The original Terminator was an incredible blend of science fiction and slasher flick, and a film that influenced both genres for years to come. Then, seven years later, Terminator 2: Judgment Day came along and proved that sequels could be better then their predecessors. Both movies were able to do this because of their innate simplicity: while there was plenty of sci-fi technobabble sprinkled throughout, the core story was simple. Terminator and its sequel were about running from a giant, unstoppable Austrian robot from the future.
If the franchise had ended after Terminator 2, everything would have been fine. Unfortunately, it didn't.
Future installments all varied wildly in their quality, but one thing was certain: what had once been a mildly confusing story of one man sending his own father back in time to give birth to himself quickly became a mess of alternate timelines, way too many Terminators and Christian Bale yelling at people. So, with Terminator: Genisys currently proving that its terrible title is a reflection of the film's quality, we're going to try and simplify the Terminator timeline - at least before the robots take over and reboot the franchise.
And that's it for the basics. If, for whatever reason, you haven't seen the first two movies, go ahead and watch them: Terminator and its sequel are two of the best sci-fi horror/action movies ever made.
Unfortunately, the rest of the series just doesn't hold up. Terminator Salvation is basically a war movie with CG robots, and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is just a bland movie. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it goes against everything that the prior films established just to eke out a sequel. And then there's the TV show. Let's put it this way: there's a reason it didn't last more than two seasons.
Sadly, it doesn't look like Terminator: Genisys will do much more to help the series' reputation. That being said, if you want to go out and see it anyway, Terminator: Genisys hits theaters on July 1.
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