Terminator Dark Fate movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Terminator: Dark Fate
RATING: R (Some of the other TERMINATOR movies were rated PG-13.)
LENGTH: 2 hours, 8 minutes
Movie Review Mom GRADE: B-

IN A NUTSHELL:
I’ve been such a fan of this franchise ever since the first The Terminator movie came out 35 years ago in 1984. Yes, I’m that old. Now it’s time for a female empowerment version of this popular series, since that’s what almost every movie seems to be about these days.

What makes this movie different is that James Cameron said it would be the final movie…for real. He wasn’t involved with the last few movies, so this is what he calls the TRUE sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Then again, that’s what he said about Terminator: Genisys It takes place in 2022 (that doesn’t sound very far away anymore, right?) and all of the other The Terminator movies are being described as taking place in an alternate timeline. With all of that talk about James Cameron, he didn’t actually direct this movie. Instead, he gets listed as producer, which basically means he’s getting money to plug it, right? Since he’s busy working on another Avatar movie, I’ll give him a pass on that. I’m sooo excited to see another Avatar movie!

TIPS FOR PARENTS:
• Some profanity, including quite a few F-bombs
• A LOT of spoken Spanish with subtitles and without. It reminded me of the newest Rambo: Last Blood movie when so much of the movie takes place in Mexico with subtitles.
• You see quick glimpses of a naked, female “augmented human” and another naked male terminator when they first arrive on earth.
• Lots and lots and lots of violence
• Lots and lots and lots of destruction

THEMES:
• Hope
• “Without purpose, you are nothing.” – T-800/Carl (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
• Past, present, future

• Choice and consequences

“What matters are the choices we make now.” – Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes)
“There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.” – Grace (Mackenzie Davis)

THINGS I LIKED:

It was wonderful to see Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger together again. What a fun reunion. You could tell that Linda Hamilton, especially, was thrilled to “be back.” Director Tim Miller (who also directed Deadpool) had to keep telling her not to smile when she was shooting guns. She looked strong, weathered, and believable.
Mackenzie Davis gives a great physical performance as the “enhanced human.” I was really glad that they didn’t turn her into a superhero without weaknesses. She make a fantastic action hero.
There are a lot of flashbacks in the beginning to catch you up to speed in case you never saw the previous films or forgot what happened. Of course, the plot has changed and a crucial character is surprisingly dismissed.
• Exciting chase and action scenes, although not much we haven’t seen before.
Gabriel Luna changes his accents and facial expressions beautifully to be believable as the chameleon terminator.
• Carl. Ha ha
• Suddenly, I’m craving potato chips.
• There are some respectful and entertaining nods to past movies in the franchise that fans will get a kick out of.
The last fight scene was really great and intense, bringing back memories of the first movie but with better visual effects.
With every iteration of terminator machines, we definitely expect new and improved abilities. Some people think the new features are not that great, but I liked the exo-skeleton body double aspect. I’m a twin, so….
That dark glasses scene. ha ha

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:
• Rinse and repeat, but with better CGI. This is a simple repeat of the very first The Terminator. Everything feels recycled from previous The Terminator films. So why even have this movie except for an obvious money grab?

The opening scene is problematic because it trashes the last several The Terminator movie stories. All of the past movies in the series are TERMINATED. What the what??? Fans are furious.
It would have been fun to see Michael Biehn again to reprise his role as Kyle Reese from the very first The Terminator movie, but he’s not in it.
Natalya Reyes won the role as Dani, even though the casting agents were looking for an 18-year old Mexican girl. Natalya is 32 and Colombian. The character Dani is not very bright and the acting isn’t that great, unfortunately.
Because of all of the other The Terminator movies, we know everything is going to work out, so you don’t worry about the characters very much, which severely reduces the tension in action sequences.
A lot of the action sequences have too many close-ups….so many that you can’t see the action that you want to see.
The movie has been advertised as the conclusion, but the movie ends with what could be a lead in to ANOTHER movie. We just don’t get that complete satisfaction of a grand finale.
Some people get killed off before you even have time to get to know them and care that they’re now dead.

FUNNY LINES:

• “I’m wanted in a couple of states…50 states actually.” – Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton)
• “Nobody walks through this world without leaving a digital footprint a mile wide.” – Sarah
• “What are you doing?” – Sarah
“Future sh_t.” – Grace
• “If you’re ‘Mother Mary’, why do I so want to beat the sh_t out of you?” – Grace
• “I’m efficient. I’m reliable and I’m extremely funny.” – T-800/Carl

INTERESTING LINES:
• “Funerals don’t help them and goodbyes don’t help you. You just have to live with it.” – Sarah

OTHER MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

<br />

WATCH THE Movie Review Mom YOUTUBE REVIEW WITH THIS LINK: