When 2015’s “Terminator: Genisys” arrived it rewrote the Terminator playbook, rebooting the franchise by inventing a wholly separate timeline. In this alternate timeline, the T-800 from the original movie was actually sent back to 1973, not 1984, and became Sarah Connor’s kindly protector, affectionately known as “Pops.” You might be starting to understand why “Genisys” was not the franchise’s triumphant resurgence.
Without getting too bogged down in the needlessly confusing timeline trickery, “Genisys” can be viewed as a standalone entry in the Terminator saga, despite the fact there were several “trippier” sequels planned. However, the film is inexplicably concerned with aping moments from James Cameron’s first movie, making for a bewildering mix of reinvention and homage. So feel free to watch this one whenever the heck you like — though it’ll probably make a bit more sense to watch it after the original “Terminator” so that the nostalgia plays scan.
That just leaves “Terminator: Dark Fate,” which was supposed to restore the Terminator franchise to greatness. Unfortunately, despite bringing back Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor and recruiting James Cameron as producer, Tim Miller’s 2019 effort was yet another misstep in the series. But if you simply have to complete the saga, then “Dark Fate” is supposed to be a direct sequel to “T2.” Ignoring the events of “Terminator 3,” “Salvation,” and “Genisys,” “Dark Fate” sets itself up as the true follow-up to Cameron’s original films. As such, you can go direct from “T2” to “Dark Fate” and the timeline should make sense. That said, Miller’s legacy sequel does start with a sequence that effectively renders the events of “T2” pretty much meaningless — you have been warned. Let’s hope Cameron comes through with that AI-focused “Terminator” movie that may or may not actually materialize.