Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in Skydance Productions and Paramount Pictures’ "TERMINATOR: DARK FATE."
Directed by: Tim Miller
Screenplay by: David Goyer, Justin Rhodes and Billy Ray
Story by: James Cameron, Charles Eglee, Josh Friedman, David Goyer, Justin Rhodes
Based on Characters by: James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd
Starring: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Diego Boneta
If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you either enjoy the “Terminator” series of films and you either want to see how they dig themselves out of the debacles that were “Terminator 3,” “Terminator Salvation,” and “Terminator Genisys.” On the other hand, you might want to enjoy an early Awards season spectacle that might just knock you off your feet again.
Either way, you’ve left your chances to “Terminator: Dark Fate” to decide which choice Tim Miller’s (“Deadpool”) film answers.
The short answer is that it does both, but not necessarily in a good way.
The fifth film in the franchise sees James Cameron return in a producer and co-writer capacity, but the film feels like his prints are all over it, which is a good thing. His presence gives the story elements of what made the first two films so enthralling: the presence of mind to know that technology was, then and is now ruling our lives.
Mackenzie Davis plays Grace, solider from the future sent back to protect Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes). Gabriel Luna plays Rev-9, an amped up version of Robert Patrick’s T-1000 from the 1991 “Terminator 2,” of which “Dark Fate” is a direct sequel.
The story by David Goyer (“Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight”), Justin Rhodes and Billy Ray (“Gemini Man”) uses the same tropes that defined “The Terminator” and “T2” and almost too excessively. Miller directs the new cast to some of the same beats as “The Terminator,” partly to establish who each of the new characters are in relation to their counterparts from the original films, but also to assure us that this film belongs in the same universe and that we can . . . conveniently . . . forget the three films that sit in between this film and “T2.”
Admittedly, as much as the rehashing of what’s come before grated on my nerves, there is a touch of sentimentality that I don’t mind, especially when Linda Hamilton steps on to the screen as Sarah Connor.
Her presence and in particular her introduction into the story feel very “Logan”-esque. Miller gives her space to work her magic and it was nice to see her on the screen again as she tries to stay off the grid. There’s a lot of humor to her role as she reflects back on “what if.” The story doesn’t give Sarah much room to integrate with either Grace nor Danni, and that’s a shame because as much as this is Sarah’s story, it really isn’t.
It focuses too much on the technology and the struggle to survive in not only the future, but in our current environment as it touches on drone warfare, immigration and economics.
It isn’t until Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his half John Matrix, half T-900 return to the role that the movie picks up much steam. Schwarzenegger enjoyed hamming it up and his interactions with Hamilton did make me smile.
Miller does an expert job at handling the action, something we’ve seen with “Deadpool” and it’s hard to realize that this is his sophomore directorial effort, until you realize that Cameron is really behind the final shaping of the film, wich is why it feels like warmed over “Terminator” rather than something completely new.
Skydance, et al were wise to hold this movie back until early Awards season and it will be interesting to see how it plays the box office game with “Joker” amongst other films.
Just because its “Terminator: Dark Fate” doesn’t mean you’re not going to have fun with it. Tim Miller’s essence is still on the film and he does an excellent job bringing the past together with the future so that we all can experience a new fate.
Just that it happens to be, well, dark.
1.75 out of 4
