Terminator Genisys is a hodgepodge of ideas from more beloved Terminator films. It gives us the gruff and tough Sarah Connor, as well as the sleek and dangerous T-1000; and it even features an Arnold versus Arnold face-off in 1984 amid the familiar backdrop of the original T-800's arrival. There's only one issue: None of it particularly works.
Terminator Genisys feels more like half-baked fan fiction than it does a coherent narrative. Thus, despite how much we all love those elements and moments from the prior movies, they come across as shameless pandering here. Pair that with a convoluted script that hops through time more often than Dr. Sam Beckett, and it's a recipe for reboot disaster.
Now, it's not all bad. There are some good ideas in Terminator Genisys. Establishing connective technology as sort of a Trojan horse for Skynet is not without its merits. But, there is just so much happening that is uninteresting. With two leads (Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor and Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese) who lack even a semblance of chemistry, those flaws become even more apparent.
Hence why this movie bombed with critics and domestic audiences. It sits at 27% on Rotten Tomatoes with 274 reviews; and it grossed just $89.7 million in North America. Its global cume helped it save face ($440.6 million), but it was still not enough to keep it out of the red.
Listen, you could watch this, but these versions of the characters won't be back. So come with us if you want to drink some future-infused Spaten Optimator, while hunting down those goddamn time traveling robots! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Capt. Cash, and Chumpzilla are tumbling through time in our birthday suits!
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