You’re about to watch Arnold Schwarzenegger launch himself out of one helicopter and into another helicopter as though he were a missile. The first trailer for Terminator: Genisys has just been released, and it’s clear that this fifth movie is a very different kind of Terminator film than what you’re used to. It’s a reboot of the series, and it’s definitely kicking things up a notch (or more) when it comes to action and scale. The film takes place in an alternate universe where Sarah Connor is a total badass even back in 1984 and, for some reason, has a Terminator for a father. It sounds totally insane, and it probably is.
Even for how crazy everything looks, it’s hard for any fan of the original two movies not to be intrigued by what’s going on here. The trailer makes Genisys look, in part, like a mashup of the first two films, recreating iconic scenes, lines, and villains, but positioning them all in different ways. That nostalgia trip is pretty intentional: the filmmakers know that the last couple of Terminator films have left a bad taste with people, so they’re trying to throw out the bad parts of the series and spin up a compelling new story. Genisys features the same general plot about robots trying to destroy humanity, but it brings a lot more time travel into the mix. It’ll also set the stage for a trilogy. The film is scheduled for a release next year on July 1st.
The year is 2029. John Connor, leader of the resistance continues the war against the machines. At the Los Angeles offensive, John’s fears of the unknown future begin to emerge when TECOM spies reveal a new plot by SkyNet that will attack him from both fronts; past and future, and will ultimately change warfare forever.
