Terminator Genisys (2015) is a reboot of the Terminator franchise, creating a new timeline that explores altered events in the war between humans and machines. In the film, set in 2029, John Connor, leader of the human resistance, sends Kyle Reese back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor. However, Kyle finds that history has been drastically changed. Instead of the vulnerable Sarah he expects to find, she has been raised by a reprogrammed T-800 Terminator, known as “Pops,” who has been protecting her since childhood.
Together, Kyle, Sarah, and Pops battle the T-1000 Terminator and the original T-800, but uncover a shocking truth: Skynet, the artificial intelligence responsible for humanityβs destruction, evolves into “Genisys,” a global operating system set to launch in 2017. To prevent this, they travel to 2017, only to discover that John Connor has been turned into a Terminator hybrid by Skynet, setting up a final confrontation between father and son.
In the climactic battle, Pops sacrifices himself to destroy Skynetβs core. With Genisysβs launch averted, it seems the team has successfully delayed Skynetβs rise. However, the film ends with lingering questions about whether the threat is truly gone, as subtle hints suggest Skynet may still have a presence in the world.
The movie blends nostalgic moments from the original Terminator films while adding fresh twists, revisiting key characters and relationships, and exploring themes of fate, free will, and time travel.