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Terminator: Dark Fate
(Paramount Pictures/Skydance/20th Century Fox)
By Lucas Allen
Director James Cameron returns to the sci-fi universe he created 35 years ago, this time as co-story writer and producer. “Terminator: Dark Fate” forgoes the previous three sequels to act as a direct sequel to 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” with the return of its two leading stars.
With “Deadpool” director Tim Miller at the helm, expect more action, comedy, and drama, with cyborgs fighting and stuff exploding. Although Skynet is no more at the end of the first sequel, it’s high time the filmmakers try to soldier on with a new threat and a new apocalypse.
Dani (Natalia Reyes) is a young Mexican woman leading a simple life to support her family while working at an auto factory. Her life changes one day when a deadly Terminator, the Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna), who has the ability to split into two deadly halves, tries to kill her. Fortunately, a technological-enhanced soldier from the future, Grace (Mackenzie Davis), saves her and tries to protect her.
Enter Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton), who spent 20 years hunting Terminators since the death of her son John. It soon becomes apparent that the machines were spawned from a roguish AI called Legion and Dani plays a pivotal role in saving the future.
After some repeated escapes, the trio eventually reaches the cabin home of Carl (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who Sarah recognizes as the T-800 model who killed her son. Despite being an aging Terminator, he has since learned humanity and has become a loving husband and father. Now he’ll help our heroes protect Dani, battle the Rev-9, and save the future.
If this sounds all-too familiar to you, it shouldn’t be surprising that it’s a T2 redo, though they do try to spice things up a little more. With a series that includes time-travel as a central part of the plot, it’s natural that each film tends to repeat certain elements in its storytelling engine. If you’re already tired of it, you won’t find this movie as good as the first two. But if it’s still something that interests you, you’ll find something entertaining about it.
With that said, the movie manages to be much more entertaining than any of the previous sequels post-T2. There are a lot of spectacular action set pieces that don’t disappoint with each one better than the last. The number of explosions and crashes puts other modern action movies to shame, especially with Cameron’s name attached to it. Not to mention, it also has a great balance of comedy and drama that help balance with all the action as well.
Having both Hamilton and Schwarzenegger together again in a Terminator movie proves to be a major plus. She gives her Sarah Conner character more of an older, wiser personality like she still knows what new threats are always coming. Schwarzenegger naturally retains every great thing you’ve come to expect from his most famous role of the T-800. Everything from his action beats to his funny lines is classic Arnold, while Hamilton has memorable lines of her own.
The rest of the cast also does a serviceable job bringing their best to this film. Luna is able to recreate the chilling persona of Robert Patrick’s T-1000 delivering a tough-as-nails performance as a new classic Terminator villain. Davis gives her own strong presence as a new female hero, while Reyes is a revelation as the key to Earth’s salvation.
It’s not clear where this series’ future will go when Cameron retains ownership rights, but “Terminator: Dark Fate” remains a solid improvement with the right ingredients in place. Highly entertaining from beginning to end, it’s worth a watch on the big screen with the added value of Arnold making his big comeback.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for violence throughout, language, and brief nudity)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.5 Stars (Out of Four)
