by Joseph Rossi
Two summer misfires.
Ted 2 isn’t bad.
Starting a review like this doesn’t make it sound good either. Like the first film about this foul mouthed Teddy Bear (voiced by director Seth MacFarland) and his best pal John (Mark Wahlberg), the laughs are big but far in between and the whole thing is peppered with one liners and sight gags that sometimes work but almost always fall flat.
In this one Ted and his human wife Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) want to adopt a baby but the American government has this issue about a stuffed, toy bear wanting the same rights as a human being. Retaining the help of a young civil rights attorney Samantha L Jackson, (the name a running gag) played by Amanda Seyfried, they try to fight issue in open court. Now, if that were the movie, fine by me. But the filmmakers decide to add a silly subplot that involves the villain from the first film (Giovanni Ribisi) returning to once again kidnap Ted and that drags the whole thing into from what could’ve been a brisk, raunchy comedy into an overlong slog that is easily forgotten.
Terminator Genisys is the latest attempt to breathe new life into what was a solid franchise. Now, it’s just an run of the mill effects movie that is so mediocre, I wonder, if after this fails to be the mega blockbuster they hope it is, will we get another one?
The movie breaks the wheel started by director James Cameron by having Kyle Reese (played by the wooden Jai Courtney) go back in time to save and fall in love with Sarah Conner ( Emilia Clarke), just like he did, in the 1984 film. But instead of following the path that is already laid out for him, and us, the audience, the timeline is altered and we are thrown into a whole new adventure that seems to ensure this franchise continues.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is back as the famous cyborg and he steals the show. While it is his most famous role, he’s a bit of a sidekick here, leaving much of the “acting” to the leads. But when it counts, he is there to save the day and cause much damage. It’s nice to see him doing this kind of a work again for a director other then Sly Stallone. But alas, it’s not enough to warrant the price of an admission ticket
