Terminator Genisys 4K/Blu Ray Review (Paramount)

Terminator Genisys is a 2015 science fiction film directed by Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World, Palookaville, Game of Thrones, & The Sopranos). This is consider somewhat of a reboot. Paramount Pictures greenlit two sequels to this film before it even opened because the film rights to the Terminator series are set to revert back to James Cameron in 2019. The franchise rights were acquired in 2011 for this.  It was originally auctioned for $29.5 million but it sold for slightly less since the rights expire in a few years.  Rian Johnson, Justin Lin, Denis Villeneuve & Ang Lee were all considered for director on this project. Creator James Cameron gave his input on this production when asked for his advice. 1,200 visual effects shots were created for this feature. The original Termination creation took 12 months for 35 shots. It was finished 30 minutes before the final print was turned into the studio. None of the main cast were Americans, it was the first time in the franchise that this happened. It made $440.6 million at the box office worldwide & it became the 2nd highest grossing Terminator film since T2.

Human Resistance leader John Connor (played by: Jason Clarke from Pet Sematary remake, Death Race, Brotherhood, & Zero Dark Thirty)) launches a final attack against Skynet. Before the Resistance can finally win the battle with the enemy. Skynet activates a time machine & sends a T-800 (Model 101) Terminator back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (played by: Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones, Solo: A Star Wars Story, & Voice from the Stone)). Kyle Reese (played by: Jai Courtney from Suicide Squad, A Good Day to Die Hard, Jack Reacher, & Spartacus: War of the Damned)) volunteers to travel back & make sure nothing happens to her. As he’s going away he sees John being attacked by Alex (played by: Matt Smith from Dr. Who, The Crown, & Lost River). Skynet’s T-800 is disabled by Sarah & “Pops” also known as The Guardian (played by: Arnold Schwarzenegger from The Terminator franchise, Predator, Total Recall, Commando, & The Running Man). He’s a reprogrammed T-800 sent to protect Sarah when she was nine years old. When Kyle arrives, he is intercepted by a T-1000 (played by: Lee Byung-hun from G.I. Joe 1/2, I Saw the Devil, Red 2, & The Magnificent Seven). He forms an alliance with Sarah & The Guardian to stop the machine. They learn that Skynet is called “Genisys” & it’s embraced by the public. Miles (played by: Courtney B. Vance from American Crime Story, E.R., & Law & Order: Criminal Intent) & Danny Dyson (played by: Dayo Okeniyi from The Hunger Games, Runner Runner, & Shades of Blue) are the ones pushing it. John suddenly appears & rescues them but something doesn’t seem right. After a questionable situation Detective O’Brien (played by: J.K. Simmons from Spider-Man trilogy, OZ, Whiplash, & Justice League) helps them soon after being captured by law enforcement. They must battle an unexpected enemy to save everyone to avoid Judgement Day & termination!!!!

Terminator Genisysis highly under-rated! It’s not as good as the first two but it’s much better than the other two before it. I can’t believe it’s actually one of those types that seems to be either love it or hate it because there’s no in between with this one. It’s definitely the highest quality film from the series when it comes to visual effects & production value. It looked top notch when it came to that department. No one can debate that especially the re-creation of the younger Terminator. When I first seen that in theaters it blew my mind! I couldn’t believe how great it looked & it was exactly like the original version. The cast is also very impressive in this somewhat reboot for Terminator. I just honestly wish they would pick one actor to play John Connor because it’s been a new face every time they make a new feature or television show from this beloved universe.  This is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most diverse performance as his famous character. I thought he was hilarious in this & his timing was pretty damn good. As a big Game of Thrones fan, I could watch Emilia Clarke in anything. I thought she pulled off the iconic female role very well in this. Jason Clarke didn’t really resemble anything close to all the previous John Conners but his performance was better than most of them. Genisysis can get very complicated at times & it does throw alot out there but it comes together at the end. I hope this brand new 4K release will get people to give it another shot because it deserves it. It still holds up to me!!!!

Let’s talk about the high definition from Paramount Pictures! This 2160p (2.39:1) 4K transfer is reference quality! One of the most visually stunning science fiction in the last few years & it looks even better upgraded to 4K. Dolby Vision & HDR10 helps it go past many other catalog titles out there in this format. It has 5 different audio options which include English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 , French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, & Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1! Just like the picture quality, the sound is also reference quality! It’s the perfect disc to test out your home system. I can’t believe how much better it is now. It features subtitles for English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, & Spanish.

Let’s discuss the special features on disc 3 from this set. Reset the Future: Constructing Terminator Genisys: An eight-part feature. “Paradigm Shift” is a little over 15 minutes. It features all kinds of interviews. It goes over making the new film. It chats about technology these days.  Arnold is being talked about  it’s been awhile since he played this iconic character. They bring up the director for the feature & various other subjects. “Family Dynamics” is almost 16 minutes. It’s all about the cast & the familiar characters in this series. “Old. Not Obsolete” is a little over 15 minutes. It goes over new technology & how some of the visual effects were created for this production. “Tactical Apparel ” is almost 12 minutes & goes into detail about the clothes worn here. It shows the different styles of the roles. “A Once and Future War ” is 16 minutes & it covers multiple subjects. It goes into action scenes, effects, weapons, & the stunts of the film.  “Infiltration and Termination” is 25 minutes & focuses on the locations of the feature. “Manipulating Matter” is 30 minutes & it’s a more detailed view of the effects. It takes you into the post production process & the work done during it. “Exiles in Time” is 10 minutes & it highlights the strengths of the film from various people involved. “Battle on the Bridge: Multi-Angle Scene Breakdown” is 10 minutes & goes into detail about the sequence. It has 3 different options for viewing it. This is a real solid collection of extras & it pretty much covers everything when it comes to the production of this. I am glad I got to revisit this again. It’s gets better each time I watch it. I highly recommend that you upgrade your previous release or finally buy this version!!!!