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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Terminator Genisys (3D Blu-ray) (2015)

Terminator Genisys (3D Blu-ray) (2015)

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Released 29-Oct-2015
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Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	Sci-Fi Action	Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Family Dynamics Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Infiltration and Termination Featurette-Upgrades: VFX of Terminator: Genisys
Rating
Year Of Production	2015
Running Time	125:42
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu	Cast & Crew
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Alan Taylor
Studio Distributor	Paramount Home Entertainment	Starring	Arnold Schwarzenegger Jason Clarke Emilia Clarke Jai Courtney J.K. Simmons Dayo Okeniyi Matt Smith Courtney B. Vance Byung-hun Lee
Case	Standard Blu-ray	Starring
RPI	$19.95	Music	Lorne Balfe Hans Zimmer

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Atmos English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 5.1 German Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 French Dolby Digital 5.1 Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.40:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	2.40:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No	Miscellaneous
Subtitles	English Danish German Spanish French Italian Japanese Dutch Norwegian Finnish Swedish English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

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Plot Synopsis

    It has now been nine years since the abortion that was McG’s Terminator Salvation was met with substandard box office and critical mauling, posing a challenge for any filmmaker bold enough to pursue further sequels. There were not many logical places for the series to go, thus 2015’s Terminator Genisys functions as both a sequel and a reboot, avoiding another future war movie by forcing a story set before Judgment Day to return the series to its roots. Genisys is barely a movie at all - it’s a concept of a movie; a vague mishmash of half-baked ideas and potentially interesting scenes strung together not to tell a worthwhile story, but to fill out a balance sheet. Indeed, it solely exists to plot a workable new path for the franchise, paving the way for more sequels to allow Skydance to keep beating this dead horse for all that it’s worth until the rights revert back to James Cameron in 2019. And with a soft PG-13 rating in place forbidding the visceral delights of the first two Terminator movies, Genisys feels safe and generic.

    In the apocalyptic future war, human resistance leader John Connor (Jason Clarke) spearheads an attack on Skynet headquarters with help from right hand man Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney), in the process delivering a devastating blow that may finally end the war against the machines. But it is discovered that a T-800 Terminator has been sent back in time to 1984 to kill John’s mother, Sarah (Emilia Clarke), to ensure that that he is never born. Kyle volunteers to serve as Sarah’s protector, but upon arrival in 1984, he discovers that Sarah is already aware of the situation, locked in warrior mode and able to protect herself, aided by her lifelong Terminator guardian "Pops" (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Aiming to prevent Judgment Day, Sarah and Pops have created a time machine of their own, planning to travel forward in time to 1997 to stop Skynet before it goes live. But apparently the timeline has been altered and Kyle has memories of a future which hasn’t happened yet, and they need to travel to 2017 instead. And on it goes.

    Every time an R-rated franchise is continued with a PG-13 instalment, the press strategies are identical, with the studio, actors, and even the blind fan-boys wanting us to believe that PG-13 is no big deal, because it will (somehow) still be violent, and what matters the most is the script and story. Funnily enough, Arnie actually satirised such blatant lies in Last Action Hero back in 1994, with his character explaining that “In this movie we only kill 48 people. In the last one we killed 119. But we make up for it with a good story, emotions, depth, dimensions.” Big surprise: Genisys’s PG-13 rating is a much bigger deal than we have been led to believe. Perhaps it could have worked if it did have a smart screenplay, but Genisys is a dumb action film, lacking the smarts and heart of the original Terminator. It’s a numbing succession of brainless action sequences, and without the visceral punch of an R rating, there is not much to see here.

    Genisys is not just a Terminator reboot, but a DC Comics-esque multiverse reboot. It’s a poor excuse for the filmmakers to create a grab-bag of every single element that people liked from the previous movies; Sarah is already a badass, there’s a T-1000 (played by Byung-hun Lee), there’s another de-aged Arnold T-800 (with improved CGI), and they’ve recreated the main plot thrust of T2, with the heroes trying to destroy Skynet before Judgment Day erupts. Genisys also copycats another notable aspect of T2, with a relationship between Sarah and Pops. A more appropriate title for the movie would be Terminator FanService. But then again, this is a PG-13 movie, so they cannot even do the fan service thing properly. Also, turning Arnie’s ruthless T-800 into a sidekick for a wise-ass kid was a bad idea back in 1990, and having him as a gentle father figure is just as ill-advised here. I miss Arnie the hardcore killer.

    Genisys is easy to follow, but examining the narrative too closely is a bad idea, with paradoxes and unanswered questions. The question of who sent Pops back in time is a real head-scratcher, and the script politely refuses to answer the query, with the T-800 explaining that his files were erased. But the biggest head-scratcher is the need for Sarah and Pops to build a time machine to go forward in time. Time-travel exists in the Terminator franchise in order for people and cyborgs to go back in time to change things, which is understandable, but why use it to travel forward? Time goes forwards in the first place! Instead of jumping ahead thirty years, Sarah, Kyle and Pops could have spent that time improving their tactics and arsenal, keeping an eye on the Skynet situation, remaining one step ahead, and could have even destroyed Skynet whilst it was still in beta. But instead, they go for the ticking clock of Terminator 3 (hey look, another idea stolen from a past movie), even though it’s incredibly idiotic that they aim to show up with limited time on their side, and just wing it.

    The marketing campaign for Genisys is one of the poorest in recent memory, with the bargain basement posters, and the trailers which spoiled all of the movie’s surprises. The big “twist” is that John is now the villain. But rather than the villain being a Terminator who looks like John, it actually is John Connor whose genetics were tampered with, and now he’s Skynet’s guardian to safeguard his own future existence. Frankly, this concept is unforgivable. John has always been mankind’s saviour in the future war, but now it’s all for naught. Perhaps this decision was made to sidestep the need for a sex scene between Kyle and Sarah, because PG-13. There are some interesting thematic undercurrents in the screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis and executive producer Patrick Lussier - particularly in regards to our growing reliance on screens in a modern world dominated by Google, Microsoft and Apple; and with Sarah standing up for her right to choose a mate rather than letting her supposed fate dictate that she must climb into bed with Kyle - but the movie is more interested in prolonged action scenes and terrible humour. Heavens me, the attempts at comedy are woeful, especially a hideous running joke that Pops cannot smile properly despite repeated attempts. Pops even makes a comment about Kyle’s endowment, while another scene involves Pops getting a mugshot while the Cops theme plays in the background. It's just...awful.

    At least there is colour to the movie. One of Terminator Salvation’s many, many flaws is its desaturated cinematography which rendered it monotonous and visually drab. With Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) at the helm, Genisys retains a far brighter colour scheme, and to its credit it is more watchable than its immediate predecessor. However, the action scenes are a mixed bag. The 1984 sequences are surprisingly proficient, but the bigger set-pieces are boring, even with the mammoth budget. Genisys goes far too over-the-top, sapping humanity and intensity from the material. A certain bus crash is incredibly overdone and should have left people seriously injured or dead, but Kyle and Sarah, who were inside, walk away without a scratch on them. Even the special effects are a mixed bag; the T-1000 looks worse than it did in 1990, the flashy CG-riddled climax looks like vomit, and so on. The young Arnold does look impressive initially, but when he begins fighting Pops, he suddenly looks phoney.

    Terminator Genisys does have one benefit to elevate it above Suckvation: Arnie’s participation. The Austrian Oak is getting old, but he’s still a welcome addition to the cast, keeping the flick watchable even during its worst patches. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast (not to mention the film itself) fail to serve him. Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) is hopelessly out of her depth here, exuding minimal screen presence, coming across as a very passionless Sarah Connor. She’s nothing compared to the powerhouse that was Linda Hamilton in T2. I do not hate Jai Courtney, but he makes so little of an impression here, and it’s painful to watch him attempt to fill Michael Biehn’s formidable shoes. Jason Clarke (no relation to Emilia) does what he can as John Connor, but he’s just not a believable badass - he looks more like an office worker. The only other bright spot (apart from Arnie) is J.K. Simmons as a detective who’s caught up in the battle. And it’s heartbreaking to see former Doctor Who star Matt Smith caught up in this garbage.

    Even though Genisys is an improvement over Terminator Salvation, we are still far away from the groundbreaking brilliance of Cameron’s 1984 masterpiece which started it all. Characters are uninteresting, there’s no tension or sense of stakes, the script struggles with a needlessly convoluted narrative, and attempts at comedy are painful. The seeds of a half-decent movie are here, but the potential could not be found in the hands of this creative team. Mere days after viewing Genisys, I was hard-pressed to remember anything I liked about it. Anyone seeking a glossy, expensive studio blockbuster may enjoy Genisys, but give me a violent, bone-crunching ’80s sci-fi action-thriller like 1984’s The Terminator over this guff any day of the week.

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Transfer Quality

Video

    Terminator Genisys was shot in regular old 2D with Arri Alexa cameras before being converted to 3D in post-production, which is pretty standard practise for contemporary summer blockbusters. Paramount's MVC-encoded 3D presentation maintains a similar bitrate to its 2D Blu-ray counterpart, and is framed at its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. All of the special features appear on the included standard Blu-ray, and therefore the 3D presentation has the entire disc to itself, to maximise the picture quality. A number of other recent 3D releases have opted to open up the frame to 1.85:1 or even 1.78:1, filling more of the television screen, but Genisys retains its 2.39:1 framing all the way through - as far as I can tell, no open matte 3D presentation was ever prepared. Some viewers are destined to find this disappointing, but if you can get past this nitpick, there's much to like.

    Let's not mince words here: despite being a post-conversion, and despite not being open matte, Genisys is d*** impressive in 3D. It does not quite reach the heights of the format's best 3D transfers, and I wouldn't say it convincingly looks like a native 3D production, but the three-dimensional presentation is fantastic all the same, with strong depth, a palpable sense of space, and fine object delineation. Each visual element in each shot looks separate, and characters don't simply look like cardboard cut-outs at different depths - the conversion was done properly. It also feels like the movie was shot with 3D in mind, even if it was filmed in 2D. The Future War landscapes appear to stretch out in front of you, and the vastness of the chamber containing the time displacement equipment is all the more awe-inspiring in 3D. When the T-1000 turns its arms into blades, they look to be protruding from the screen, and you could be forgiven for flinching when said T-1000 throws a spear towards the camera. In 3D, you can also better make out the intricacies of the Terminator endoskeletons, while shots of Sarah holding a submachine gun that's pointed towards the camera really shows off the depth that this presentation is capable of. When the characters hang off the Golden Gate Bridge, the drop looks massive. Moments like this crop up throughout Genisys, and the 3D effects are never lacking.

    The 3D presentation fortunately retains the high level of detail present throughout the 2D transfer, terrifically resolving textures on skin, clothing and sets. I didn't notice any source noise - not even in shots where it is present on the 2D Blu-ray (namely a flashback sequence at the 55-minute mark) - which appears to be a deliberate decision to make the 3D presentation look "cleaner." Admittedly, there is still a certain smoothness to the image as well, lacking a definitive pop of fine detail to catapult it into the stratosphere. However, sharpness remains excellent, and there are never any issues with softness. The 3D also manages to create some discernible depth to John Connor's facial battle scars. Although the colours are slightly muted due to the 3D glasses and blacks are never quite inky enough, the palette is still impressive, with colour aplenty during the Future War sequences as purple laser blasts fill the screen.

    I didn't notice any encoding anomalies like ghosting or cross-talk, nor is there any aliasing, banding or macroblocking. (Be aware that in some flashback sequences there is some double-vision distortion that's an intended effect, and not a fault of the encode.) I wouldn't say that the 3D presentation is essential per se, but it is a competent one, and fans of Genisys who enjoy 3D will find merits in this disc.

*Video Ratings Summary*
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Audiophiles can rejoice, for Paramount have included a Dolby Atmos track to complement the 3D presentation. If your system cannot decode Atmos, the audio defaults to a lossless Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track. With other studios, particularly Warner Bros./Roadshow, downgrading the audio for 3D discs to 5.1 tracks, it's indeed nice to see an Atmos mix appearing on a 3D Blu-ray. It's the exact same track that's available on the 2D Blu-ray, and therefore my thoughts remain unchanged.

    As to be expected from a big-budget summer blockbuster, the sound is crisp and dynamic, almost effortlessly so. All explosions and gunshots sound booming thanks to the active subwoofer, while flying vehicles in the opening action sequences sound like they are in the room. The surround channels are put to exceptional use as the Hunter Killers seem to be flying overhead and the sounds of war are all around you, making for an all-encompassing experience that will thoroughly delight even the most finicky of audiophiles.

    The dialogue, which mostly comes through the front channels, is well-mixed against the roaring sound effects during the action scenes, retaining a welcome clarity. The soundtrack, generic as it may be, also blends into the experience seamlessly. The filmmakers may not have cared about acting, plot or scripting, but it’s impossible to fault the polished, professional technical presentation.

*Audio Ratings Summary*
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

The included standard Blu-ray contains three featurettes. You can also buy a 3D edition with a bonus disc containing considerably more special features.

Family Dynamics (HD; 15:51)

An overview of the casting process of the movie. Many members of the cast and crew talk enthusiastically about everyone involved, and the producers are quick to point out the fact that the majority of the actors come from overseas.

Infiltration and Termination (HD; 25:29)

A detailed look at filming some of the major sequences in New Orleans, where the filmmakers had more freedom to close off streets and highways than many other places around the world. Location filming is covered here, as well as the various sets. Plenty of interviews are present throughout, too. Worth watching.

Upgrades: The VFX of Terminator Genisys (HD; 15:07)

An almost obligatory visual effects featurette, with plenty of VFX comparisons and tonnes of interviews with the producers and the visual effects team, discussing the extensive work that went into creating the movie. James Cameron even chimes in to talk about the evolution of CGI since his groundbreaking Terminator 2: Judgment Day in the early ’90s.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

It appears that all 3D discs worldwide are virtually identical, save for differing language options. It's a draw.

Summary

Terminator Genisys may not be the SyFy Channel-level disaster that I had predicted, and it is watchable to an extent, but it's incredibly forgettable and generic, which is just not good enough in this franchise. Although the first act holds up, it trails off once the story moves to 2017, and the action is too CG-heavy and devoid of excitement. It's a missed opportunity, pure and simple.

The 3D presentation is a fine one, exhibiting terrific separation and a satisfying sense of depth, though I wouldn't say that 3D is essential. The disc thankfully carries the same Dolby Atmos track available on the standard Blu-ray, and the included special features are of good value. If you like the movie and prefer to purchase 3D titles, then this set is for you, though I would recommend the bonus disc edition if you care about extras. Others need not apply.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Review Equipment
DVD	LG UP970 4K UHD HDR Blu-ray Player, using HDMI output
Display	LG OLED65E6T. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 2160p.
Audio Decoder	Built in to amplifier/receiver. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
Amplification	Samsung Series 7 HT-J7750W
Speakers	Samsung Tall Boy speakers, 7.1 set-up

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