Terminator: Dark Fate [Blu-ray]
Synopsis:
Decades after Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) prevented Judgment Day, a lethal new Terminator is sent to eliminate the future leader of the resistance. In a fight to save mankind, battle-hardened Sarah Connor teams up with an unexpected ally (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and an enhanced super soldier to stop the deadliest Terminator yet. Humanity’s fate hangs in the balance in this action-packed thrill ride from Tim Miller, the Director of Deadpool, and Producer James Cameron.
Review:
This is the Terminator sequel I’ve been waiting for. Linda Hamilton has been missing in all the films since Terminator 2, so it’s only fitting that we ignore all the previous sequels for this storyline. And it works. It’s heart-pounding suspense with heartbreaking drama that only these leading ladies can supply. Arnold is back as well, as Terminator “Carl” who has moved on with life and sees the error of his ways. As a Terminator fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this installment. Certainly more than the previous several installments. There is plenty of fan service, and that’s okay. The action is non-stop and intense. The CGI is fantastic. And there is plenty of heart that keeps viewers invested.
I respectfully disagree. I recall an interview where Linda Hamilton admitted that she was so upset at the opening scene of the movie that she actually cried because of it, and this sentiment is one that a lot of people seem to share, since it invalidates the first two movies entirely, the only ones in the franchise that have near-universal acclaim. The alternate future seemed utterly pointless, as it presented us with no substantive changes; even Terminator 3 made at least a token effort to say why the future seemed intent on becoming a post-apocalyptic war zone. And the big twist regarding the person being protected was easily seen coming. While the action was certainly done well and the visuals impressive, this didn’t seem like enough to make up for the movie’s deficiencies, which helps to explain why the Wikipedia entry for this film labels it as being a box-office bomb. When Carl says “I won’t be back,” he’s speaking not just in-character, but delivering the fate of the Terminator series as a whole after this movie.
True. I didn’t like that the future is going to be destroyed by machines no matter what. I guess I just treated this as a pure action film, and didn’t focus on the storyline as much.