Written by Bill Bodkin and Justin Matchick
Release Date: July 1, 2015
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Jason Clarke, Matt Smith, J.K. Simmons, Byung-hun Lee.
Director: Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World)
Pre-Trailer Thought: After the disappointment that was Terminator: Salvation, I had officially given up on the Terminator franchise as a whole. The first two films are classics in their own right, but its become increasingly clear that the series should have stopped after those films. Genysis made me curious as to the direction they were taking the franchise when it was first announced, but every subsequent trailer, poster, and press release for the film has driven my interest further and further away. I hoping this newest one at least clears up a lot of the confusion that seems to have surrounded this film’s storyline the past few months – JTM
Pre-Trailer Thought: It’s a Terminator film, so you’ve got my attention. Sure, Terminator 3 was just okay, and Terminator: Salvation was utterly disappointing (and something Christian Bale would definitely like to forget), but those first two were classics. So, I’m interested for sure — how bad can they screw this up?
https://youtu.be/rGSxss7gWak
Rate the Trailer: 1 out of 5. What in the hell was that? Why did they spoil the fact that John Connor is going to be a Terminator? Shouldn’t that be a major plot turn in the film, not something given away in the first minute of a trailer? I’m honestly at a loss for words as to how they are promoting this movie, with each new trailer somehow managing to make this more and more confusing when they should be getting easier to understand as we learn more of the plot. They seem to be doing a mix of a sequel and a re-boot ala the 2009 Star Trek film, but so far this just seems to be a complete mess of a plotline guided along by pastiches of familiar tropes from the previous Terminator films. – JTM
Rate the Trailer: 1 out of 5. Well, they screwed that up…really…really bad. This feels like the studios thought the first trailer didn’t garner the buzz they were hoping for so they decided to drop the major bombshell of the series to pique audience interest. Bad move. Why not show Matt Smith? You had him on the cover of EW, you touted his signing to the film — but him in the trailer, stoke the interest of Whovians. Don’t give away the damn plot twist! –BB
Theater, Rent, Undecided, No Thanks: No Thanks. Even the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Terminator franchise can’t save this one, as Genysis (I can’t wait until I never have to type that again) looks to be one of the most confounding and muddled big-budget action movies in years. None of the other actors interest me at all. I cannot stand Jai Courtney and I think I’ve come to terms with the fact that Emilia Clarke might not be that good of an actress the moment she steps outside of Game of Thrones. The special effects, normally a saving grace in these sort of films, look oddly outdated and more like something from a video game circa 2008 (The shots of Arnold fighting a younger version of himself look especially awkward). This trailer was the final nail in the coffin of my hopes for this film. – JTM
Theater, Rent, Undecided, No Thanks: Rent. As bad as that trailer is, I will still watch this movie – but only via rental or HBO. There’s no way I’m dropping the money on a movie ticket to see this. I disagree with Justin about Emilia Clarke, she’s probably going to end up carrying this film while the other Clarke (Jason) chews up way too much scenery. Jai Courtney is hit-or-miss, and I think he’ll be a miss here. As for Arnold, he’ll keep reciting those same tired lines — but we’re expecting that. In the end, this will be loud, messy, and kinda lame, but this could also be a bit of guilty fun, and I’m fine with that…for a rental. -BB
===========================================================================================================
