In Defense Of: “Terminator Genisys” (2015)

Its Story Is Decent And A Crazy Rollercoaster Ride (Though It’s Needlessly Complex)

Even after multiple viewings the narrative of Genisys is needlessly complicated, almost to the point that it often feels like the over-emphasis on action is a crutch to help obfuscate the fact that the core time travel-centric plot isn’t one of its strongest elements.

Still, at its best, the unpredictable alternate reality narrative often subverts your expectations in consistently surprising ways and often feels thoughtfully written. Its ‘always connected’ iOS-style social commentary is a little on-the-nose, but still relevant and interesting. While Arnie’s new role as Sarah Connor’s ageing father figure is a nice switcheroo from its predecessor’s father-son relationship between the T-800 and John Connor.

However, at its worst, the writing feels rushed and a little too big for its own britches. The ‘time nexus’ stuff and the fact that Kyle Reese remembers two distinct alternate realities, for example, is convoluted and isn’t executed very well. Essentially, it’s a movie that narratively bites off way more than it can chew, and in some ways I respect that more than a movie doing the inverse: re-hashing old ideas with little imagination or flair.

Additionally, I’d be remiss not to highlight a major mistake the film made before its release. Some of the narrative’s bite was dulled by the marketing team’s major blunder of including a massive spoiler twist in the trailer leading up to to its launch. It’s a shame, as I think that the actual John Connor twist was a really neat idea, but revealing his identity and nefarious motivations in the trailers was a huge mistake.

As a result, a lot of the tension in one of the movie’s most pivotal scenes is spoilt, deflated of much needed tension. Clearly, this gaffe is without doubt one of the biggest film marketing blunders for a long while.