Though it’s the latest entry in a 35-year-old franchise, Terminator: Dark Fate is very much a film of our time. It’s a potent blend of nostalgia, newness and girl power in the same vein as recent hit sequels like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Halloween, and like these films it is not afraid to throw some of its own franchise siblings in the dumpster to give the fans what they want. And that’s why this new Terminator succeeds in a way that 2003’s Rise of the Machines, 2009’s underrated but not amazing Salvation and 2015’s Genisys did not: Dark Fate pares down the series’ complicated mythology and instead ramps up the action and sci-fi/horror that made 1984’s Terminator and particularly 1991’s Judgment Day soar.
Terminator: Dark Fate brings back series creator and director of the first two films James Cameron in a producer role (he also shares a “story by” credit). Cameron and the studio wisely chose Deadpool’s Tim Miller to direct, and as a result the action is stylized, relentless and, most importantly, fun. The filmmakers jettison all of the previous films aside from the first two, and bring back original Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger (though he has been a part of each Terminator film in some way).
The more important return here is Linda Hamilton’s iconic Sarah Connor. Her appearance in Dark Fate caps off a seriously impressive three-film character arc (though hopefully she’s back for future sequels). Her Sarah in the original was plucky, innocent and likeable. Judgment Day’s Sarah was a muscled, resourceful freedom fighter. And Dark Fate’s Sarah is so bent she’s nearly broken, but somehow still standing – and shooting. Her return makes it clear that she was the vital element missing in the series’ lesser sequels. And she’s not just back for a smiling cameo and paycheck pick-up. She’s a key player and still – perhaps even more so – a badass.
And she’s matched with two capable actresses, each of whom is playing an updated version of a previous film’s Sarah. Natalia Reyes plays Dani Ramos, who, like the original’s Sarah, is targeted by Terminator from the future. And Mackenzie Davis plays Grace, who in the style of Judgment Day’s Sarah, is a toned, tooth-baring warrior with experience facing off against cyborgs. Grace has been sent from the future to protect Dani against the Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna), a new model of Terminator with all sorts of vicious new tricks. Grace and Dani seek out Sarah Connor’s help, who, in return, leads them to the semi-retired T-800 Terminator (Schwarzenegger), who also still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Though this is Hamilton’s show, Schwarzenegger’s older, softer T-800 is a welcome presence as well.
What makes Dark Fate particularly satisfying is that its newcomers manage to be compelling even up against such iconic talent. Reyes is feisty and fun in the central role and Luna perfectly projects indifferent malice. The real standout is the always-great Davis (watch Always Shine for a taste), who will hopefully breakout further with this role. Though the genetically altered Grace is primarily a fighter, Davis imbues her much of same inner fire that has made Sarah Connor such a classic heroine. You can’t help but root for her, even as she litters the floor with bodies.
Though Miller’s action is fun, it would have been nice to see him incorporate some of the practical effects that made Cameron’s Terminator so visually distinctive. Given his background as a visual effects designer, however, it makes sense that he would lean heavily into CGI, and he does it well. And though the Rev-9 is scary and intimidating, the film’s shadowy bigger bad isn’t portrayed with the weight as Judgment Day’s, though the door is open for the scope to expand if Dark Fate does well enough to warrant its own sequels.
In the end, Terminator: Dark Fate proves that there is still life left in the Terminator series. Strangely, filmmakers and audiences alike missed that the soul of the series wasn’t Arnold or Skynet but was, instead, the heroine of the series’ two great films (and also the title figure in the excellent Lena Headey-led television series “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”). Sarah did make an appearance (played by a game but underutilized Emilia Clarke) in Terminator: Genisys, but her compelling origin story was rewritten for that film. Dark Fate brings back the Sarah of old, and with her Linda Hamilton, and it proves to be a satisfying return to form for the actress, the character and the Terminator series.
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