Geekscape Reviews ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ In 4DX
The Terminator franchise has had as many form changes as a T-1000 over the three decades its been around, oftentimes being ill received. After the first and especially the second film became pop culture phenomenons, helping solidify Arnold Schwarzenegger’s position as an action movie icon in the process, future projects failed to gain ground regardless of quality. From the critically panned sequels to the highly rated but never watched Sarah Connor Chronicles TV show, the next attempt at reviving the series is looking to pull from its most successful period. As a direct sequel to T2, Dark Fate brings back Arnold’s Terminator and Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor with a new cast to defend against the latest time traveling threat. On paper, the idea has potential, but unfortunately, Dark Fate manages to feel like the biggest retread yet, with questionable decisions that risk bringing down the series’ best films in the process.
Picking up a few years after Terminator 2, Sarah and John Connor are still on the run from potential Skynet threats, but are living in relative peace now that the impending Judgment Day has come and gone without incident thanks to the events of T2. However, that doesn’t mean the future is safe, with a new threat called Legion rising to take Skynet’s place as the cause of the technological apocalypse. In the present day, a new savoir who leads the fight against Legion in the future, Dani Ramos, (Natalia Reyes), is being hunted down by the Rev 9, (primarily in the guise of Gabriel Luna). This Terminator that takes on the liquid properties of the T-1000 while having a skeleton body like the T-800, both of which can act independently. With Grace, an augmented soldier sent from the future, (played by Mackenzie Davis) as well as a battle hardened Sarah Conner arriving to protect Dani from this advanced threat, its a renewed battle between man and machine as the fight for the future begins again.
If that premise sounds familiar, than it’s because it’s almost beat for beat the plot of Terminator 2. Outside of the first five minutes, an event that will surely be seen as the most shocking and divisive moment of the two hour run time, you can probably guess what’s going to happen before the scene hits the screen assuming you’re an avid T2 fan. Replace John with Dani, Grace with the T-800, the T-1000 with the Rev 9 and early 90’s Sarah with 2019 Sarah, and you’re pretty much getting the same film. When we heard the movie would be a direct sequel to the franchise’s best film, surely no one would have expected it to be an inferior xerox copy of it. But yet, here were are.
That’s not to say that the movie doesn’t have its fair share of highlights, especially in 4DX. Dark Fate does a great job using technological advancements to create some very innovative battles that are visually pleasing to boot. While never reaching the tension that the T-1000 did in the past, the Rev-9 does a great job of being terrifying, creating a sense of dread as he gets closer to his target. In 4DX, the audience really feels the action as the seats rock with every destroyed set piece, smoke rose with every explosion and every impact landing right in their backs. The performances all around are strong, with Linda Hamilton in particular bringing weight to this latest version of the hero that kicked the franchise off. You can hear the determined, yet weathered and tired tone of her personality at this stage as she struggles to find meaning in a life without Judgment Day. Not surprisingly, when Arnold eventually joins the cast, he highlights each scene he’s featured in with an interesting take on this version of the titular character. Without spoiling it, audiences should be pleasantly surprised with how charming a killer robot from the future can be.
With those highlights aside, it’s hard to find much enthusiasm for Dark Fate as it not only feels pointless, but renders the plot of the past films as irrelevant as well. What was the point of developing a plot that’s so close to its predecessor? What was the point of protecting John and Sarah all those years ago if a near identical future was going to play out anyway? What are the odds of ANOTHER tech company creating ANOTHER AI that goes rogue AGAIN and decides to send ANOTHER robot to the past to kill ANOTHER savior in the past? These are the questions I found myself asking after I walked out of the theater. It’s enjoyable aspects aren’t strong enough to offset the fact that it manages to both be a pointless addition to the franchise while also rendering the best parts of it moot. It’s impressive in a twisted kind of way.
All in all, Terminator: Dark Fate is destined to join the long list of sequels that would be best forgotten. Its controversial opening scenes set the tone for what was surely meant to be a hard reboot to carry the franchise into the future, but ends up destroying what people loved about it to begin with. Strong performances from Hamilton and Schwarzenegger and some impressive action choreography aren’t enough to save it from its own extinction, sending the once beloved franchise reeling back to the drawing board. Like its protagonists, the future isn’t looking bright for this one.
Final score: 2/5
