Action-Adventure Terminator: Dark Fate

[jmc]

It's time to officially put this franchise out of its misery. The truth is there's only so much you can do with the concept, and the box office reflects that. With the advancements in AI and technology it's time to examine a new story that reflects today's tech. Terminator is a product of the 80's and 90's. It's time to move on.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I ended up getting free time today, so I saw this. There will only be one of two reactions by fans to this movie. Either this movie will just be okay, but nowhere near as like as either of the first two movies. Or it will actively make you angry. This movie was okay I guess, but I did have a major issue with it conceptually.

Either way, what's really the point in watching this movie then for a fan? You have this movie in better packages with Terminator and Terminator 2. There really is no reason to revisit this movie. I know I will probably end up buying this on Blu-ray and it will sit on my shelf like the other Terminator movies besides those two unwatched.

 

[LoganGambit87]

the problem with this franchise is the technology has evolved but the story hasn't

 

[samsnee]

I really enjoyed it. It’s definitely the best since T2. I really wish this had been Arnold’s return to the series instead of Genisys as it would have made it much more impactful.

Having Linda back definitely made a difference and Mackenzie Davis was a total badass. Natalie Reyes was fine and I didn’t think she was as bad as some here have thought. She’s unfortunately stuck playing the dumbest character in the movie who knows even less than the audience.

I honestly don’t think they should make another one. There isn’t really much else you can do with this story that hasn’t already been told.

Spoiler

I was surprised how little screen time Arnold had in this. But he knows this role inside out. This franchise needs him as much as Linda but there really is no original way to bring him back.

The opening scene with John being killed actually made me sad. The FX for young Sarah and John were very good. Seeing him die felt like seeing a piece of my childhood die too since T2 was one of my favorite movies growing up and still is.

The action sequence on the plane was very well done. Props for actually keeping it well lit and not doing quick cuts.

Gabriel Luna also did a good job as the new Terminator. Right level of charm but also menace.

Unfortunately doesn’t sound like this will be a huge hit but I’m satisfied that it’s redeemed itself from the abomination of Genisys.

 

[Sithborg]

It's time to officially put this franchise out of its misery. The truth is there's only so much you can do with the concept, and the box office reflects that. With the advancements in AI and technology it's time to examine a new story that reflects today's tech. Terminator is a product of the 80's and 90's. It's time to move on.

Or, one can argue, quickly becoming something even more relevant...

The franchise is ripe for some great sci-fi stories. And there are concepts from SCC that I really would love to see again.

 

[Iceman]

Watching Terminator: Genisys right now.

 

[PhasedPlasma101]

This movie was dreadful. I haven't disliked a movie this badly in a long time.

I try to compartmentalize aspects of a movie I liked, loved, hated but there were very few things I ended up liking of the entire production. I really went to see Linda as Sarah again, one of my fav characters ever on screen with Ahnuld.

Overall, this movie was ****

 

[PhasedPlasma101]

This movie has no rewatchability for me just because of the first five minutes. I knew it was coming & I thought I made my peace with it but nope. I was angry for the rest of the movie & for a while after it. Im so happy this is under performing Internationally. Which is a good sign as the Domestic audience is much more picky. Let this be the end of Terminator movies. Its time for Hollywood to stop doing this crap with disrespecting especially in ****ty ass ways what came before in order to poop out crap. But as for the movie itself I'll watch T2 & hell even T3 before I ever watch Dark Fate again. I cant remember the last time the first scene of a movie ruined the rest of the movie for me. I was also much more interested in Carl's story & it being his own thing. Outside of that let Dark Fate be the end

This is exactly how I feel, stated better. After this debacle, they should never make another one. Maybe stick to video games in the war setting we're used to and revere. Good grief.

It's pretty unthinkable that I could ever have gained appreciation for T3 but after the trash they've been putting out..

 

[samsnee]

I’ve never had a problem with T3. The story itself was fine and was actually pretty original. The ending was probably one of the best of the series and set up the future war nicely. The problem was the T-X was horrible and they really needed Linda to come back.

 

[Willi Berg]

Spoiler

The opening scene with John being killed actually made me sad. The FX for young Sarah and John were very good. Seeing him die felt like seeing a piece of my childhood die too since T2 was one of my favorite movies growing up and still is.

Unfortunately doesn’t sound like this will be a huge hit but I’m satisfied that it’s redeemed itself from the abomination of Genisys.

I know what you mean. I felt the same way.

Spoiler

Seeing young John and Sarah takes you back and then it immediately takes it away. I have a lot of fond memories of T2 and that time.

I am glad that they turned it around from Genisys and made it a more human story involving older Sarah and Arnie.

It's pretty unthinkable that I could ever have gained appreciation for T3 but after the trash they've been putting out..

I have a new appreciation for T3 now too. T3 is much lighter and sillier, and the action is not as big, but it flows more naturally.

 

[Willi Berg]

the problem with this franchise is the technology has evolved but the story hasn't

Or, one can argue, quickly becoming something even more relevant...

The franchise is ripe for some great sci-fi stories. And there are concepts from SCC that I really would love to see again.

Seeing the ships of the future was interesting and I wanted to see more stuff like that.

Spoiler

With the new timeline and new AI threat, it's basically another story of the future that I felt needed more explaining.

So it did make me wish for another Future War film. However, the problem is how not to make the same mistakes as Salvation did. Or whether people want to see a future with these new characters.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

I get why people don't like T3 as much as the first two Terminator movies, because it is a big step down from those films, but I still get plenty enjoyment out of it honestly. Sure it's lighter and sillier than the others, but the action set pieces are still a lot of fun IMO, and Arnie really brings a nice energy to it that I thought was severely lacking in Salvation and Genisys, but maybe that's just me.

 

[Willi Berg]

I get why people don't like T3 as much as the first two Terminator movies, because it is a big step down from those films, but I still get plenty enjoyment out of it honestly. Sure it's lighter and sillier than the others, but the action set pieces are still a lot of fun IMO, and Arnie really brings a nice energy to it that I thought was severely lacking in Salvation and Genisys.

I revisit T3 over the years. I do find it re-watchable. There's silly stuff (like the Elton John sunglasses!) but there are exciting parts, like the T-X hunting down the teenagers. Plus we get a grown up John Connor (hey it's not Edward Furlong but Nick Stahl's not too bad.) Now you can look at it like "Choose Your Own Adventure" movie- go down this alternate timeline!

Spoiler

Where John Connor lives!

 

[Sithborg]

Seeing the ships of the future was interesting and I wanted to see more stuff like that.

Spoiler

With the new timeline and new AI threat, it's basically another story of the future that I felt needed more explaining.

So it did make me wish for another Future War film. However, the problem is how not to make the same mistakes as Salvation did. Or whether people want to see a future with these new characters.

I'm fairly certain the trilogy would have similar pacing to the original. The second movie would have more of a focus on the origins of AI.

 

[Willi Berg]

I'm fairly certain the trilogy would have similar pacing to the original. The second movie would have more of a focus on the origins of AI.

That could be interesting. Now I"m just wondering whether they will make a trilogy now, if the B.O. numbers aren't so great.

But if so, I would like to see more of the future, whether through more flashbacks (or flashforwards) or even time travel.

 

[Kane52630]

My review:
At the Movies with Kane and BN

1. Terminator 2: Judgement Day 10/10
2. The Terminator 10/10
3. Terminator: Dark Fate 8/10
4. Terminator Salvation 6/10
5. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 6/10
6. Terminator Genisys 3/10

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

Just got back from watching this. It might have been because I came in with such low expectations, but I did find it enjoyable. However, there were things I was not happy with

It was cool to Sarah back, Arnold was great as always, and the new characters - Dani and Grace - were solid. Luna did well as the Rev-9 Terminator, kinda reminded me of the T-1000.

The story itself sort of felt like a mix of T1 and T2, so it’s something we’ve already seen. The special effects were hit or miss, wasn’t a fan of the CGI at times. The action scenes were well done for the most part, especially in the first third of the movie taking place in Mexico.

As for what I really didn’t like...

Spoiler

I HATE the fact they killed off John and more so the dumb reason Cameron gave as to why he did it. John has been the central figure in this entire franchise and I felt that killing him was a big middle finger to the fans. I understand there’s no more Skynet and its destruction essentially created a new timeline, but they seriously couldn’t find a better way to keep the story going with John as the protagonist?

I liked Dani, but making her the new John and just following the same beats as the first 2 films was just lazy.

Overall, I’d give this movie a 6.5/10

Improvement over Genisys but I think it’s best to just leave this franchise alone. It will never reach the greatness of T1 and T2. Personally, I would have preferred a continuation of Salvation. At least there we got something new and it would have been cool to keep expanding on the future war between man and machine

 

[Spider-Fan]

Honestly, was not a fan of the Mackenzie Davis character in this movie. She acted the part well, don't get me wrong. But just in general, she is a glorified Terminator. Her very presence in the movie kind of made it feel like a superhero film. One of my biggest issues with this movie in general is that it wanted to capture that old-style Terminator feel, but it fails spectacularly by being too outlandish and cartoony. Yes the T1000 is clearly a CGI creation, but that character felt way more real then anybody does in the action scenes in this movie. The characters feel like they're protected by plot armor. I never felt that way in the first two Terminator films. If you want to make a giant superhero epic, that's fine. I love those type of movies. But I don't go to Terminator for that. I have a different expectation for action in this series, and every movie they keep trying to go further and further and further with the outlandish action sequences, and it just does not feel Terminator to me.

I also have a similar opinion of Star Wars Episode 7 in that it's a repackaging of movies I've already seen with new characters that are too beholden to old ones. The difference being I actually think the new Star Wars characters do manage to be interesting, well the new ones here I just was not nearly as compelled by. I guess they are fine, but come the climax of the movie I can tell you the characters I was most concerned about when I was watching it were not the new people. I really hope this style of rehash sequel that relies entirely on nostalgia dies. We need more sequels like Blade Runner 2049 or Doctor Sleep. Less ones like this. These nostalgic sequels for the most part I find don't age well. I walked out of Star Wars Episode 7 feeling really high on it on first viewing. But the more I watched it the more the similarities bugged me. This movie doesn't have the advantage of even being as good as that movie, so I see this aging pretty badly very quickly. When making a sequel, you need to do something fresh and unique. Not do a simple re-hash with a new coat of paint.

For me, this is a 2 or 2.5 at best out of 5 movie. Which is a shame because the first two entries in this series are what I consider to be science fiction classics. I never expected this movie to be a classic, but the more they revisit the series to try to keep it going the more becomes apparent that this franchise is incredibly limited and that it doesn't have the franchise potential the people thought it did. They really should have stopped at 2

 

[Spider-Fan]

I’ve never had a problem with T3. The story itself was fine and was actually pretty original. The ending was probably one of the best of the series and set up the future war nicely. The problem was the T-X was horrible and they really needed Linda to come back.

I actually think of the two attempts now to make a third Terminator film, that each has a strength over the other. I think the new one is closer in tone to the rest of the series although way too cartoony looking. I think Terminator 3 was closer conceptually with the ending and the overall idea of the plot to what a third should be, but the tone was completely off. Only the ending Terminator 3 felt Terminator. The rest of the movie felt like a zany action comedy and that just didn't work for me. Really I don't think either this one or Terminator 3 or actual worthy follow-ups to the first two masterpieces. Now granted, we didn't need to get something that good, but simply okay just doesn't work when you're trying to make a follow-up to something brilliant

 

[terry78]

You can't keep making the same movie over and over. I know after Salvation they felt that's all they could do tho.

 

[Ctfxcwatcher]

This franchise is very guilty of the rehash thing people accuse other franchises of doing.

 

[Schlosser85]

Every movie since T2 has tried to be T2 only bigger with more (inferior) special effects (Arnold as the good Terminator who has the same bonding with the humans, road trip running from the bad Terminator while also trying to destroy Skynet/prevent Judgment Day), and every bad Terminator since T-1000 has tried to be T-1000 on steroids.

And fallen short.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I actually think it would have been more interesting if after the opening scene ‘Carl’

Spoiler

got to August 21st 1997 and realises Judgement Day doesn’t happen and so sets out to try and create Skynet and have Judgement day happen at a later date. We would then have a T-800 as the bad guy again, shaking things up a bit, with Sarah trying to stop him.

. If they wanted to add a time travel element, throw in Grace and Rev-9, and they could still even had included Dani as the new saviour.

For me that makes a much better story for Dark Fate than what we got. Which I did enjoy BTW.

 

[Schlosser85]

I don’t think we’d ever see Arnold be the villain again. Unless I’m missing something, the original Terminator is literally the only movie he’s ever been the bad guy.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Every movie since T2 has tried to be T2 only bigger with more (inferior) special effects (Arnold as the good Terminator who has the same bonding with the humans, road trip running from the bad Terminator while also trying to destroy Skynet/prevent Judgment Day), and every bad Terminator since T-1000 has tried to be T-1000 on steroids.

And fallen short.

As much as I hated the movie, at least Terminator Salvation did attempt to be somewhat different. Even if it devolved into some of the same crap at the end. But to these movies that keep trying to be Terminator 2, I just don't get why you would try to invite that type of comparison. Why do you want to constantly be like a movie that's better than yours? You're never going to win that type of scenario. People are never going to be as interested. They really need to rethink their strategy with this series. I think Terminator Salvation was closer to what the series needed to do, though the end result was a piece of garbage. But had that come up with a compelling movie in its own right, then I think it would have been huge