10 Reasons Terminator Genisys Isn't As Bad As You Think

Terminator: Genisys has taken a lot of heat from movie fans since its release late last week - but is it really deserved?

Regardless of criticism, the fifth film in the storied Terminator franchise is still the third best movie in the series to date. And while that might be setting the bar low considering how disappointing Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator: Salvation were, it's still something to consider. 

Something else to consider is that fans tend to view the series through rose tinted glasses; if you go back and watch The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day today, they're certainly not the greatest films of all time, or even close to it. They're fun action movies, not untouchable pinnacles of the craft.

What they are, frankly, is smart action films with a sci-fi twist and a decent handling of time travel, a concept severely muddled the further the series went on, and something of a sticking point for critics of the fifth film.

It's not all doom and gloom though: Terminator: Genisys is not nearly as bad as you thought it was. It had several high points and still managed to improve on a couple of failings found in the lesser sequels. Not sold yet? Then let's get specific...

In the first two Terminator films, audiences were presented with a bleak glimpse of a future painted in washed out purple and greys, with laser rifles and flying Hunter-Killer units working to eliminate any human resistance alongside skeletal fighting units and disguised Terminators. This was the future war that fans grew up with; this was the future war they wanted to see play on out the big screen.

Flash forward to 2009's Terminator: Salvation. A lot was riding on the fourth film in the franchise, which was finally to tell the story of the future war, and stray from the time travel plotline that had been key to the first three films. However, the task was handed to an unproven director (McG) best known for the Charlie's Angels franchise. 

He seemed ill-equipped to handle such a massive responsibility, and wound up unable to control star Christian Bale. It didn't help that a leak scuttled plans for an ending that was actually inspired, but perhaps the worst sin was the look of the film: over-exposed. Bright. In a desert setting, it was far from the bleak, grey future painted in the Cameron films. Gone were the laser rifles, in were machines that looked like something out of a Transformers movie.

At the very least, Terminator: Genisys corrected this. It got the future right.