Terminator Genisys - Discussion and Grading Thread (Spoilers)

[Turd Ferguson]

FWIW, the film has gained 10 points at RT since the 25th.

I want to see it. I haven't seen a Terminator film yet that I thought was bad. Some better than others, but not bad.

I'm the same way. Even the much hated Terminator Salvation I found enjoyable (but HIGHLY disappointing).

Terminator Genisys is worth the price of admission just to see the 2029 raid on Skynet's San Francisco headquarters. There you see John Connor giving grandiose speeches about taking back the world, and you get a glimpse of what his plans are after the war (which don't really get to pan out for him too well).

There are a couple of parts that (at first) don't seem to make sense, but after you do some mental gymnastics they kind of fall into place. For one, it is never explained who sends Pops back. Well, obviously

Spoiler: Pops origin

Pops was the Uncle Bob T-800 from Terminator 2 sent back to stop the T-1000 that was sent back to the 1970s instead of 1995 after Sarah goes to the future

Sure, Genisys isn't perfect, but I'd bet money that must of the hate that is being spewed on this movie is from people who haven't even seen it. Everybody in the theater I saw it in enjoyed it (or seemed to). But it's light years more enjoyable than Terminator 3 and Salvation, IMO

 

[Frontier]

Saw it last night, it's better than 3 and 4 in my opinion. Really enjoyed it, especially the first half. It has issues, mind you, but it's the best sequel since T1/T2. At least that is my initial reaction. I could become more critical over repeat viewings.

Jai Courtney still can't act for shit. Why do they keep hiring him?!

 

[martok2112]

As long as the movie is good fun, I'll enjoy it.
I've seen some of the reviews, and it's like the reviewers were expecting T:G to explore the mysteries of life, the universe, and everything (apologies to D. Addams). Far as I recall, Terminator was never about that.

It'll make a great birthday present to myself.

 

[Procutus]

a higher body count than T2 and a couple of F-bombs.

So does Arnie get to utter his other immortal phrase from the first movie?

"F*#@ you, ahsshole!"

 

[DarthPipes]

I ended up enjoying it. It was a mixed ride to get there though and the film was too long.

Love Emilie Clarke but HATED Sarah Connor throughout most of the movie. Jason Clarke though was excellent as John. I liked the idea behind the JK Simmons character.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

a higher body count than T2 and a couple of F-bombs.

So does Arnie get to utter his other immortal phrase from the first movie?

"F*#@ you, ahsshole!"

Sadly, no

 

[marillion]

Well, I went in with lower expectations, but I got a solid movie in return... I read a couple of reviews over on AICN, and I'm not really sure if they were watching the same movie I was... I followed along with the plot and the time travel stuff just fine... I didn't find any plot holes I could drive a truck through... All in all, it was a good movie and a worthy successor to T/2... I liked T/3 quite a bit and have a fondness for T/S, but this was much better than both of them...

And while Matt Smith was barely present in this one, he looks to have a bigger role in the next one, I'm sure.

Solid A

 

[The Wormhole]

And while Matt Smith was barely present in this one, he looks to have a bigger role in the next one, I'm sure.

I've been having fun telling people that though Matt Smith is only in something like three or four scenes, he is the most important character in the movie. Hell, he's the titular character in a way.

 

[JES]

The way I wish they'd wrap up all this convoluted time travel business is this: Skynet accidentally kills the person who will one day INVENT time travel.

And since Skynet's entire existence is dependent upon time travel, there will come a timeline where it never existed at all...the Future Coda ending!

I always assumed that that Skynet invented time travel, since it is basically a super computer.

Though I guess that would bring up the question of how the Resistance got their hands on a working unit, because Skynet sure as hell wouldn't let them have one.

I'm more for the idea of Skynet accidentally killing the very people responsible for it's development, though I'd imagine fans of the series would facepalm.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

James Cameron gave a review praising the film after seeing a sneak peek, and they've started using his remarks in the ads.

Next month’s Terminator Genisys readies an intense retroactive reinvention of the classic franchise. Just as much a throwback to classic moments as it is a showcase of new elements, the film just got a big endorsement. The writer/director of the first two Terminator films, James Cameron, saw the new movie and gave it glowing feedback.

In an interview with Yahoo, Cameron, having just watched Genisys, bestowed upon it what might be considered the most important endorsement that the series can get: praise from its creator. Not being involved in any way with the Alan Taylor-directed franchise revival, Cameron confesses that, "I’m just a fanboy." Likewise, his review of the film was more than positive. According to Cameron:

"I start to see things I recognize. It’s being very respectful of first two films. Then all of the sudden, it just swerves. And now I’m going on a journey. I feel like the franchise has been reinvigorated, like this is a renaissance."

Praise from Cameron is especially auspicious when considering just how much he has distanced himself from the franchise following his 1991 action classic, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. As recently as last year, Cameron openly criticized the ensuing entries, 2003’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and 2009’s Terminator Salvation, saying that they didn’t live up to their potential. However, it seems that Genisys may prove to be an exception in the post-Cameron era, at least going by his own words. Cameron continues:

"If you look at why the films became classics, they had characters that you liked. The new film, which, in my mind, I think of as the third film, we see Arnold take the character even farther."

Genisys also contains a radical plot "twist" that might have been considered a spoiler, had it not been included heavily in the film’s recent marketing. It seems that John Connor (Jason Clarke) will also make a trip to 1984 to reunite with Sarah and Kyle (his parents). However, as we eventually learn, he’s not quite himself, having been transformed into some bizarre Terminator/human hybrid with bad intentions. Addressing the severely spoiled storyline swerve, Cameron expresses approval when he states:

"The idea of taking John Connor and flipping him to the bad guy. It’s pretty cool, because you got a rift against expectation. It’s all about the twist."

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/James-Cameron-Watched-Terminator-Genisys-Here-His-Review-71898.html

 

[Hartzilla2007]

And while Matt Smith was barely present in this one, he looks to have a bigger role in the next one, I'm sure.

I've been having fun telling people that though Matt Smith is only in something like three or four scenes, he is the most important character in the movie. Hell, he's the titular character in a way.

Spoiler: About that

I still find it slightly amusing that after all these years in this movie Skynet basically decides "fuck it I'll take out Conner myself."

 

[Turd Ferguson]

The way I wish they'd wrap up all this convoluted time travel business is this: Skynet accidentally kills the person who will one day INVENT time travel.

And since Skynet's entire existence is dependent upon time travel, there will come a timeline where it never existed at all...the Future Coda ending!

I always assumed that that Skynet invented time travel, since it is basically a super computer.

Though I guess that would bring up the question of how the Resistance got their hands on a working unit, because Skynet sure as hell wouldn't let them have one.

I'm more for the idea of Skynet accidentally killing the very people responsible for it's development, though I'd imagine fans of the series would facepalm.

All these questions are answered in the movie

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I always assumed that that Skynet invented time travel, since it is basically a super computer.

Though I guess that would bring up the question of how the Resistance got their hands on a working unit, because Skynet sure as hell wouldn't let them have one.

I guessed that as the original film took place, Skynet had only JUST invented time travel - and only had time to send the T-800 back into '84, before the Resistance smashed their way into the base.

Which doesn't explain how Skynet managed to find the time to send all those OTHER terminators back.

And I stand by my point about Alex. A terminator made up of nanobots? How does this thing NOT wipe out all humanity within days of its activation? (for example, it could disperse itself into a cloud and gradually infect or kill every person it sees, and its victims would of course not be able to retaliate.) Does it have weaknesses?

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I'm a huge fan of Terminator, but this movie they literally threw everything at the wall hoping that something would stick but nothing did

 

[Ethros]

I saw it today. Enjoyed it throughout I suppose. I really liked the first 40 minutes or so, but once they arrive in 2017 and everything after that I felt like it just turned into a real mess. The temporal mechanics really don't make any sense whatsoever, and I just wasn't really invested in the characters/actors like you are in T1 & 2.

After walking out the cinema I'd probably have given it 3/5, but having had a few hours to think about I might drop it to a 2.5/5

 

[nx1701g]

I guessed that as the original film took place, Skynet had only JUST invented time travel - and only had time to send the T-800 back into '84, before the Resistance smashed their way into the base.

Which doesn't explain how Skynet managed to find the time to send all those OTHER terminators back.

Reese believed that the war had been won in The Terminator, but that doesn't mean that it really had been. For all we know in the original films the destruction of Cheyenne Mountain didn't really work out the way that they planned and Skynet hadn't been destroyed.

And I stand by my point about Alex. A terminator made up of nanobots? How does this thing NOT wipe out all humanity within days of its activation? (for example, it could disperse itself into a cloud and gradually infect or kill every person it sees, and its victims would of course not be able to retaliate.) Does it have weaknesses?

Makes sense. Maybe it never figured out how to replicate them? The T-1000's mimetic polyalloy was intended to be similar to nanobots.

 

[nx1701g]

I didn't stay what happened.

The movie was awful

Skynet's Central Core was not destroyed in the explosion and is online. The hologram of Skynet appears, looking at the core.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The T-1000's mimetic polyalloy was intended to be similar to nanobots.

Even a liquid metal terminator can only go so far. It may be able to mimic things and other people, but it's not invulnerable. It has weaknesses and can be destroyed.

And, perhaps most importantly, it can't infect others and turn them into fellow terminators!

 

[Procutus]

Still somewhat undecided as to whether we're going to go see this in the theater, or just wait for the DVD. I was kind of turned off by the plethora of bad reviews, but the various comments here by people who liked it may sway me to give it a shot after all.

 

[Trekker4747]

I'm a huge fan of Terminator, but this movie they literally threw everything at the wall hoping that something would stick but nothing did

Touch of irony in this.