Plot Details For Terminator Genisys Seem Confusing.

During this week’s edition of the US magazine Entertainment Weekly various plot details and promo pics were featured for the fothcoming fifth Terminator movie and although I remain hopeful for this film it appears the premise is a mess:

“The beginning of Terminator: Genisys is set in 2029, when the Future War is raging and a group of human rebels has the evil artificial-intelligence system Skynet on the ropes. John Connor (Jason Clarke) is the leader of the resistance, and Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) is his loyal soldier, raised in the ruins of post apocalyptic California. As in the original film, Connor sends Reese back to 1984 to save Connor’s mother, Sarah (Emilia Clarke), from a Terminator programmed to kill her so that she won’t ever give birth to John. But what Reese finds on the other side is nothing like he expected.”

The article goes on to detail that Sarah Connor, (this time played by Emilia Clarke), will be a thoroughly different character to the one portrayed by Linda Hamilton, after having her mother killed by a Terminator at a young age, who then somehow ends up adopted by an older T-800 who raises her like his own. This terminator is affectionately known as ‘Pops’ and is played by Arnold Schwarzenegger…

… “Since she was 9 years old, she has been told everything that was supposed to happen,” says producer David Ellison. “But Sarah fundamentally rejects that destiny. She says, ‘That’s not what I want to do.’ It’s her decision that drives the story in a very different direction.”

Wait, so this is no longer a Terminator sequel, it’s a straight reboot? Well it must be because this is film one of a planned trilogy and here lies the problem with Genisys, (apart from that stupid title), it doesn’t really know what it is. It’s being described as a sequel but has all the hallmarks of a reboot. New cast members playing old characters with old cast members reprising their roles of old characters. It sounds like a confusing mix of various different elements of the Terminator mythology all packaged up into yet another franchise installment.

I was afraid this might happen, but I shall remain hopeful…even against the odds.