Terminator Movie ReviewÂ
Terminator dark fate movie was directed by Tim Miller and stars Linda Hamilton mackenzie Davis Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is the story of Sarah Connor and hybrid side work human, who now must protect a young girl from a newly modified liquid terminator from the future. And according to reports published before this film’s release Edward Furlong as John Connor is also in the movie.So we can all look forward to that.
I saw this film last Tuesday actually but I waited as long as I did to review it. Because I really could not see myself reviewing this movie without talking about spoilers because there’s so many things I want to discuss. And so I’m going to wait until after my grade if you haven’t seen the film yet this weekend and you don’t want to know any spoilers I understand that. So I’m going to talk about the movie. Then after I get my grade. I’m gonna talk about some other things.
The terminator franchise has basically been a mediocre bland pile of crap since terminator 2. The first 2 films are amazing and I still love them but after that they’ve all been pretty disposable and genesis was rather embarrassing so with James Cameron returning as a producer and Tim Miller directing Linda Hamilton coming back as Sarah Connor. It felt like there was something happening. It felt like there were possibilities here.
And wow this movie is competently Helms and the action sequences can be enjoyable to watch and I suppose as an action movie only it’s not too bad. As a terminator movie I thought this was awful and I think that’s where this movie is going to divide viewers because I understand that they’re probably trying to make a new Terminator movie for a new generation of fans who don’t care about the old ones.
But that also doesn’t make sense. Because you have sorts back and you have Linda Hamilton back and you have James Cameron back. So why are you trying to honor the legacy of the first 2 films. Maybe they actually work. Maybe they genuinely had no idea they were making a movie that took a giant all over the legacy of the first two. Maybe they really thought they were actually honoring them. But it really doesn’t feel like they were.
Man, I want to talk about spoilers holy shit. Let’s push aside my gripes and be realistic. Mackenzie Davis is really good in this movie. I thought she was really bad ass and I liked her character quite a bit she dedicated a lot of physicality to this role and I thought she was wonderful in the movie.
Linda Hamilton is by far my favorite part of the whole film she is awesome. She’s great as this character and she totally fits in those boots once again all these years later. She added a lot to the movie and I love seeing her back.
And despite the fact that I didn’t love what they did with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s storyline. I thought he was really funny in the movie. It’s weird because like I didn’t love what they were doing with the character but I undeniably laugh many times. But if you’ve seen the trailers you know that they find him in a cabin in the woods so I don’t really think it’s much of a spoiler to say that this character has sort of settled down ,which is odd.
We’ll talk about that after the grade. As I stated the action sequences are propulsive.There’s many of them and it does feel like the movie moves consistently although I thought it drag considerably during the middle of the film.
A lot of the action sequences feel a bit too tight and it just doesn’t feel real. I’m going to compare them to movies that were made in the eighties and early nineties probably more than you might want me to do in this video but I think it’s kind of necessary.
Why are these films made so many years ago so much better? Why do they look so much better? Because they’re really happening and so much of this shit in this movie. even some of the stuff that is actually happening, like car crashes.
There’s a shiny fake filter over everything and I just didn’t buy anything that was happening. The thing that this bug me about this movie is that it really is a recycled terminator 2 plot there’s a few extra little character beats that are added but this series once again cannot figure out how to be a series without somebody protecting somebody from another terminator.
It’s the same plot. I don’t understand why this series can’t figure out how to tell a story that doesn’t involve the Connors for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Terminator salvation is actually the closest that they’ve ever got to doing that which is one of the reasons I respect that movie more than most terminator sequels even though I don’t love it.
Look I can’t go on any longer without talking about some of my spoiler issues so I’m gonna grade this film I’m gonna give terminator dark fate a C. that’s the same grade I gave genesis. I think this movie is better than genesis. Because Mackenzie Davis and Linda Hamilton are all good in the movie.
And I liked these characters I like seeing them on screen and the action was better and better directed then in genesis. It is the story here. Guys the script everything about it just really tank to this movie for me.
And got it to a point where I want to as a terminator fan just be like this is like a D or D plus. But I’m being realistic okay. This is a competently made for the most part action movie.
So we’re gonna get into spoilers when the movie begins you may have heard this already there is a D. age John Connor and a D. age Sarah Connor another terminator shows up while they’re sitting at some restaurant somewhere and just kills John Connor right there. Shoots him and he’s dead.
They pulled in alien 3. We watched Aliens. We got attached to Hicks and Newt we understood this family dynamic that was being built. And then David Fincher in all of his brilliance came in and said that “ah no I don’t want to deal with that I’m gonna tell my own story”.
And while I respect elements of alien 3. That was a disservice to the characters and it makes aliens feel less important. It just kind of makes you feel like “Oh well I’m glad you got off that place but you’re just gonna die soon here in a minute”.
And that’s exactly how I feel about the ending of Terminator 2 now. All of the sacrifices made important mission to protect John Connor and destroyed Skynet all of that doesn’t seem to matter because he’s just going to die and this new thing called legion is going to shoot up and suddenly take over the world.
And now this is the real problem. This is the biggest issue I have with the terminator franchise. The timeline is royally bad and this happens a lot when you have time traveling movies. It’s very difficult to pull off correctly. It’s why not a lot of filmmakers do it. Because you have so much now that’s happening and it’s really impossible to figure it out.
I’m sure there’s a website somewhere that’s gonna explain it perfectly. But even when they explain it’s it’s just going to be like a summary of events. You’re not actually going to be able to make any sense of it. No I’m not the kind of person they get so attached to characters in films that I love. That can also appreciate something new. A new attempt at certain things I. New attempt to take characters in a direction and a risk.
I actually am okay with that which is why that first seen in terminator dark fate did not piss me off. Because I was waiting for the film to justify its existence. I figured okay if they’re gonna do that they got a reason. Actually they don’t. This new character Danny, is anyone there trying to protect.
There’s even a line in the film where Sarah Connor says and I’m paraphrasing that “she’s the new John Connor”. It was so obvious in on the nose that it actually made me cringe. So they’re not actually justifying it. They’re just saying “Hey you know that story line that we all know and love doesn’t matter we’re going to replace it with a blueprint of it just with a different character now”. Which I found extremely convoluted boring and unnecessary.
Now Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film plays the terminator that kill John Connor. He’s older now. His skin has aged as a Terminators skin does and he’s kind of sad about it and he has settled down and started a family. Sarah Connor asked him like “Does your wife ever notice that you weigh like 400 pounds?” and he’s like “Our relationship isn’t physical”. That’s actually kind of funny.
He installs drapes which is also very funny and there are some lines he has that are great and he is great in the movie. I just don’t really buy it. The series has set up that this just doesn’t happen you can teach a terminator things by switching the right thing in their head. As shown in one of the scenes in Terminator 2 but again I waited for them to justify that opening scene where they kill John Connor.
The idea that the terminator that does it. Decides I feel bad about that and I wish I hadn’t. To me, that doesn’t justify. It’s an interesting idea to explore. an eye with a conscience that decides they’re a little self-aware and just wants to install drapes.
I’m all for that weird bizarre idea but I just don’t think the film pulls that off. I thought this was a major missed opportunity. To me, it felt like the studios were trying to make a Marvel movie. A lot of these big-budget action films nowadays are trying to be like the M. C. U. and they really shouldn’t.
The Terminator films at least the first 2, felt sort of like hybrids between horror and science fiction, especially the first one. With Arnold being this unstoppable force that would just rip you apart if you give him the opportunity. Now they just feel so safe. Even though this is rated R. There’s nothing about it. That feels dangerous. It’s just bloody, side note though.Â
I thank you so much as always for reading the Terminator Movie Review. look forward to more reviews very soon.