Movies I Like That Everyone Else Hates

Terminator: Genisys

Now that October is over, that means I'm going to go back to talking about non-horror films I like that everyone else hates. That doesn't mean, however, I'm not open to talking about horror movies. I did the whole horror thing as a theme for Halloween. Anyway, the Terminator Franchise. When I first moved to the Tri-Cities, one of the first legitimate R-rated action films. I saw a bit of Terminator 2 Judgment Day, and I was hooked! Remember, I'd seen Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer and Bridge To Terabithia prior, and I loved Fairly Odd Parents. When I first saw the T-1000, his metallic appearance reminded me of the Silver Surfer I'd seen on screen. It was hard to believe this was the same actor (Robert Patrick) who played the father in Bridge to Terabithia. When I saw Schwarzenegger on screen, I thought he was the voice of Jorgen Von Strangle, not realizing that Schwarzenegger's voice was so iconic, it was a source of parody in cartoons. And Jorgen was one of those characters that parodied Arnold, with a hilarious impression done by Daran Norris. Anyway, after watching T2, I was a Terminator fan, and an Arnold Schwarzenegger fan; for life!

I remember when I saw Terminator Salvation in theaters, with Schwarzenegger sadly missed. They did feature footage of 1984 Arnie to bring him to life, and that was awesome. And it was bittersweet seeing Stan Winston's animatronic effects for the last time. I didn't realize that this James Cameron collaborator had sadly passed away 10 years ago. He was a brilliant craftsman, and while some of his works may have been grotesque to some, they were beautiful to the eyes of a technician. T4 could've been better. Especially with an R rating.

When I heard they were doing a 5th Terminator film with Schwarzenegger returning, I was excited. The story looked interesting. It was basically having the events of the films be changed due to time travel. It makes more sense than the pointless retconning of the Halloween Franchise. Plus it would feature effects from people who worked for Stan Winston. So I saw it in theaters. And I thought it was enjoyable. I liked the shot-for-shot filming they used for some scenes, like this.

The only change in this scene was that Bill Paxton didn't die. The homages were nice to see. Emilia Clarke looked like a young Linda Hamilton, and did alright with Sarah Connor. I liked the performances, and Arnold did not disappoint. While the T-1000 can never replicate the same magic seen in T2, this version was passable. Critics weren't so kind to the film. Rotten Tomatoes rated it a 26%, and it didn't perform well at the box office. People just love hating on this movie, and I think all that mean spirited hate is unnecessary. Besides, it got praised by James Cameron. And when you get the seal of approval from the original creator himself, you at least have done something right. So screw what everyone else says, Terminator Genysis is alright, and I can't wait for future installments. A franchise may be old, but not obsolete.