Movie Reaction: Terminator: Dark Fate

Formula: (Terminator 2: Judgment Day * Terminator Revolution) - Terminator: Genisys

In a way, T2: Judgment Day is the worst thing that ever could've happened for the Terminator franchise. I realize this is an odd thing to say, because that movie is by far the most successful movie of the series and one of the all-time great action movies. It's my favorite of the franchise, but it really did screw everything up for future movies. The original Terminator is one big chase movie with hints of a larger universe and high concept (time-travelling robots) that is very specific. It's the kind of move that a franchise should only be able to get away with once, like how the roofie story only works for the first Hangover movie. The sequel to the Terminator should've found something different to do; some other way to play with time travel, because attempting the same plot would be creatively bankrupt. Yet, somehow James Cameron made T2 with a nearly identical premise and it totally works. I've often heard people describe Terminator to T2 as a shift from a SciFi movie to an Action movie. That's inaccurate. The shift is from an indie movie on a tight budget to a studio movie with unlimited resources. Cameron does everything in T2 that he couldn't in Terminator. And T2 might be the perfect action movie. It's a 2 hour chase that is so exciting that you ignore the fact that it's just recycling the same premise. Hell, it even manages to shift Arnold Schwarzenegger from antagonist to protagonist, which is the kind of fan service move I naturally want to roll my eyes at. In a way, T2 is a movie that does everything wrong and still gets rewarded for it; like a horribly mismanaged sports franchise that drafts a generational player. The reason this is a problem is that it set an unfair template for filmmakers and audiences alike. At this point, it isn't clear whether it's audiences who demand Schwarzenegger and the time-traveling chase or filmmakers who are unable to think beyond those things. The few times the franchise has moved away from those things, they were met with indifference. Terminator Salvation was quickly forgotten and The Sarah Connor Chronicles barely survived 2 abbreviated seasons on Fox. Even when they get certain elements right - Genisys is a bad movie but Emilia Clarke's Sarah Connor should've landed her a dozen other action movie roles - the end result just hasn't worked. It's painfully clear now that the franchise will never reach the same heights again.

That's a sour introduction for a movie, Terminator: Dark Fate, that I really liked. If you've seen a Terminator movie, then you know the basics. Two beings get sent from the future to the present day. One, is a Terminator (Gabriel Luna). The other is an enhanced human named Grace (Mackenzie Davis). The Terminator was sent to kill a Mexican woman, Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes). Grace was sent to protect her. A chase ensues until the Terminator is killed and possibly history is changed. The big difference this time is that Linda Hamilton is back as a hardened version of Sarah Connor, who is hell-bent on revenge for what the future has done to her.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the face of the franchise (and they do contrive a way to bring him back). Linda Hamilton is the secret weapon. When they hired her in 1984, I assume they figured they'd found an attractive, strong actress. I don't think they realized they'd found a complete badass. Hamilton's super-soldier turn in T2 brought that movie to another level. This is her first time back since then, and at 63 years old, she's just as much of a badass. Please, give me as much of Hamilton firing bazookas and telling people to fuck off as possible.

Mackenzie Davis as a "human Terminator" is a welcome take. She's lean but tall, which gives her a different presence than a lot of the Terminators or defenders of the past. Davis is too earnest to play anything but human, even though she is excellent at playing standoffish. Natalia Reyes is a bit generic, kind of by the design of the movie. The Terminator movies love unnecessary twists. Reyes could definitely turn into another Linda Hamilton, but she's isn't distinct enough as a character for me to want to follow her story moving forward. I can't say much about Gabriel Luna. He's a Latino Terminator. He's generically handsome, physically intimidating, and holds a blank expression on his face well. Terminators only need to function as plot delivery devices. Arnold was the only one ever intended to stick out.

The movie has good action sequences. Most of them will feel familiar while being technically different. There's an early car chase. The Terminator has to break into a secure facility at one point. The final fight takes place in something like a factory. They do some aerial bits that I don't recall seeing in other Terminator movies. That was fun. Series like Mission: Impossible and Mad Max have passed Terminator in spectacle, but Dark Fate is still a good example of a certain kind of action movie.

The Terminator franchise has always been undercut by its premise, which is again a problem in Dark Fate. If each movie is about ensuring or changing a known future, then there aren't really any stakes to the story. Either they protect a certain timeline, in which case we already know what's going to happen, or they alter it, rendering everything we know about the future meaningless. Either way, it's inevitable that the machines take over. At best, they are delaying it. I guess they are copping to that by calling this movie Dark Fate. While I liked this movie, if they designed it direct sequels in mind, then they miscalculated several things.

Verdict: Strongly Recommend