10 Movies That Tried To Exploit Nostalgia (And Failed)
3. Terminator Genisys
Based on the title of this article, it should be obvious that Terminator Genisys tried and failed to exploit nostalgia. However, having apparently learned nothing from either this movie or Salvation, in just a few months they're going to try once more. Arnold Schwarzenegger obviously returns having spent the last 35 years warning us that he'd be back, but this time Linda Hamilton returns to the fold for the first time since 1991.
Refusing to let the T800 ride off into the sunset after the first two classic entries, the Terminator franchise has instead spent the best part of three decades convoluting the timeline. Rise of the Machines delivered a straight-up sequel, Salvation gave fans the future-set war movie they thought they wanted (until McG f**ked it up), and then Genisys decided to dive back into the past and revisit the original's 1984 setting, with less-than-stellar results.
We see the war-ravaged future again, Kyle Reese goes back in time to save Sarah Connor again, Arnold Schwarzenegger picks a nice night for a walk again, a T1000 appears again, someone says 'come with me if you want to live' again, the list goes on. There are some tweaks made to the established mythology (namely the John Connor 'twist' that was spoiled in the trailers), but the entire plot is basically comprised of things that have been done before, and done much better.