When Does "Terminator Genisys" (2015) Take Place?
"Terminator Genisys" is a science fiction film written by Laeta Kalogridis with Patrick Lussier, David Ellison, and Dana Goldberg that released June 25th, 2015. So when is "Genisys" set?
It takes place in the year:
We know this because midway through the movie Detective O'Brien says, "He hasn't aged. Not a bit since I saw him in 1984." Detective O'Brien only takes part in the 1984 AD and 2017 AD segments. Furthermore, most of these scenes mirror ones in "The Terminator" (1984), which takes place in May of 1984 AD so we can presume it is May of 1984 AD in the early part of the story. Also, the second shot of these scenes includes a time and place setting title card over the footage that reads "LOS ANGELES 1984 1:52 AM". The main action mostly takes place after 1984 AD.
2017 AD
We know this because midway through the movie Detective O'Brien says, "He hasn't aged. Not a bit since I saw him in 1984." Detective O'Brien only takes part in the 1984 AD and 2017 AD segments. Furthermore, most of these scenes mirror ones in "The Terminator" (1984), which takes place in May of 1984 AD so we can presume it is May of 1984 AD in the early part of the story. Also, the second shot of these scenes includes a time and place setting title card over the footage that reads "LOS ANGELES 1984 1:52 AM". The main action mostly takes place after 1984 AD.
The majority of the main action in one calendar year setting is Kyle Reese's second trip in time forward to October of 2017 AD identified by the Pepsi vending machine knocked over by two dueling Terminators: the logo on the side of the machine is the 'smile' Pepsi logo with its distinctive wider swoop, used to promote the line of sugary drinks from June 1st, 2009 AD to August 23rd, 2023 AD. So it must be between June 2009 AD and August 2023 AD. Furthermore, it is the stated goal of the second time travel trip. Kyle's vision includes the phrase "Go to San Francisco, 2017". It's also labeled at it's very first shot with a title card reading: "SAN FRANCISCO 2017".
Additionally, the movie opens with an August of 1997 AD prologue that shows the moment of Judgment Day. Kyle Reese's narration tells us what we are seeing happened "On August 29th, 1997"...
Then, the prologue continues on to give us the state of things in 2029 AD. A flashback during the 2017 AD portion takes place here as well.
Later, Reese has a very quick vision of an alternate version of his 13th birthday in 2012 AD .
Finally, there's a short flashback that starts just moments after Sarah Connor says to Kyle, "It's back in 1973." So we know it almost certainly takes place in 1973 AD.
The film's director Alan Taylor has said in an interview (epitext): "We start in 2029 during the Future War, then go back to... 1984, jumping into... 2017... But when we start the movie we’re actually pre-Judgment Day... And then Judgment Day happens. Then we cut ahead to... Post-Judgment Day. So that’s actually two more time frames, just within the prologue... Then when we time travel with Kyle he’s remembering an alternate timeline, which was his 13th birthday in the happy time-verse, which would be 2012 seen in two different ways... And... we flash back to the 1970s".
It is the fourth chronological film in the Terminator universe and can be watched at its timeline point or after all other installments in the series.
