Terminator: Dark Fate Review
R: Violence throughout, language and brief nudity
Runtime: 2 Hours and 8 Minutes
Production Companies: Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media, 20th Century Fox, Tencent Pictures, Lightstorm Entertainment
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Director: Tim Miller
Writer: David S. Goyer, Justin Rhodes, Billy Ray
Cast: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Diego Boneta
Release Date: November 1, 2019
As OK Go once said, “Oh, here it goes, here it goes, here it goes again. Oh, here it goes again.” We have been salivating for a good Terminator sequel since T2: Judgement Day, which is hailed as one of the best sequels of all time, right next to The Empire Strikes Back and Shrek 2. We (and by “we” I mean me) have been waiting for so long that we would accept anything we get at this point. I’ll admit, I used to — okay, I DO — like Terminator Genisys, but that was during a time where I was truly desperate. I was so desperate that I gave it a four-star rating.
Damn, this franchise needed to do something new with a fresh new take. A new boot to go right up the bum and give them new life. And with Dark Fate, by George, I think they got it!
Serving as a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgement Day (so no pressure there) after Sarah Connor prevented Skynet from taking over the world, Dark Fate focuses on Dani Ramos, a woman who is just living her simple life in Mexico City, working in a factory alongside her brother. But everything in her life goes to shit once a new breed of Terminator called Rev-9 is sent from the future to kill her. You know... staying on brand with the Terminator story. To her surprise, she is instantly protected by a super-soldier from the future named Grace as she learns that the fate of the future lies in her hands. Joined by a badass, hard-edged Sarah Connor and a T-800, it’s up to them to protect Dani and seal the fate of the future.
One of the notable aspects of the film that I enjoyed from the get-go was its R-rating. This isn’t as watered down as the previous Terminators. This is a bloody and brutal action film that is never overly reliant on its gore or violence, but they’re used for effect. The violence is satisfyingly brutal and gory, making this new Terminator named the Rev-9 an actual threat. This new robot functions similar to a symbiote. It’s as if the writers looked at Venom and said, “Fuck it, let’s make the new Terminator a symbiote where has a liquid-metal exoskeleton that moves onto its target to give it cloning abilities. It also has the ability to separate itself from its host exoskeleton and still kill you.” Talk about a two-for-one package. Whenever the Rev-9 kills someone, ounces of CG blood fill up the scene, cementing the justified R-rating and having you on edge, fearful for these characters and making you wonder, “How the hell can these four kill this unkillable threat?” The moments of action that work best are the combat sequences — more so than the big action set pieces. Seeing Mackenzie Davis, friggin’ TULLY, go ham, kicking ass as a super soldier while rocking her Halt and Catch Fire look against this Gabriel Luna Terminator is… how do I say this lightly? FUCKING AWESOME! She’s friggin’ buffed up, flexible as hell, uses a shit ton of weaponry, and actually takes damage (with follow-up sequences where she needs to recover). I stan a physically vulnerable action hero because it elevates the intensity of an action sequence for me.
It took over 20 years for this once-dying franchise to figure out the key ingredient to rejuvenate its story: Linda Hamilton. It wasn't just Arnold Schwarzenegger, it wasn't the T-800, the iconic Terminator design, nor the characters of John Connor and Sarah Connor; it was Linda friggin' Hamilton, whose incredible performance alone warrants the price of admission. This reboot puts her Sarah Connor in a position early on that takes the events of Judgement Day further and kickstarts an arc for her that makes her a major badass you thoroughly root for and sympathize with. Not to give much away, but Connor is taken from a point of grief admixture from trauma and anger, leading her to find a new life purpose, resulting in her being the ultimate Terminator. She’s re-introduced in an effectively badass way. It’s undoubtedly one of the best character intros of 2019, right up there with J.Lo in Hustlers. Most of the emotional beats regarding the characters that hold the most weight are directed towards her. More so than being the most recognizable character that many fans have followed for the first two entries, her lone arc here carries a lot of powerful heft. I actually kind of teared up several times because of her moments of grief. She enters with this understandable hard edge, cynicism, and wisdom, but she’s still a complex human being that you resonate with. It’s less of a Solo in The Force Awakens and more of a Rocky in Creed. Hamilton brings her A-game and reminds you that she is not just Sarah Connor, but the ultimate heart of this franchise.
The creative team behind this third reboot delivers a fresh, and dare I say bold, perspective. Focusing on NEW characters with enticing (yet, predictable as you learn more about them) backgrounds and applying new invigorating arcs to the supporting characters fuels the film. Also, since it takes place in 2019, the film aligns itself with the current climate in America. Does it make any real thoughtful statements, especially since the narrative centers on a Mexican woman who must cross the U.S. border? Surprisingly yes. It has moments of relevancy sure to make a conservative fucker boil. There is an action set piece that takes place at an Immigration Detention Center, a joke about state gun laws, a moment where Grace calls the detention center a prison and gives the person who tries to correct her a glance that says:
Out of all the 2019 movies, I didn’t expect a friggin’ Terminator movie to be the most relevant for our times, including a well-earned feminist message WITHOUT any mention or emphasis on gender. This is the only fucking studio blockbuster of the year that doesn’t take a stupid break in its narrative to enforce a faux feminist statement. It just lets powerful women be powerful characters who have their own individual dimensions and it’s written by three dudes! So, when I say this is a major surprise for me in 2019, I really mean it.
Director Tim Miller has proven to be a serviceable filmmaker in accords of action and really letting his actors deliver great performances. As his sophomore feature, he proves his talent working with his actors more so that directing action sequences without relying heavily on CGI or highways. If you list the locations of the action set pieces in Deadpool and Dark Fate, you'll find that there aren't many differences. Some of the big sequences literally take place in planes, trains, and automobiles. Given Tim Miller’s background as a visual effects artist, it's obvious that the film is completely reliant on CGI. Most of it is effective, but other times it’s pointless. Say what you will about Genisys, but at least the action was clear and didn't feature a cut per movement. The editing here is a bit too quick, especially during the action sequences, distracting you from being completely immersed in the intensity of the scene. You already have an R-rating, it's unnecessary to have a quick cut for each punch, gunshot, or cybernetic stab. A personal gripe for me are the pointless slow-motion shots in the middle of an action sequence. Like, I get it. You have fantastic visual effects and CGI, but on occasion, it becomes Snyder-level of annoying to an extent that it becomes distracting.
Now, as far as the story goes, it’s really a point-A-to-point-B narrative mixed with a cat-and-mouse element. It’s very much in the vein of The Force Awakens where it’s a fun retread of the first film but has enough modern flavor to make it fun, finally incorporating the ingredients that make the franchise work. That said, God, the dialogue tries so much emphasis on your nostalgia. They don’t say, “Hasta la vista, baby” or, “Come with you me if you want to live”, but they include two renditions of the famous line:
At first, you go, “Ha, she said the line!” but the second time it occurs it loses impact and becomes annoying. There’s even a shot of Schwarzenegger going for HIS shades and in context it makes no sense given what kind of T-800 he is, but hey, NOSTALGIA!
I’m just going to redact my four-star rating from Terminator Genisys and apply it here. Okay, I’m not that generous, but I am both astounded and happy to see this franchise finally find a new life, defying all expectations, and showing what a modern blockbuster should be. Undoubtedly, Terminator: Dark Fate is the coolest major blockbuster of 2019 and the only actual good Terminator since Judgement Day. It needs to be seen to be believed.
