It’s fine, people. It’s totally fine. Granted, “fine” for the Terminator franchise has been a bar that hasn’t been crossed since 1991. Though, I do think Rise Of The Machines has its moments, but even that was still well over fifteen years ago. So, the fact that the latest sequel/reboot to hit theaters, Terminator: Dark Fate, is even remotely enjoyable is not something to scoff at. Even though I was always of the opinion that the series was doomed the moment it turned into a franchise after the second film, having preferred the visceral horror of the first than its big budget action follow up, there is stuff to like with the new film.
Terminator: Dark Fate, which is helmed by Tim Miller, tackling a screenplay by David S. Goyer, Justin Rhodes, and Billy Ray, acts as a direct sequel to T2, taking place 28 years after the events. We follow Dani (Natalia Reyes), a Mexican warehouse worker who suddenly finds herself targeted by a new Terminator, which is referred to as the Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna). However, before she is killed, she is saved by Grace (Mackenzie Davis), a genetically enhanced soldier who has been sent back in time to protect Dani. In their fight for survival, they end up crossing paths with and getting help from Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and a T-800 Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger).
The film shows the most promise in the first half. It makes a few choices in its story that are quite bold and best left as a surprise for anyone going to see this. While I don’t have much investment in the mythos, there are some ways the film throws you off that kept me intrigued. I’m curious how diehard fans of the series would react. Plus, along with having a woman like Dani in the lead, we spend much of the first act in Mexico, with long chunks of it being done entirely in Spanish. There are some timely touches, like at one point Sarah, Dani, and Grace are forced to cross the U.S./Mexico border to get to someplace safe, but they are caught and end up detained at one of those detention centers. Admittedly, the film doesn’t seem that interested in exploring these images and scenarios and all the implications that come with it, but it does have a daring energy that unfortunately isn’t found in most of the second half.
Once the latter half kicks into gear, the film does turn into business as usual. One set piece after another where our characters are fighting off and running away from the Rev-9. If the action sequences were inventive, that would be one thing, but it’s mostly just the standard, serviceable, modern blockbuster stuff. There are moments where I watched it and wondered how much better some of these sequences would be had James Cameron actually directed it instead of simply serving as a producer and one of the story by credits. That’s not to knock Miller. He is perfectly capable, and can bring some propulsive energy, but there isn’t much to them beyond that.
Where Dark Fate really shines is in the characters, especially with Sarah Connor. Her presence has been deeply missed, and seeing Hamilton back in that role is an absolute delight. The film thankfully avoids some of the usual tropes in seeing actors return to old characters. The time between T2 and this is taken full advantage of, giving Hamilton so much to work with in regard to how her life has affected her and her worldview. Schwarzenegger is also wonderful, bringing in a sense of pathos that was really interesting to see. Reyes and Davis are great newcomers to the series, fitting the kind of archetypes we’ve come to expect from this franchise, but putting in just enough personality to make their roles fully their own.
Like Sarah Connor constantly finding herself facing against Terminators, the series as a whole has been caught in an unfortunate loop of bending over backwards to find new ways to deliver the same basic story over and over again with little success. However, bringing Linda Hamilton was a very smart move that pays off, and there are plenty of moments with character, action, and humor that is effective. I just wish the whole was as bold as the beginning seemed to indicate, and it could have delved more into the idea of fate versus free will that the characters only superficially seem to bring up on occasion. By the standards set up by the previous installments, Terminator: Dark Fate is totally a return to form, but once it’s all said and done, it’s still at the end of the day, just another Terminator movie.