Every time I read the word Genisys, my muscles tighten up and a bolt of rage hammers my frontal cortex. So, basically, my muscles tighten up whenever I read any news about the latest Terminator sequel, which, for the sake of my own sanity and yours, I will refer to from now on as Terminator 5.
In a premise that essentially recycles the premise of the first two Terminator films, Terminator 5 involves Sgt. Reese (Jai Courtney), a soldier sent back in time from a dystopian robot-war-plagued future to protect a young Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) from yet another evil, time-traveling Terminator (Byung-hun Lee), whose morphing abilities make him look more than a little like the evil transforming Terminator Robert Patrick played in T-2. That makes sense, as they’re both from the T-1000 model of killer robots.
The latest trailer, unlike previous ones, plays up the notion of John Connor (Jason Clarke) as an android of questionable loyalties and ethics, and give us more of a look at Arnold Schwarzenegger, who will hopefully will throw in some of the cold-themed-puns from Batman & Robin just for laffs. (Hey, the idea that a robot from the future would delight in ice-themed wordplay is no less preposterous or convoluted than the rest of this head-scratcher of a franchise-extender.) Terminator 5 is supposed to be the opening for a new trilogy, so the studio must be pretty damn confident that its mucking about with the past will pay rich dividends, and that Schwarzenegger is pretty much the only actor from any of these films anyone wants to see.
The trail of the tape
Title: Terminator: Genisys
Director: Alan Taylor
Screenwriter: Laeta Kalogridis, Patrick Lussier
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Matt Smith, J.K. Simmons
Release date: July 1, 2015
The entire trailer in one line of dialogue: “It is nice to meet you.”
The entire trailer in one screengrab:
Despite its migraine-inducing subtitle, Terminator: Genisys will probably make a billion dollars. I predict people at the box office will, like me, just roll their eyes and grudgingly ask for tickets for the new Terminator movie.