Terminator Genisys - Discussion and Grading Thread (Spoilers)
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I pretty much enjoyed it.
Thought they could have done a better job casting the Kyle Reese character but it went better than I thought it would.
I don't regret seeing it and will be buying it when it's out.
Thought they could have done a better job casting the Kyle Reese character but it went better than I thought it would.
I don't regret seeing it and will be buying it when it's out.
I thought Jai Courtney was just fine as Kyle Reese, Jason Clarke seeemd out of place as John Connor. While I liked the fight at the end between the T3000 and the Guardian better than the one in T2, Jason Clarke wasn't nearly as threatening as Robert Patrick.
Although I do find it alittle funny how easily terminators can be brought down, except for Arnie's terminators they always wind up being impossible to kill off. And I did find it odd that after taking care of young T800 they didn't just take the chip from him, even though I liked Kyle's fight with the T800.
Although I do find it alittle funny how easily terminators can be brought down, except for Arnie's terminators they always wind up being impossible to kill off. And I did find it odd that after taking care of young T800 they didn't just take the chip from him, even though I liked Kyle's fight with the T800.
Did I miss something?
They did get the chip form the young T-800.. they sued it to power the stupid time displacement replacement machine thingy.
So much nonsensical things happened that I can't remember a specific patch of film that lasted more than a minute. You guys are talking about a T-800 vs. Reese fight that I just can't recall.. because the T-800 was already defeated before they picked up Kyle. I'm sorry it's not you fault. It was that this film is terrible.
They did get the chip form the young T-800.. they sued it to power the stupid time displacement replacement machine thingy.
So much nonsensical things happened that I can't remember a specific patch of film that lasted more than a minute. You guys are talking about a T-800 vs. Reese fight that I just can't recall.. because the T-800 was already defeated before they picked up Kyle. I'm sorry it's not you fault. It was that this film is terrible.
They brought the young T800 back to their hideout and the T1000 followed them and reactivated the T800 leading to the fight between it and Reese. It wasn't til after Reese hhad beheaded it that they got the chip out. But they could've gotten it out earlier and put the rest of the body in acid which they would up doing anyway.
Oh right, ok.. thank you.
So many things happened but none of it was memorable
So many things happened but none of it was memorable
Yeah I'm with you. Even if the movie did find a way to explain most of it's ridiculous and idiotic plot, that doesn't change the fact that it's still a ridiculous and idiotic plot.
I mean, seriously? A massive army of T-800s and T-1000s somehow isn't enough anymore to wipe out humanity in the future, and so Skynet decides it also needs to merge itself with humans to survive, or something? Say huh?
And now what lets Skynet take over the planet is a freakin iphone app? Ooh, how scary. And they had already infiltrated themselves into society so thoroughly by that point, so why the big announcement (and convenient countdown) of when they would do the final takeover? Why not just keep things on the down-low to prevent anyone from being suspicious or putting a stop to it?
But to me the bigger problem was just the complete lack of believability. Like in the way they had helicopters zooming around like fighter jets at the end, or in the way Kyle somehow survived a massive hit from a car on the freeway without a scratch, or somehow found time in the apocalypse to hit the gym and become bigger and buffer than most of the Terminators they were fighting (as opposed to the lean and haunted and half-starving Kyle of the original movie that really did look like a survivor from a future apocalypse).
Ugh, this movie really irritated me.
Had VERY low expectations going in because of the "word of mouth" on the Internet, but I thought it was enjoyable.
I've never had very high expectations with Terminator sequels. When I was 15 back in '90-'91, I was a HUGE, HUGE Arnodl fanatic. Just loved him. (Still do, actually.) But even then, I thought the idea of a T2 was kinda silly.
I ended up watching T2 in the theaters and really enjoyed it, but I always thought the desert scene was slow as hell, and that the Anrold as the good guy was more of a marketing ploy, though it ended up being a good change story-wise, I guess. These days, I still enjoy the movie a lot, but Edward Furlong can be very painful to watch in parts (just as bad as Jake Lloyd or Hayden Christiansen, only Furlong had a better script to work with.)
T3 was a silly but enjoyable sequel, but felt like a bit of a retread. (John Connor still being protected.)
I "enjoyed" Terminator Salvation as diversion, meaning it was an enjoyable action film, but it sucked as a Terminator sequel. My biggest beef with Salvation was that I thought we were FINALLY going to see John Connor kicking ass and turn into the hero everyone said he was going to be going back to T1, but here we are...20 years after the first film...and John Connor *STILL* needs to be protected when he coming into his prime.
Geneysis is an inconsistent movie. There were definitely cool ideas and sequences, but the execution was not always on target. This movie had more story-telling potential and ambition than either T3 or Salvation, IMO, and it comes close, but the final product is "hot and cold" depending on the scene.
I love the messing around with the Terminator 1984 timeline, but I especially loved the twist of turning John Connor into the bad guy. In a way, it kinda makes you rethink Terminator 1 and the roles of the character: Was Arnold really the good guy in T1 and Reese and Sarah the bad guys?" There's a cool, underlaying philosophical discussion to be had there, but the movie doesn't really take advantage of that twist. All these years protecting John Connor, only to have him be the bad guy. Nicely done.
Acting-wise, the movie is also inconsistent. Aside from Arnold, I loved the new Sarah Connor (I forget the actress' name). Kyle Reese was horrible. I did like JK Simmons, in what was a very limited, thankless role, but he transcends the story and script with his zings. I loved the guy who played John Connor when he was playing him as a good guy, but then when he turns into the bad guy, they make him a little too over the top.
So it is has a more ambitious story than T3 or Salvation, the script is inconsistent, but it is an entertaining movie. I voted average.
I've never had very high expectations with Terminator sequels. When I was 15 back in '90-'91, I was a HUGE, HUGE Arnodl fanatic. Just loved him. (Still do, actually.) But even then, I thought the idea of a T2 was kinda silly.
I ended up watching T2 in the theaters and really enjoyed it, but I always thought the desert scene was slow as hell, and that the Anrold as the good guy was more of a marketing ploy, though it ended up being a good change story-wise, I guess. These days, I still enjoy the movie a lot, but Edward Furlong can be very painful to watch in parts (just as bad as Jake Lloyd or Hayden Christiansen, only Furlong had a better script to work with.)
T3 was a silly but enjoyable sequel, but felt like a bit of a retread. (John Connor still being protected.)
I "enjoyed" Terminator Salvation as diversion, meaning it was an enjoyable action film, but it sucked as a Terminator sequel. My biggest beef with Salvation was that I thought we were FINALLY going to see John Connor kicking ass and turn into the hero everyone said he was going to be going back to T1, but here we are...20 years after the first film...and John Connor *STILL* needs to be protected when he coming into his prime.
Geneysis is an inconsistent movie. There were definitely cool ideas and sequences, but the execution was not always on target. This movie had more story-telling potential and ambition than either T3 or Salvation, IMO, and it comes close, but the final product is "hot and cold" depending on the scene.
I love the messing around with the Terminator 1984 timeline, but I especially loved the twist of turning John Connor into the bad guy. In a way, it kinda makes you rethink Terminator 1 and the roles of the character: Was Arnold really the good guy in T1 and Reese and Sarah the bad guys?" There's a cool, underlaying philosophical discussion to be had there, but the movie doesn't really take advantage of that twist. All these years protecting John Connor, only to have him be the bad guy. Nicely done.
Acting-wise, the movie is also inconsistent. Aside from Arnold, I loved the new Sarah Connor (I forget the actress' name). Kyle Reese was horrible. I did like JK Simmons, in what was a very limited, thankless role, but he transcends the story and script with his zings. I loved the guy who played John Connor when he was playing him as a good guy, but then when he turns into the bad guy, they make him a little too over the top.
So it is has a more ambitious story than T3 or Salvation, the script is inconsistent, but it is an entertaining movie. I voted average.
I got precisely what I wanted out of it. A good, popcorn munching, fun two hours and six minutes. 
Much as I thought Terminator Salvation was ok, this movie made me forget all about it.
The Terminator was the only movie I did not get to see on the big screen. But I loved the movie when I finally got to see it on VHS. Many repeat viewings. All the others, I caught them indeed.
Terminator 2 blew me away. Great opening sequence.
Terminator 3 was a lot better than I expected.
Terminator Salvation was .... interesting. Felt more like some kind of telemovie though.
Terminator Genisys... a good, fun romp. And it had a terrific battle sequence in the attack on the time displacement facility. Seeing it in IMAX 3D....WOW!
Much as I thought Terminator Salvation was ok, this movie made me forget all about it.
The Terminator was the only movie I did not get to see on the big screen. But I loved the movie when I finally got to see it on VHS. Many repeat viewings. All the others, I caught them indeed.
Terminator 2 blew me away. Great opening sequence.
Terminator 3 was a lot better than I expected.
Terminator Salvation was .... interesting. Felt more like some kind of telemovie though.
Terminator Genisys... a good, fun romp. And it had a terrific battle sequence in the attack on the time displacement facility. Seeing it in IMAX 3D....WOW!
davejames I completely agree with your post, especially as a unabashed fan of the franchise (I think it's the true fans that will have the biggest headaches walking out of this film. The edge that the first movie once had would be dulled after watching this)
But the part that grabbed my eye was this:
Couldn't have said it better. Beihn was perfect for that part. He looked like a seaosn warrior who wa sa bit skinny and had to possibly eek out his survival lving on rats. He had a gravity to his presense that is evident when he first stands up in 1984 and Cameron as a closeup of his face. And his love for Sarah is deep an intimiate, even from a photo.. an aspect of the mythos the new film pays lip service to only to mock.
I wish they got their other choice, this guy, to play Reese. Even as I've probably never seen him act before, he really looks like Beihn, and he also isn't all that big. Reese is one of my favorite male movie characters ever.
But the part that grabbed my eye was this:
Couldn't have said it better. Beihn was perfect for that part. He looked like a seaosn warrior who wa sa bit skinny and had to possibly eek out his survival lving on rats. He had a gravity to his presense that is evident when he first stands up in 1984 and Cameron as a closeup of his face. And his love for Sarah is deep an intimiate, even from a photo.. an aspect of the mythos the new film pays lip service to only to mock.
I wish they got their other choice, this guy, to play Reese. Even as I've probably never seen him act before, he really looks like Beihn, and he also isn't all that big. Reese is one of my favorite male movie characters ever.
Interesting. I'm a true fan of the franchise (hell, I've even read most of the tie in books) and I liked it. It wasn't perfect - I didn't care much for Reese in this - but it wasn't all that bad.
James Cameron liked it too and he created the franchise.
I'm just glad it wasn't Zac Efron... and he was considered for the role.
I saw the video with Cameron talking about the film before. I saw it with my own eyes. I don't believe a word of it.
That said, I am not saying that a fan can't enjoy it. I just believe they'd more likely get a headache from it. I could probably just enjoy it because it had robots and electricity in it. I guess.
That said, I am not saying that a fan can't enjoy it. I just believe they'd more likely get a headache from it. I could probably just enjoy it because it had robots and electricity in it. I guess.
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That is a really nice point and it was an interesting question. Now that John became Skynet's last hope were Kyle and Sarah the heroes of their tale?
It's not the first time they really messed with the storyline though of T1. A few years ago there was a comic released called Terminator 1984 that rewrote it that Reese wasn't killed.
Thanks for the feedback.
You know what else occurs to me? Unless ADD kicked in, I noticed there was no last minute "John Connor turns back to the light side of the Force." moment. No final exorcism of Skynet, ala the original Exorcist and wherein John sacrifices himself. No Dr. Octopus realizing his mistakes.
Geneysis had some ballsy story changes, but I'm not sure it really took advantage of those changes.
(I thought Man of Steel had the same problem. When you had Superman kill, it was a big moment for the character, but to everyday audiences, I'm not sure MOS made the "killing" as big a deal as it deserved.)
I was kinda split on the movie when it was over, but it was entertaining.Definitely not deserving of the negativity that is supposed to be going around. People at my theater clapped and I heard some positive buzz while I left, so I'm not sure if the bad publicity is strictly a media thing or genuine audience reaction.
Yeah that alone was hardly a dealbreaker for me, but it was just so emblamatic of how much shallower and sillier this movie was as a whole compared to the previous ones (hell even T3 felt more grounded and believable to me).
I'm glad others are able to enjoy it on a dumb guilty pleasure level, or as just a fun, comic book-style romp, but I kinda need my Terminator movies to have a bit more gravitas and seriousness than that.
Abosolutely.
I don't consider T3 to be near the level of the first two films, and it too-closely follows the formula that it feels like a near-parody at times.. but it had a fantastic bit of action, and Mostow at least had a solid through-line that helped make the film work: Everything that Arnold said would happen at the stop where they got the RV did happen exactly as he said it would.
Why wait for Kyle, if you're just going to jump forward to 1997 and invalidate John's conception date?
Oh. They were waiting for the T-800.
Pops should have paid a thousand women to change their name to Sarah Connor and further paid them to have a child named John in 1985.
Although flooding the infosphere with fake digital trails, say 16 pages in the phone book of Sarah Connor's who do not exist, living in houses that do not exist, many of which these "locations" might be death traps for a Terminator.
Alternatively, Pops might have paid all the Sarah Connor's killed in the original movie to movie or change their name.
(He had to have lottery numbers?)
Oh. They were waiting for the T-800.
Pops should have paid a thousand women to change their name to Sarah Connor and further paid them to have a child named John in 1985.
Although flooding the infosphere with fake digital trails, say 16 pages in the phone book of Sarah Connor's who do not exist, living in houses that do not exist, many of which these "locations" might be death traps for a Terminator.
Alternatively, Pops might have paid all the Sarah Connor's killed in the original movie to movie or change their name.
(He had to have lottery numbers?)
To me it seems like a non-fan or a new fan might walk away with a headache or confused more so than a Terminator fan who is used to some of the time travel stuff in the other films and Sarah Connor Chronicles.
