Terminator Genisys brings Arnold back to the franchise that launched his career, now in 4k!
“Arnold is back and better than ever in this explosive new chapter of the blockbuster Terminator franchise. In the war of man against machine, Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney, The Divergent Series) is sent back to 1984 by resistance leader John Connor (Jason Clarke, Everest) to protect his young mother, Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones). However, this time unexpected events have altered the past and threaten the future of all mankind. Now Reese must join forces with Sarah and her “Guardian” (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to save the world in “one of the best action movies of the year.””
The film opens in the future during the war with the machines. Resistance leader John Connor moves ever closer to the final battle to destroy Skynet, and with him is his trusted right hand who eventually becomes his father, Kyle Reese, whom he rescued as a child. John’s uncanny knack for knowing the enemy and their every move causes his followers to revere him like a prophet. His leadership has led them to a final strike which causes Skynet to initiate a last countermeasure which sends the original Terminator back in time to 1984. As history repeats itself, John sends Kyle back to protect his mother, Sarah Connor, whom the Terminator has been sent to kill. As Kyle gets into the chamber and is about to be sent back through time, the last thing he sees is a machine grab John while emitting a brilliant light into his body.
The original Terminator arrives in 1984 just as the original film, but something is different. A voice out of the darkness calls out to him, an older T-800 who charges him, a fight ensues, with a final blow from the help of Sarah Connor. Kyle arrives in 1984 as well, but as soon as he finds some clothes, he’s stopped by a police officer who immediately tries to kill him; a T-1000. As Kyle tries to evade the liquid-metal machine he is rescued by Sarah Connor and her Guardian. The group travels back to their underground base, fully stocked with a make-shift time machine. Sarah wants to travel to 1997 to stop Skynet, but Kyle explains he has memories of two childhoods, one after Judgment Day, and one where it didn’t happen. His memories show him they can kill Skynet in 2017 when it now comes online from the program Genisys, which interconnects all aspects of technology. Sarah and Kyle use the time machine to travel to 2017 where they discover that John has traveled as well, but he’s not what he seems. The team must do all they can to again stop Skynet from coming online and stopping the end of the world.
First of all, there are a lot of problems in this film when it comes to the different timelines and time travel. If Kyle and Sarah travel to 2017, how can John be born and grow up to lead the resistance and send Kyle back? If the film is going to be playing with multiple timelines, changing the events of the first film that directly affect the outcome of the rest, you better be able to explain it for all the sci-fi geeks out there who think about stuff like that. One moment in the film Sarah tells John that he can’t kill her because then he wouldn’t be born. To this he responds that he doesn’t believe that, that they are exiles of time and there truly is no fate, so he can do what he wants. Hopefully this isn’t a throwaway line that they are expecting everyone to buy. I think they had something in mind to explain it all, as they mention that they can’t find out the identity of who sent back the T-800 to protect Sarah Connor when she was a child. The files are locked inside his head and can’t be accessed. This information was most likely going to be discovered in a sequel where everything may be explained and the timeline makes sense, but unfortunately it doesn’t look like we’ll ever get the chance to know, as the sequel has been canceled due to poor reception of the film.
Let me say that I’m one of those geeks who analyze all the aspects of time travel in film and if something doesn’t make sense I usually let it determine my enjoyment of the story. That wasn’t the case here, and I know I’m in the minority when I say that despite all the time traveling paradoxes, changing the classic original film, turning the savior of the human race into an antagonist, I enjoyed the hell out of this. How many times have we seen the story of John Connor trying to stop Skynet? Something different had to be done in order for this film to stand on its own, and they tried something bold to do so. It’s a story that I found to be interesting, revisiting aspects of the original film, the sequel, and then leaping forward in the story that allows for Arnold to play the part where the age is appropriate. One of the best parts of Terminator 2: Judgment Day was the relationship between the Terminator and John Connor, how it evolved and how the Terminator seemed to develop emotions. The same is explored here with Sarah and the Terminator who basically raises her. He’s got pictures of her in his bunker, drawings she did as a child, and complains about being old. It’s the humanizing aspect of the machine that gives the film humanity.
Although I did enjoy the story immensely, some of the character development was lacking. These humanizing aspects that were present could have been explored more in depth, as could the relationship between Kyle and Sarah. There was a lot of potential in exploring that relationship, Sarah knowing the date she meets the father of her child, and that he’s supposed to die shortly after meeting him. The action sequences are intense, exciting, and in terms of the franchise some of the best since the second film, but I think some of them could have been sacrificed in order to get some more depth in the characters. The B-Story was odd and awkward at times too. O’brien (J.K. Simmons), the rookie cop who is saved from the T-1000 in 1984 who in 2017 is a laughing stock because he maintains a robot killed his partner, does little in the story but serve as a plot device to release Kyle and Sarah when the time is right. Another criticism of the film is a boring antagonist. For that, I’ll have to disagree. He’s a robot that has way more range than the T-1000 in T2. I don’t know exactly what people were expecting when you’re antagonist is a robot, but I thought this was adequate.
Overall, even though I enjoyed the film, I’m not saying the film doesn’t have its flaws. For me, I think it’s the way the film was able to reinvent the timeline to tell its story was interesting. We never got a lot of time with Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor, and although it could’ve been explored more thoroughly, it was a new story and one I was eager to watch.
Video
Terminator Genisys is presented in 2160p 4k Ultra High Definition Widescreen 2.39:1 with HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The 4k seems to be a nice improvement over the Blu-Ray, with the Dolby Vision looking absolutely fantastic. Thanks to the dynamic metadata, the levels continuously shift from scene to scene, which is beneficial due to the majority of the film looking very dark, with some bright action sequences taking place during the day. Color balance looks very good, and the brilliant brights and deep darks are highlighted in this transfer.
The Blu-Ray version is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.39:1.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos. The track sounds amazing, with all these action sequences really immersing you in the action. With helicopters actually sounding like they’re flying overhead, powerful and booming explosions and gunshots, it will make your living room sound like a warzone given the proper setup.
Special Features
Extras are located on the Blu-Ray disc and include:
- Reset the Future: Constructing Terminator Genisys
- Paradigm Shift
- Family Dynamics
- Not Obsolete.
- Tactical Apparel
- A Once and Future War
- Infiltration and Termination
- Manipulating Matter
- Exiles in Time
- Battle on the Bridge: Multi-Angle Scene Breakdown
Terminator Genisys may be hit or miss with most, but if you can look past some of its flaws you might enjoy the ride. The film looks great in 4k, and the few fans that are out there will appreciate seeing this in the highest quality possible.
