Years after stopping Judgment Day, Sarah Connor must help an enhanced human from the future protect a young girl from a new Terminator.
ACTION/SCI-FI
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Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)Directed by Tim Miller
Written by David S. Goyer, Justin Rhodes, Billy Ray Starring Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Tom Hopper, Edward Furlong Sequel to 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day |
The Terminator franchise has not had it easy since the release of the second movie. After the one-two punch of the first two installments, it would be followed by three very disappointing follow ups. It had appeared the franchise had been terminated. But then, it was announced original writer and director, James Cameron, had gotten the rights back and was intent on making the third film he always wanted. That’s right, you heard me. Third film. Cameron immediately went about setting things right by ignoring the events of the sequels past T2. Then, the trailer was released. I wasn’t immediately impressed. After the burnout of previous entries and not the most eye-popping trailer released, I was a bit skeptical. But I went ahead and watched it. And I’m glad I did. It took a while, but we finally got a sequel to enjoy which follows the events of T2 directly.
To start off with the hugest positive this film has is the performances. Specifically, the return of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor. Much Like Jamie Lee Curtis in last year’s Halloween, Hamilton proves she was a vital missing piece to this franchise. Schwarzenegger may be the biggest star attached, but this has always been Hamilton’s franchise. She imbues the vulnerability and tough as nails attitude with perfection. You feel for her when you see what her life has become has done to her. You also root for her when she is kicking some Terminator ass. Needless to say, Sarah Connor is back. That’s not to say the rest of the cast falters. Arnold Schwarzenegger is great as the iconic character and it’s great to see him sharing scenes with Hamilton again. Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, and Gabriel Luna are also fantastic. Now, the action. Dark Fate doesn’t disappoint at all in this category. Each action set piece just gets bigger and better as the film rolls. Not all is perfect, though. While it’s not super distracting, some of the more CGI-filled moments have a cartoony feel to them which I noticed throughout. Also, Gabriel Luna, as I said, does a great performance as the villain, but he still doesn’t rise up to Robert Patrick levels of bad guy awesomeness. Something, admittedly, I think will be very hard to top due to how iconic Patrick’s villain is now. Like many fans, I had written off the Terminator franchise. But Dark Fate has fully restored my faith. Having James Cameron directly involved improved it. Having Linda Hamilton back in her iconic role proves absolutely vital. If this ends up being the final one, I’m okay with that. But, if this franchise will indeed be back, I’m actually excited for what they have in store for us. Terminator: Dark Fate is the kick in the metal this franchise needed. So, if you’re on the fence about this, go check it out. You won’t be disappointed. |
Terminator: Dark Fate is the sequel/reboot that hardcore fans have been waiting for for decades. Featuring the long-awaited return of Linda Hamilton as badass heroine Sarah Connor and a fresh, exciting story that keeps you invested from beginning to end, this sixth franchise installment breathes new life into the franchise and makes for a hell of a ride. This film ignores the events of Terminator 3, Terminator Salvation, and Terminator Genisys, and instead acts as a direct sequel to Terminator 2, stating that Sarah, John, and the T-800 were successful in stopping Judgment Day, but fate had other plans.
Our new heroes are Grace (Mackenzie Davis), a human with cyborg-enhanced body chemistry and Dani (Natalia Reyes), the next leader of mankind's new human resistance after the machines take over in the new future. Skynet no longer exists, and the new overarching A.I. is called Legion, and it created the new villain, the Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna), the best franchise villain since the T-1000. He's intimidating and infuriatingly hard to kill. The new characters are likable and interesting, and the film acts as a sort of passing of the torch film for Hamilton and Schwarzenegger, who gives his best performance since the first two films. Terminator: Dark Fate excels at bringing back the gritty, realistic, cynical yet optimistic tone of the first two classic films, but also sets the stage for a new generation of human resistance. I had the privilege of seeing this film weeks ago at one of the Alamo Drafthouse's surprise fan screenings, and it made for an eventful, memorable night at the movies. But even if I hadn't gotten it sprung on me, this still would've been an awesome flick. |