“I’ll be back.” —Sarah Connor
Today’s quick review: Terminator: Dark Fate. Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes), a young Mexican woman, has to run for her life when the REV-9 (Gabriel Luna), a shapeshifting robot from the future, comes to kill her. She’s saved by the timely arrival of Grace (Mackenzie Davis), an augmented soldier sent from the future to stop the REV-9. But to deal with the robot for good, both of them will need help from an unexpected source: Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton).
Terminator: Dark Fate is a sci-fi action movie and the sixth installment in the Terminator series. Dark Fate returns to the series’ roots by ignoring the previous three films entirely, picking up with Sarah Connor two decades after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The movie features a strong new villain, plenty of action, and a reasonable twist on the classic Terminator plot, but it suffers from weaknesses with its characters and story.
Dark Fate’s greatest strength is its action. Polished special effects and a compelling new Terminator design lead to hard-hitting action sequences that fit in with the series’ traditions while still feeling innovative. The REV-9 takes the design of the T-1000 one step further: a liquid metal shell over a classic Terminator endoskeleton, each of which can operate autonomously. Dark Fate does a great job of actually putting this gimmick to work.
However, Dark Fate runs into a few issues when it comes to its story. Taken on its own, the plot works well enough, but its treatment of the canon, especially the ending of Terminator 2, will irk fans of the series. The new characters this time around are not especially compelling. The three leads have only weak chemistry with one another, and Grace and Sarah serve overlapping roles in the story, robbing either one of a complete story arc.
Terminator: Dark Fate gets enough right to be worth a watch for fans of the science fiction genre. Solid execution of its action, decent plot beats, and good use of a new Terminator design are enough to make Dark Fate a good popcorn watch. But dedicated fans of the franchise may dislike some of its decisions, and those hoping for strong character work will be disappointed. For a bleaker movie with a similar setup, try Logan.
6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for polished action attached to a mixed story.