his burgeoning career.

Are you planning on seeing Terminator Genisys? Would you watch the film solely on his appearance? And would you call a remorseless killing machine ‘papa’?

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