More than star power needed to revive old franchise

JUST when the Terminator franchise looked headed for the scrapyard faster than a 10-year-old car after the last two sequels (2003's Rise of the Machines and 2009's Salvation) failed to live up to its predecessors at the box office, along comes Arnold Schwarzenegger to salvage it.

His return in this fifth outing is much-needed, considering how dull the fourth film was without him. It also explains why there are three Arnies for the price of one ticket as the plot of Terminator Genisys generously goes back and forth in time to accommodate past, present and future versions of the Austrian beefcake's character.

The highlight is seeing the special effects department melt the years away from the 67-year old actor's face as they recreate the younger version of the (good) killer cyborg from James Cameron's original 1984 film.