2015 seems to be the year of long-awaited films that are hybrid sequels and reboots. We have movies that not only continue the events of previous entries, but also reset the franchise and usher in a new era. This year, some of these films soared with success while others fell flat. We have “Jurassic World,” which is now one of the highest grossing films ever, and “Terminator Genisys,” which is forgettable at best. The key to a successful reboot/sequel is creating a film that can truly stand on its own but also honors its past. This is a tricky balance, and we’ll evaluate why “Jurassic World” feels like an epic blockbuster in its own right and “Terminator Genisys” just feels like high budget fan-fiction.

New Plot

“Jurassic World’s” basic plot formula is familiar: they open the park, things go wrong, we fix them in the end. Sure, it’s simple, but it works. We know the basic equation, and it’s the difference of variables where we have excitement. In “Terminator Genisys,” however, we do not really have a new plot, but instead we have a wrinkle in time of old plot lines. This just made the movie overly complicated and hard to follow. More so, if you were new to the Terminator franchise, there was no way you could really understand what was going on.

The Occasional Callback

Let’s be honest here, we see “Jurassic World” because we love the Jurassic franchise. We would be let down if the series did not honor its past. This is what the occasional callback is perfect for. It reminds us of the history and legacy of the franchise, but at the same time, does not hold the new film back from being its own entity. “Terminator Genisys” however does not simply have an occasional callback or reference, but is a house of cards built with references and callbacks. Instead of honoring the details that we loved about the original films, they just disrespect our nostalgia and try to rewrite a history that should be left alone.

New Characters

In “Jurassic World,” we see references to old characters and the occasional appearance, but they in no way overshadow the new characters that are the heart of the film. The excitement of a reboot is that we can see the situation and brand familiarity we know and love with new people, so milking past characters is just living in the past.

Seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger as a Terminator occasionally is fun, sure. With that said though, if “Terminator Genisys” wants to usher in a new era of the franchise, it is probably best to leave him behind. In fact, a brief appearance that could serve as a passing of the torch would have been sophisticated and appreciated, but instead he just seems like a presence to sell tickets.

Erik Benjamin is a television radio, and film major. If you want to talk movies he can be reached at ebenjami@syr.edu.

 

Published on July 12, 2015 at 11:40 pm