The other rigid genre straight-jacket Genisys might find itself trapped in (or worse yet, unable to fit in) is the accepted structure for the modern blockbuster. Thanks to the advent of the superhero movie the way that audiences approach their summer popcorn flicks has changed immeasurably; now simply not content with Michael Bay spectacles of CGI excess, they actually expect their big screen fare to be somewhat well written, with jokes wittier than toilet humour or referencing an eight-year-old internet meme. They expect real performances. They expect characters you give a crap about. Terminator Salvation lacked those things, and it was made on the cusp of this transition. The first three Terminator films, meanwhile, were produced in a radically different context - although the epic running time of Judgement Day might be more acceptable nowadays, post-Lord Of The Rings - and thus falling back on those familiar tropes and structures would not only be boring, but hopelessly out of step with the rest of the films that will be vying for people's fistfuls of dollars at multiplexes in 2015. The challenge is not only to make a good Terminator film, but one which will be relevant in today's movie climate.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
