Very minor spoilers to follow
Terminator: Dark Fate takes place twenty-two years after the events of Terminator 2, when an advanced Terminator known as the Rev-9, played by Gabriel Luna, is sent back in time to kill a woman named Dani Ramos, played by Natalia Reyes. At the same time, Dani crosses paths with Grace, played by Mackenzie Davis, who is a cybernetically-enhanced human soldier who was also sent back to protect her, as she plays an integral part of humanity’s future. The two go on the run to ensure Dani’s safety, soon joined by wanted fugitive Sarah Connor, once again played by Linda Hamilton.
If a lot this sounds awfully similar to just about all the other Terminator films, that’s because it is. Once again, the Terminator franchise presents a plot where an evil Terminator from the future is sent back to kill someone important, and there’s someone else also sent back to protect that same person. It’s become really tired and really predictable in that sense. This film follows many similar beats as the earlier films did, though does a few things differently, many of which unfortunately are some pretty heavy spoilers.
Despite retreading familiar territory, the first half of this film is actually quite enjoyable. The action scenes are thrilling enough. It definitely feels a little more polished than the first few films did, with an even heavier emphasis on CGI. But most of the time, it moves at a nice, quick pace, and is choreographed well, especially whenever characters engage in hand-to-hand combat.
Seeing the Rev-9 in action is also what keeps the audience engaged during this first half. Gabriel Luna does an excellent job getting down this menacing blank stare with a sinister smile as he poorly attempts to pass a regular human. There were moments where he would stare Dani and Grace down as he charged them that felt like something out of a horror movie. Through his body language and facial expressions - or lack thereof it was very easy to feel how much of a threat he was.
Though the two strongest elements of the film are Mackenzie Davis and Linda Hamilton, both of whom turn in some fantastic performances. Both get moments on their own to shine - especially one sequence involving a de-aged Hamilton at the beginning of the film that isn’t so much dialogue-heavy - but the two really work best when they play off each other. Sarah Connor has become even more bitter here than she was in T2, and still knows how to take charge in the moment, tearing those apart who get in her way. Though Grace won’t have any of that, and seeing the two bicker constantly and fight for control is often funny and full of energy.
Many of Dark Fate’s bigger issues come in the form of spoilers, though one of the more notable elements worth mentioning is the way in which Arnold Schwarzenegger is involved. Schwarzenegger himself is always a welcome sight to see, especially given that he provides some of the film’s funnier moments. However, the way in which his character plays into the overall plot - without giving anything away - feels awfully contrived. He shows up about halfway through the movie, and unfortunately, it’s here where it takes a considerable dip in quality, and never quite regains its footing.
This is not just due to the way in which Schwarzenegger is so painfully forced into this movie, but it’s also in terms of pacing as well. While the film’s story was already derivative, it becomes a bit more uninteresting in its second half. For one thing, Luna is off-screen for a considerable amount of time up until the final fight. And it was the protagonists going up against him that made this enjoyable at all to begin with, so losing that major threat for such a good portion of the film decreases the stakes to a certain degree.
And even when he is reintroduced, the film’s less concerned with him as it is suddenly going more into Dani’s story, which is by far the absolute weakest element of the film. While Natalia Reyes does a solid job overall, the issue is the way in which her characterization is handled. Considering how much this calls back to the earlier films, it’s fairly obvious how Dani plays a part into the grand scheme of things and it really is no mystery why a machine is being sent back to kill her specifically.
Yet the film chooses to treat it like it is a mystery. Other than an introductory scene showing that she has a stable home life before the action kicks in, almost nothing is known about Dani. And even when Grace appears, she never bothers to make it clear to her why a Terminator is trying to kill her. There are times where an assumption is made by someone else as to what Dani’s role is, but the motivations behind why Dani is so important are withheld. And because the film chooses to keep her at an arm’s length from the audience, it’s difficult to get invested in her.
Though what’s frustrating is, it’s so incredibly obvious what her role is. And the movie decides to not only stop the action in the last act of the movie to get into that information. But it chooses to treat it like it’s this big surprise, when the audience has been waiting for them to reveal this information nearly an hour ago. And the way it’s explained in such an on-the-nose, matter-of-fact sort of way feels like the movie is talking down to the audience, like the film really pulled a fast one on them and now needs to explain how they got over on them.
The dialogue, specifically in the film’s second half, is extremely cringeworthy and can play a big part in causing viewers to lose interest, no matter how strong that first half was. The film goes into these pseudo-intellectual exchanges where they attempt to discuss fate, making vague statements for the sake of sounding philosophical. Characters will ask rhetorical questions that essentially just rehash what was said in a previous scene while cheesy music plays in the background. And what’s frustrating about it all is it feels like it’s this half-hearted attempt to give this film a theme at the end, that comes too little too late, especially how these pointless exchanges have very little to do with the overall plot.
Terminator: Dark Fate was another attempt to make the Terminator series into a successful franchise, but this once again just reaffirms the belief that it really should have ended with Judgment Day. While the film does have a strong first half, despite being derivative of the other films, and does have some really strong performances, it suffers immensely in its second half. In addition to pacing issues and some very hokey dialogue, its reasoning behind certain plot points come off as contrived, and are often frustrating. Some may stay engaged all the way through, but the nosedive in quality during the second half can be enough to turn some viewers off, making this another lackluster effort in the dying franchise.
Recommendation: Proceed With Caution
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