Terminator: Dark Fate

I'll be honest, Dark Fate is more mediocre than unwatchable, probably the best Terminator since T2... yeah, I know, the bar is so low, it's like limbo dancing at this point. This feels similar to The Force Awakens: in itself a slick, decent movie, but I've already watched the much better original, so thanks but no thanks.

Positives? Mackenzie Davis, for whom I've had a hopeless crush since seeing her as a cute NASA geek in The Martian (and then again in Blade Runner 2049), plays a relatable, compelling character, with an intriguing mix of power and vulnerability. There are also a couple of neat set-pieces, especially in the first half, before everything becomes over-the-top tiresome.

Linda Hamilton and Arnold show up for fanservice. It's kind of nice to see them both back with significant roles but, as is typical of fanservice, it's like gorging on too much chocolate: tastes good at first, but then come nausea and a vague feeling of shame.

My main point is, the Terminator series is now hopeless, as the last movies, especially Genisys, have poisoned the well. The continuity is a mess and keeps being rebooted, so everything is pointless: no development can feel meaningful. Show of hands: who would be particularly surprised if the next Terminator movie was once again about John Connor leading the Resistance in another alternate continuity? No one? Thought so.

Also, the new villain being so talkative was possibly the single stupidest idea in the whole project. You know why Arnold in T1 and Robert Patrick in T2 were so terrifying? Because they shut up! They said very little and, the few times they spoke, it always felt like something they did out of pure necessity (probing for informations, setting up a trap) but was fundamentally alien to their nature.

This Rev-9 tries to talk its antagonists out of fighting him! Can anyone picture the T-1000 reasoning with its targets? The great Robert Patrick studied and imitated the body language of birds of prey to look creepier and inhuman, and the new bad guy wants to chat. Give me a break.

5/10

Arnie saves this, Seen it a few times, skip till when Arnie comes in the movie. He has a great subtle wit about him. This kind of humour would be great to see him do more of.

In its core its a rehash of everything we have seen before only worse. As many said before some characters are almost a parody of their former selfs. The writers wanted to mess with the viewers expectations. So they also included a couple of surprises that no one asked for. They even succeeded in gender swapping a key character which happens a lot in movies theses days. And of course lots of stupid jokes. The action seems to be all CGI so nothing really exiting happening. I hope they won't do another one. Its depressing to see a franchise getting destroyed this way.

"Dark Fate" is a direct sequel to Cameron's original "Terminators" and ignores movies and series that have come out in the meantime, treating them as alternate timelines. I count that as a plus because the films in question are a desecration of Cameron's legacy. Also, I was glad to see Linda Hamilton and Schwarzenegger again in this franchise. But to be fair, this is no sequel, but a rather pathetic recycling of the first two films bordering on a remake. It is effective in arousing nostalgia among fans, but if we ignore that, the film is completely redundant and its only goal is to milk a few more dollars on account of the old glory.

5/10

I'm a huge Terminator fan, I re-watched both 1 & 2 before seeing this. Big mistake.

I'm gutted to say that this film has none of what makes Terminator 2 one of the best films of all time. The writing is below par, plot uninteresting and emotional connection between the Terminator and John Connor, none of that either. James Cameron, what is this? Mind, I don't think he's been on form for a good few years now.

What makes Terminator 2 an amazing film aside from the brilliant plot, amazing effects, great screen writing and superb acting is the emotional connection between the Terminator and John Connor. This is the life blood of that film and makes the viewer really believe that despite the hopeless future humanity is facing, if this Terminator can protect John then maybe mankind has a chance. The Terminator is a father figure to John and this is what connects the audience with the film so much. The heart wrenching ending cannot be forgotten. The fact that we forget the the Terminator isn't human because of how well the film builds the bond. This is what makes Terminator 2 so great, not the epic action sequences.

So I'm sad to say this film has absolutely none of that. CGI, CGI and more CGI. Do away with the depth of character building, emotional connections and just add over the top action. It's a poor follow up and lacks everything of what made 1 & 2 great. The acting is decent, Davis, Hamilton and Schwarzenegger do a good job but they've got very little to work with here. This is what disappointed me the most. Why does it lack substance? This is James Cameron's epic creation and this is what he serves up along with Tim Miller? A total cash in if I've ever seen one. I'm not going to divulge into the plot anymore, there's no need as it can't even be mentioned in the same breath as the first two films.

If this film was viewed as a generic action film at the cinema it'd still be mediocre. The fact that this is supposed to follow on from the brilliant Terminator 2 just makes it even more disappointing. This is James Cameron's judgment day.

Do yourselves a favour and wait until it hits home release or if you are planning on seeing it, don't bother watching the first two beforehand, you'll be even more disappointed.