Terminator: Dark Fate Movie Review
Erasing the Past to Change the Future
Well, they did it. They made another Terminator movie and this Terminator movie went back in time and erased the last three Terminator movies. (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation, and Terminator Genysis.) For anyone who liked those three movies, you can have a moment of silence now. For those, like me, who thought they were terrible compared to the first 2 you can have a moment of elation. Now that we have that out of the way we need to talk about the new Terminator movie, Dark Fate. Is it worth rewriting Terminator history, or is it another flop that years from now will be erased itself? Let’s find out.
Non-Spoiler Review for Geek for E
While I try my best not to include spoilers in my reviews sometimes light ones do happen. If you are looking for an absolutely non-spoiler review of Terminator: Dark Fate you can check out my short spoiler-free review for Geek for E HERE. Also, I do not have a “Safe for Kids” section for this movie. THIS MOVIE IS NOT FOR KIDS.
Synopsis
At the end of Terminator: Judgement Day Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) was able to save her son and humanity. But you cannot run from fate, and eventually, a T-800 Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), from a future that they just changed, catches up to Sarah and John. John does not survive. Even though John dies and Judgement Day and Skynet never happen humanity still doesn’t learn it’s lesson, and Skynet is replaced by another A.I. called Legion.
Legion changes the future, and in an attempt to save itself Legion sends its own Terminator, Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna), back in time to kill Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes). Again, the future human resistance fights back and sends back an augmented human, Grace (Mackenzie Davis), to protect Dani. But even with being augmented Grace does not have the ability to protect Dani all by her self. By luck or fate, Sarah Connor finds herself with a new purpose in life, to hunt Terminators. Aided by an unknown ally Sarah is given information to be in the right place/time to help Grace and Dani. Sarah might not have been able to save her son, but she decides to help protect Dani to prevent another apocalyptic future.
My Review
I liked Dark Fate better than the last 3 Terminator movies. It brought back the feel of the first 2. (The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day.) My favorite out of the 3 Terminator movies is still Judgement Day, but hey. Haha! When we think of these movies a lot of people believe they ride on the back of Arnold Schwarzenegger because he is the Terminator in the Terminator movies. But he was in Rise of the Machines and Genysis and they, in my opinion, were terrible. So what was it that made The Terminator and Judgement Day so good? 2 people, James Cameron and Linda Hamilton.
They are the backbone of the Terminator movies, and with their return for Dark Fate, we see that. In Dark Fate, there is action like you would expect in a Terminator movie, and a couple of the characters get great lines but seeing what has become of Sarah Connor after Judgement Day was nice. Now, I will admit Dark Fate is not an A+ movie. Haha! It has some issues. Some timeline issues, scenes in the movie that seem awkward/forced, and there isn’t much change in the overall story. Also, they left a lot of unanswered questions regarding the new A.I. Legion, about Grace the augmented human, and Carl. Haha! In all Dark Fate reset the Terminator franchise and I do look forward to seeing if they make more, and I really hope Linda Hamilton and James Cameron are on board.
My Rating
I give Dark Fate a B-. I really wish I could give it a higher rating, but I can’t. It breaks my fan heart to say that. With the timeline issues, those awkward scenes, and the story. They could have done more to make it better, but the fact it’s already better than the last 3 says something. Haha! The stand out actors in the movie are Linda Hamilton and Mackenzie Davis. They are badass, and their witty back and forth between each other is hilarious. Mackenzie Davis and Gabriel Luna’s fight scenes are awesome, and if there is another movie I hope they return. Terminator: Dark Fate is in theaters now. Go see it, and come back and let me know what you think.
I appreciate this review. Its thoughtfulness and caution prepare me for the movie’s flaws, but like P in BF, I am prepared to enjoy this latest iteration of the series. Yes, the last three were miserable, but I think this film will resurrect my interest, and my appreciation for he story line. Thanks for a great review!