Logan Sork Film Reviews
Terminator: Dark Fate
After Terminator 2 was released, the third film from series creator James Cameron was on the horizon. However, due to some legal disputes, Cameron lost the rights of the franchise to the studios. Because of this, the next three Terminator films had no input from him and they were all quite forgettable. In 2016, Cameron got the rights back and promised to make a true sequel to T2 that would ignore all other films following it. Add to it the return of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor and Tim Miller directing, and my excitement was raised even more. However, after seeing the film, it is clear that not even the creator of this franchise can save it from the mediocrity that has plagued it since his departure.
Terminator: Dark Fate is directed by Tim Miller and is the 6th Terminator film and is a direct sequel to 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day, ignoring all other sequels preceding it. It stars Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, and Gabriel Luna. The story follows Grace (Davis), an augmented super-soldier who has been sent back in time from a future in which an advanced artificial intelligence has wiped out most of humanity. Her mission is to protect Dani Ramos (Reyes), an important figure in humanity’s fight for survival who has been targeted for termination by an advanced terminator called the Rev- 9 (Luna). When Grace is trying to protect Dani she is initially overwhelmed but is aided by Sarah Connor (Hamilton) who has spent the last years of her life hunting terminators. Realizing the importance of her mission, Sarah agrees to help Grace protect Dani and help secure a better outcome of the dark future that awaits humanity.
One thing that definitely stands out in this film is the incredible performances by its talented cast. Mackenzie Davis took me by surprise in this film, as the role of Grace is a very different one from the other roles I’ve seen her portray. Not only does she manage to pull off the commanding mentality of her character, but she also executes the physical side beautifully. She can be tough when she needs to be yet also vulnerable in certain places, making her a welcome addition to the franchise. Another standout is Gabriel Luna as the new Rev-9 terminator. While he definitely has the visual effects department helping him out, he manages to switch between multiple personalities as his character uses these to charm whoever he’s talking to. He’s lethal when he has to be yet also extremely charming, a perfect fit for a killing machine masquerading as a human. It’s also great to see Linda Hamilton return as Sarah Connor. While she may have aged, she can still handle the action sequences quite well and brings a few killer scenes with her. And once again, Arnold Schwarzenegger is simply perfect as the original Terminator model. While he may not be integrated into the story in the most logical way, what they do with his character is different and admittedly very funny.
Another element of the film that is extremely entertaining is the over the top action sequences. Now, these are nowhere near as good as the ones in the second film. This is primarily due to the weightlessness of the action, as most of the work done in the second film was mostly in-camera, whereas this one utilizes a lot of visual effects. And while that does rob the film of some of the grounded reality that made the first two so good, these sequences are still very fun to watch. It has plenty of traditional chase sequences that are a staple of the Terminator franchise, but director Tim Miller adds a lot of hand to hand sequences now that we have a protagonist that can go toe to toe with a terminator. These fights are fast, brutal, and very well-choreographed and help add a different flavor of action that is rarely seen in the franchise.
But, while the film has great performances and some impressive action sequences, there are a few problems that prevent it from reaching the heights of the original two films. The biggest of which is the story and script. Because Cameron was busy filming other movies, he could not fully take over story duties entirely. As a result, the studio formed a writer’s room, meaning that six people total worked on the script and it really shows. There are so many logical leaps and gaps that are formed when you take into account the actions on screen, likely formed as a result of many different ideas and concepts floating around. The film isn’t sure if it wants to be something new or a callback to the older films, resulting in an identity crisis as we are served with elements that we’ve seen before masquerading as new things. Still, there are quite a few good moments to be found here. There are some great scenes with Sarah Connor as well as the classic Terminator, as well as some good moments from our new cast members. Still, these moments are lost in the cluttered nature of the film.
Also lost is the franchise’s deep dive into man’s relationship with technology. This is something that has never been recaptured since the second film and still continues to frustrate me. The second film explored the different relationships that humanity has with machines, both good and bad. Here, the ideas are presented briefly but are quickly lost in favor of trying to explain the logical gaps in the film that cannot be explained no matter how hard they try. But perhaps most egregiously, this film disrespects the events of the first two films so badly that I’m kind of shocked this idea made the final cut. This is especially offensive as the idea in question comes from series creator James Cameron, who was supposed to bring the glory back to the franchise. Instead, he does the exact opposite, sacrificing a meaningful story to replace it with an exact copy of it, only less interesting.
However, despite my complaints with the story, I wouldn’t call this a totally bad movie, just a disappointing one. The actors give it their all, the action sequences are great, and the script does offer some great moments. But the confused story and outlandish choices make this film yet another failed attempt at making an engaging sequel to T2. As it stands, the best third Terminator film is still that 3-D theme park experience. Given that, I think we should put the franchise to rest for a good while, or perhaps even for good.
6/10