Ep 130. Honest Trailers - Terminator: Genisys

Honest Trailers is back, and this time they're taking aim at Terminator: Genisys. This highly anticipated sequel/reboot to the iconic sci-fi franchise had a lot of expectations riding on it, but according to the Honest Trailers crew, it falls short in many ways.

The episode starts out by poking fun at the convoluted time-travel plot, which involves multiple timelines, paradoxes, and alternate realities. They joke that the film has so many twists and turns that "it makes Inception look like a straightforward rom-com." They also point out how the film basically erases the events of the first two Terminator movies and inserts new characters and timelines that don't quite fit together.

Next up, Honest Trailers takes on the casting choices, particularly Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor and Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese. They note that both actors struggled to match the iconic performances of Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn from the original film, and that their chemistry together is lackluster at best. They also take a few jabs at Arnold Schwarzenegger's age, saying that he's basically playing a grandfatherly version of the T-800.

The episode then turns its attention to the special effects, which are admittedly impressive in some scenes. However, the crew can't help but point out the uncanny (and unintentionally hilarious) "young Arnold" CGI that appears in one scene, which they claim looks like "something out of a PS2 game."

Finally, Honest Trailers takes aim at the film's attempts to make sense of the convoluted timeline by adding confusing new plot twists and explanations. They joke that the filmmakers were so desperate to explain everything that they "literally used a PowerPoint presentation as a plot device." They also note that the film's attempts to set up a new trilogy of films (which, as we know now, never came to be) feel forced and unsatisfying.

Overall, the episode is a hilarious takedown of a movie that had a lot of potential but ultimately failed to live up to expectations. Whether you're a die-hard Terminator fan or just interested in a good laugh, it's definitely worth checking out.