The Sci-Fi Action Thriller Leaving Netflix That Tried To Revive A Franchise

In Terminator: Genisys, the story once again revolves around the perpetual struggle of humans against Skynet, the AI hell-bent on mankind’s eradication. However, this time the narrative tosses a curveball into the familiar events of the past.

As the film opens, the future is grim. Skynet’s machines are on the verge of wiping out the last remnants of humanity. In a desperate last stand, John Connor (played by Jason Clarke), the leader of the human resistance, plans an assault on Skynet’s main defense grid. During this assault, they discover Skynet’s trump card: a time machine.

Skynet has sent a Terminator back to 1984 to eliminate Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), John’s mother, thereby preventing John’s birth and the formation of the resistance.

To counter this move, John sends his close ally, Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney), back in time to protect Sarah. However, when Kyle arrives in 1984, he finds a very different scenario than expected.

Sarah Connor is not the vulnerable waitress from the original story but a battle-hardened warrior, already being protected by an older T-800 Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) she affectionately calls “Pops”. It turns out that another Terminator was sent even further back to her childhood and has changed the course of her life.

The trio – Sarah, Kyle, and “Pops” – discover that Skynet, in this altered timeline, will become active in the form of a new operating system called “Genisys”.

As they race against time, facing threats from various advanced Terminators, they must find a way to prevent the imminent launch of Genisys and avert Judgment Day.

But with shifting alliances, unexpected revelations, and a very different timeline to navigate, their mission is anything but straightforward.

Terminator: Genisys was the fifth installment in the long-running Terminator film franchise. The series began with James Cameron’s groundbreaking The Terminator in 1984, followed by its highly acclaimed sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1991.

The story continued with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines in 2003 and Terminator Salvation in 2009.

Terminator: Genisys was intended to reboot the franchise by introducing an alternate timeline, essentially serving both as a sequel and a reimagining of the original films.

The narrative of Genisys reworks events from the first two movies, adding twists and new perspectives. It was planned to be the start of a new trilogy, but due to mixed critical reception and other factors, the proposed sequels were eventually shelved.

After Genisys, the series took another direction with Terminator: Dark Fate in 2019, which ignored the events of the third, fourth, and fifth films, serving as a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Terminator: Genisys had ambitious plans to breathe new life into the Terminator franchise by offering a fresh start with its alternate timeline.

On the financial front, the movie did make a substantial profit, grossing over $440 million worldwide against a production budget of approximately $155 million. International box office numbers, especially from China, played a significant role in its financial success.

However, the critical response to Terminator: Genisys was mixed at best. While some praised the film’s action sequences and visual effects, many critics and longtime fans of the franchise found its convoluted plot and reinterpretation of beloved characters to be less satisfying than the original films.

Additionally, its attempt to reset the timeline and pave the way for potential sequels was met with skepticism by some segments of the audience.

Given the lukewarm critical reception and the film’s failure to meet domestic box office expectations, plans for the new trilogy that Genisys was supposed to kickstart were ultimately shelved.

Instead, the franchise took another direction with 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate, which opted to ignore the events of Genisys and the third and fourth films altogether.

Stepping into the vast tapestry of the Terminator universe, Terminator: Genisys tried to reboot the legendary saga for a new generation. While it brought back nostalgic elements and gave fans a taste of the old with a twist of the new, the film’s position in the franchise remains divisive.

Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a newcomer to the series, Terminator: Genisys offers a unique, time-twisting ride. As it streams on Netflix, give it a watch and decide for yourself where it stands in the annals of sci-fi cinema. After all, in the world of the Terminator, the future is not set.