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TagSarah Connor (Terminator Genisys)

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Time travel concept. Abstract spiral of flying clocks in a colorful vortex.

Terminator Genisys Review, Part 10: Too Many Time Machines!

Terminator Genisys was simply removed from the canon, and for good reason, as we will see
I have warned about the perils of using time travel in storytelling. This movie is a prime example of the problems I was talking about. Read More ›
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man with smoking head - vaudeville villain

Terminator Genisys Review Part 9: When Writers Hate a Character

Essentially, the writers hated John but knew the audience loved him, so they tried to hide their attitude; however, their contempt leaked into the script
Deprived of the natural motivations they started the story with, the characters become carbon cutouts of clichés that people have seen over and over again. Read More ›
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Blurred silhouette of a child behind a glass door in the darkness (symbolizing sadness, loneliness, horror or fear)

Terminator Genisys Review Part 8: The Evil Child Murders the Film

The screenwriters tried to adapt the Evil Child theme from horror films without allowing enough time to build the needed suspense
Making John Connor a villain also removes Sarah’s motivation to fight Skynet. Without that, she’s just another generic tough girl fighting an army of robots. Read More ›
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Contrasting Headwear Symbolizing White Hat and Black Hat SEO Techniques

Terminator Genisys Review, Part 7: Now John Connor Is the Bad Hat

Why don’t Hollywood screenwriters understand the importance of what the audience thinks is at stake?
The way writers make fantasy engaging — and sci-fi is a form of fantasy — is by anchoring the hard-to-grasp concepts with familiar ideas. Read More ›
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old warehouse on a wharf at night

Terminator Genisys Review, Part 6: Things Certainly Speed Up

But unfortunately, that means that built-in complications become even more tangled
Curiously, once Kyle Reese is safe, he is transformed from a confident, well-meaning soldier into an idiot with a surprising lack of common sense. Read More ›
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Chrono-Luminescence: Futuristic Light Tree Illustrating Divergent Timelines in Digital Forest

Terminator Genisys Review, Part 5: Too Many Terminators in Here!

The chaos created by tampering with the timeline of the franchise continues
The problem with resetting the timeline is that the audience’s emotional stake in the outcome necessarily diminishes when no events are permanent. Read More ›
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Sci-fi factory | Ai Generated

Terminator Genisys Review, Part 4: The Fatal Flaw, Revisited

Genisys didn’t perform well but it makes a good illustration of the issues science fiction writers face
I don’t know if the inconsistencies were enough to convince the powers that be in Hollywood to try to make an entirely different sequel but viewers tuned out. Read More ›
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Terminator Genisys Review Part 2: A Colossal Monster Mash

The writers wanted the recreated scenes to be fond “memory berries” for the audience but they ran into problems setting them up properly
Terminator Genisys is one of those movies where that create a growing sense of unease that viewers can’t quite put a finger on. Read More ›
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time loop, concept

Terminator Genisys Review, Part 1: What Was the Point?

When filming a sequel, it’s important to draw on the previous story, to keep the viewer emotionally invested in the characters
Genisys completely ignores everything set up in Terminator Salvation and Terminator 3 and assassinates John’s character, reducing the emotional stakes. Read More ›