It's a sad day when an empire falls, but as history reminds us, often the fall of an empire has been in the works for some time — it's only the headlines that feel sudden. In this case, the empire is the "Terminator" sci-fi franchise. The tragedy is that we knew the fall was coming when "Terminator Salvation" was released in 2009.

The latest, "Terminator Genisys," opened in Japan last week, 31 years after the first "Terminator" was launched in 1984. During that more than three-decade run, a total of five movies were made in addition to a spin-off TV series called "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." It has been a long and memorable haul, but it looks about time to pack it in.

"Terminator Genisys" feels both like a funeral and a humorous eulogy, read out by the deceased's close friend. Director Alan Taylor ("Thor: The Dark World") is clearly comfortable with the fanboy MO as he hits all the familiar signposts and never fails to reverse back and hit them again. You almost expect to hear Arnold Schwarzenegger spew the line from "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" that made action movie history: "Hasta la vista, baby" — but you don't. Instead, the newest (and much duller) Terminator catchphrase is, "Old, but not obsolete."