10 Problems Terminator Genisys Sequel Must Address

More than a few industry commentators have been tempted to write off the possibility of a sequel to Terminator Genisys. Domestic ticket sales for the opening weekend were certainly far from great, but Paramount are still impressed with what they describe as "spectacular" international sales and have promised more Terminator movies are coming.

Long scheduled for release on May 19th, 2017, the sequel certainly has a lot of explaining to do when it comes to filling in the plot holes from Terminator Genisys, and director Alan Taylor knows it. In a recent interview he said, "Yes, the looming questions are, ‘Who sends Pops back? Where did Skynet get it together to attack John Connor? How did that happen?’ And there are answers to these things that are not provided in this movie, instantly."

There's plenty of food for thought on what direction the narrative could take from here, and with Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed as being on board for the next instalment the time traveling shenanigans are only just beginning. But if Paramount want the franchise to go from strength to strength, some serious issues are going to have to be addressed to avoid the critical mauling experienced by Genisys.

So where did Terminator Genisys go wrong? Let's take a look at some of the problems a sequel will need to address.

Of all the composers working in the film industry today, Hans Zimmer has influenced the tone of blockbuster movie scores the most. His percussive style coupled with the loud horn stabs first used in Inception are familiar from countless movies (not to mention trailers).

That Terminator Genisys' composer Lorne Balfe is an associate of Zimmer, working for his company Remote Control Productions, is clear just a short while into the movie - it's a swelling orchestral score in a style we're all familiar with. However, moments when familiar motifs from the original two movies pop up remind us just how great Brad Fiedel's original music was - pounding and insistently building up an ominous feeling of dread.

Scores for large budget movies have a tendency to sound increasingly samey; a return to the electronic-leaning minimalism which helped make the first two Terminator movies so tense would be a welcome improvement on Genisys. Still, the generic-sounding score is far from the most serious problem a sequel would need to address.