Which 2015 Terminator film features Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor and a T-800 guardian played by Arnold Schwarzenegger?

The 2015 film that features Emilia Clarke as a battle-hardened Sarah Connor and Arnold Schwarzenegger as her T-800 protector, affectionately known as "Pops," is titled Terminator Genisys (Review). This installment in the iconic sci-fi franchise attempted a reboot of the timeline, offering a fresh take on the origin story of the resistance leader, John Connor's mother. In this altered reality, Sarah Connor is not the naive waitress first encountered in 1984, but rather a skilled warrior who has been raised and trained by a reprogrammed Terminator since childhood.

The plot of Terminator Genisys sees Kyle Reese, sent back from a post-apocalyptic 2029, arrive in 1984 only to find a very different past than he expected. Instead of protecting Sarah, he finds her already capable and under the guardianship of an aging T-800, who has been preparing her for the inevitable fight against Skynet. This film reimagines key events from the original movies, presenting a complex narrative where multiple timelines and versions of characters converge, all in an effort to prevent Judgment Day from ever happening.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to his signature role was a significant draw, with the film incorporating his actual age into the storyline by explaining that the living tissue on a Terminator can age like a human. Emilia Clarke, known for her role in Game of Thrones (Review), brought a new intensity to Sarah Connor, portraying her as strong-willed and fiercely independent. Terminator Genisys aimed to be a standalone entry, drawing inspiration from the first two James Cameron films while forging its own path in the convoluted history of the Terminator universe.