The Terminator franchise has been a part of my movie watching journey for as long as I can remember.
I watched the original with my dad multiple times back in the glory days of VHS, and I still consider it one of the most perfect movie experiences of my life. T2 arrived seven years later and despite being less brutal and intense, James Cameron delivered a polished and relentless crowd-pleasing epic that seemingly brought the story full circle to a satisfying conclusion.
Terminator 3 arrived in 2003 and has divided opinions ever since. Not a terrible movie but compared to what came before, it felt unnecessary and undercooked. Jonathan Mostow made a solid enough film but for the first time the franchise felt like it was being stretched and milked. Most recently we got Terminator Salvation in 2009. A loud and gritty attempt to move the story into the apocalyptic future we had heard so much about in the previous movies. Unfortunately McG decided that his future needed to be very different from the one imagined by Cameron, and the end result was bland and forgettable.
Is it even possible to make a memorable Terminator movie without the involvement of James Cameron? Something that will be loved and discussed for decades to come like T1 and T2 … Well, Hollywood is trying again with Terminator Genisys and this time it will be experienced TV show director Alan Taylor who takes charge.
A full trailer arrived today and here are the shots and moments that caught my eye and maybe, just MAYBE, suggest this could be a Terminator movie to get excited about?
Hollywood Hills.
The opening shot reveals an epic post-apocalyptic view of Los Angeles in ruins. And despite being bombarded with nuclear weapons the damn Hollywood sign seems to have survived!
Neon Pink Future.
Cut to multiple quick glimpses of the future war, which looks very similar in style to how James Cameron imagined it in his two original movies.
Familiar Face.
T-800! … It appears to be a fully CGI creation but I must admit it looks great in this shot, standing in front of some kind of laser grid.
Time To Travel.
The original Arnold T-800 walks into the giant time displacement chamber built by Skynet, his destination – L.A. 1984.
Naked Goodbye.
John Connor (Jason Clarke), bids farewell to Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney), as he prepares to follow the T-800 back in time and complete his destiny to protect and guide Sarah Connor … Oh, and have a little bit of sex with her as well. The sex is very important.
Tough Chick.
“Come with me if you want to live” … Errrrr, WTF?? … Turns out the past Kyle has travelled to is NOT the past he was prepared for, or expected. For a start, Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), seems to be able to handle herself perfectly well and probably doesn’t need protecting by some sex-starved dude from the future.
Head Shot.
Robert Patrick looks VERY different!
Arnold Vs Arnold.
“I have been waiting for you” … The trailer seems to suggest the original T-800 that hunted Sarah through the first movie gets destroyed almost instantly in this new timeline by a different Arnold T-800 which has been protecting Sarah for some time. Kyle is confused, and so am I to be honest.
Lifeguard.
Sarah as a child? Possibly being carried away by her T-800 protector?
Get Out!
The T-1000 (Byung-hun Lee), rises from the front of a police car as multiple bullets are wasted trying to stop it. Must admit I’m always happy to see some liquid metal action.
Bus Stop.
The trailer ends with a ridiculous bus flip on what appears to be the Golden Gate Bridge? Someone has been watching The Dark Knight me thinks.
Final Verdict – Not bad. If they can find a reason to explain the altered timeline in a way that doesn’t require years of online debate and study to justify it then this could be the best Terminator movie since T2. Trailers can be deceiving and there was enough in this one to give me some cause for concern but there was also plenty that looked good. Time will reveal all …
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