History YMMV / TerminatorGenisys

* MisaimedMarketing: As discussed [[http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/07/06/box-office-6-reasons-terminator-genisys-bombed-in-america/ here]], the domestic underperformance can be attributed to many factors, but some misguided promotion stands out - making it PG-13 when the franchise is not family-friendly, [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil spoiling the big plot twists in the later trailers]], and just not having enough hooks for the non-fans.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Is Skynet AlwaysChaoticEvil and always wanting to exterminate humanity as it deems them beneath it, or is Skynet/[[spoiler:Genisys]], at least initially, only reacting to the overly aggressive behavior humans display towards it, and is genuinely shocked upon finding out that they're only doing this because in the future, it will end humanity via nuclear war? Either or both interpretations are valid due to the lack of characterization and scenes of the villain.

** Some of the [[http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Theme-Terminator-Genisys-Pictures-Apparently-O-Face-67968.html pre-release images]] invited this due to the over-the-top expressions, with Matt Smith in particular looking like he's having a stroke while firing his gun. In other images, [[http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Terminator-Genisys-Plot-Sounds-Like-Mess-Get-Specifics-67942.html the T-800 looks like it's mugging for the camera]].

* SpecialEffectsFailure: The effects for the film as a whole are among the franchise's weakest, and is not reflective of the $150 million spent.

** What if [[BadassFamily the entire Connor family]] -- John, Sarah, Kyle, and [[HonoraryUncle Guardian T-800]] -- joined together to fight Skynet, [[spoiler:rather than just the latter three fighting a BrainwashedAndCrazy John serving Skynet?]]

* WTHCastingAgency:
** While Jason Clarke as John Connor ended up having some good scenes, the casting decision made people look back at Creator/ChristianBale and Nick Stahl and see them in a better light, noting that Clarke's physique and acting style were too different from the character's usual portrayal.
** Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor. Even though her incarnation of Sarah is supposed to be a hardened badass, Clarke's looks and performance only make her come off like a pouting teenager. She was 27 at the time of filming, but her diminutive size, appearance, and voice make her seem ''much'' younger. Normally not a bad thing, but given this incarnation's backstory of a young woman who spent her childhood alone with Pops in seclusion and in training for a future war[[note]]very clearly channeling Creator/EdwardFurlong's John Connor [[/note]], it doesn't fit all that well. Her physique also drew unfavourable comparisons to that of Linda Hamilton, who went through an incredibly strenuous training regimen to look the part in T2. Clarke, meanwhile, lacked a similarly muscular physique during the filming of Genisys. [[labelnote:however]] As justification, the movie was filmed in between filmings of seasons of the wildly popular Series/GameOfThrones series, where Emilia Clarke starred as Daenerys Targaryen, one of the main characters. So because of time constraints, replicating Hamilton's 13 week, 3-4 hours daily regimen would not only have been unfeasible, but anything that would have radically changed Emilia's body type in between [=GoT's=] seasons would have been discouraged.[[/labelnote]]
** Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese. His buff physique alone makes him TheUnfavorite among long-time fans, especially given how Kyle is supposed to be emaciated due to being born after Judgement Day, but the way he treats his mission as if it was an annoying sidequest of his beloved future war doesn't help either. It also doesn't help that Courtney is seemingly incapable of pulling off an American accent without losing his charisma.
** Why not bring back Joe Morton as Miles Dyson? Unlike the other rebooted characters, Dyson [[TheSlowPath ages in real time]], making Morton the perfect age to play Dyson 24 years later.

** While Jason Clarke as John Connor ended up having some good scenes, the cast decision made people look back at Creator/ChristianBale and Nick Stahl and see them in a better light, noting that Clarke's physique and acting style were too different from the character's usual portrayal.

** Matt Smith will play [[Series/HouseOfTheDragon another Targaryan]], this time an ancestor of Danaerys, played by Emilia Clarke.

* NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize: Yeah, like they're really going to cast the Eleventh Doctor in a throwaway background role.

** Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor. Even though her incarnation of Sarah is supposed to be a hardened badass, Clarke's looks and performance only make her come off like a pouting teenager. She was 27 at the time of filming, but her diminutive size, appearance, and voice make her seem ''much'' younger. Normally not a bad thing, but given this incarnation's backstory of a young woman who spent her childhood alone with Pops in seclusion and in training for a future war, it doesn't fit all that well. Her physique also drew unfavourable comparisons to that of Linda Hamilton, who went through an incredibly strenuous training regimen to look the part in T2. Clarke, meanwhile, lacked a similarly muscular physique during the filming of Genisys. [[labelnote:however]] As justification, the movie was filmed in between filmings of seasons of the wildly popular Series/GameOfThrones series, where Emilia Clarke starred as Daenerys Targaryen, one of the main characters. So because of time constraints, replicating Hamilton's 13 week, 3-4 hours daily regimen would not only have been unfeasible, but anything that would have radically changed Emilia's body type in between [=GoT's=] seasons would have been discouraged.[[/labelnote]]

** The film's very title. While "Genisys" is an actual computing term, it's kind of amazing that alone didn't kill the film at the script stage.