Caffeinated Clint
The first reviews for “Terminator : Dark Fate” -billed as the first, true sequel to James Cameron’s original dual masterpieces – have been released.
The consensus? very good. Most are quick to point out that director Tim Miller (“Deadpool”) doesn’t quite have the dab, delicate hand of Cameron behind-the-camera but with Cameron at least involved, in a producing capacity, the film still delivers.
The film, it seems, serves as a do-over or reboot of the franchise – taking things in a new, exciting direction. Most critics have likened the structure to that of J.J Abrams’ “Star Trek” and “The Force Awakens”.
A couple of critics claim to be disappointed by the film, largely due to what’s apparently a weak style over substance ratio, but on the whole, most are happy to consider this the first ‘good’ “Terminator 3” we’ve had to date.
It seems to me that we should make our peace with the fact that there will never be another “Terminator 2 : Judgement Day” but here’s a film that’s at least worthy to carry the “Terminator” name – unlike a couple of those dogsh*t sequels.
“Terminator : Dark Fate” is in theaters next week.
Variety says :
In a world overrun by sequels and remakes and reboots, “Terminator: Dark Fate” is an example of that opportunistic but, in its way, stubbornly optimistic form: the do-over. The movie, directed with gritty rock-solid craft by Tim Miller (“Deadpool”), marks the return of James Cameron to the series (as executive producer) for the first time since “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” and at moments the film almost seems to be saying to its fan base, “Okay, we admit it, the last three ‘Terminator’ films sucked. They were action-movie fodder of diminishing returns, movies that spun their own wheels. So guess what: Forget all about them. Pretend they never existed. This, take our word for it, is the real third installment of the series.” That kind of thing can become its own form of hype, but in this case it’s a promise the movie takes to the bank. “Dark Fate” is a lean, tough, and absorbing sequel that taps back into the enthralling surface of the “Terminator” series’ comic-book kinetics as well as the sinister sweet spot of its grandiose pulp mythology
Collider says :
Dark Fate is the return to form for the beloved title that we’ve all been waiting for. The characters get their due, the action is top-tier, and the cast is aces. Miller understands the world he’s working in and embraces it fully, offering a new chapter for these beloved characters and, despite the grim title, promising a bright future for one of the greatest but long-suffering franchises in movie history.
IGN says :
What makes Terminator: Dark Fate succeed where Rise of the Machines, Salvation, and Genisys failed is that it knows that A) less is more when it comes to the T-800/Arnold and B) the first two films worked because they were really about Sarah Connor and not the titular killing machine. Dark Fate brings back Linda Hamilton as an older, grizzled and very broken Sarah Connor and that is the best, smartest thing the film did to ensure it creatively succeeds where the last three Terminator franchise resets failed.
Empire says :
Easily the third-best Terminator film, which is more of a compliment than it sounds. It’s great to have Hamilton back in this role, but she’s ably matched by Reyes and Davis
Indiewire says :
“Dark Fate” might close the door on the “Terminator” franchise, but every dull frame of it suggests that we’ll be trapped in that vicious back-and-forth ’til kingdom come
Gizmodo says :
Dark Fate will undoubtedly get some negative comparisons to titles like Star Wars: The Force Awakens for towing a bit too close to the nostalgia line but one of the more interesting things it borrows from it (aside from some cute winks to camera) is something becoming more prevalent in storytelling as a whole today: reminding us all we’re important. After all, being a hero isn’t one size fits all.
Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (one of my favourite films…and I expect a lot of people can say the same) still stand as a near-perfect story paring. Their stories certainly never needed to be continued but, as this is Hollywood and the franchise wheels are ever-turning, if they had to move forward, Dark Fate is finally the followup they deserve.
The AV Club says :
Though Dark Fate gets more engaging as it goes on (an escape from a disabled plane is a low-gravity highlight), its sci-fi ideas mostly amount to a listless skimming of hot-button issues. Detainment at the U.S.-Mexico border is a plot point, Sarah is constantly wary of smartphone tracking, and new enemies derive from “an AI built for cyber-warfare,” but no one seems interested in recontextualizing the human/Terminator battle into a contemporary horror. James Cameron has made his much-ballyhooed return to announce that the battle continues, and may continue further, should this adventure prove profitable.
The Hollywood Reporter says :
We’re distracted from the staleness of this storyline by sequences that strain awfully hard to dazzle us. One long fight in the back of a falling cargo plane has combatants zipping to and fro in freefall; the next tosses them over a dam in a Humvee, sinks them and sets robot against robot on the bottom of a lake. By the time the movie’s ready to kill its latest-greatest villain, fans have gotten a fine lesson in the perils of sequel-making one-upmanship.
ScreenCrush says :
I can (and have) defended each of the later Terminator sequels, but there’s no question Dark Fate is the best of the bunch. In the first two films, Judgment Day was supposed to occur way back in 1997. Generating dread out of an apocalypse that’s 20 years behind schedule is no easy feat, but Miller, Cameron, and their writers come up with a very plausible explanation for the Terminators’ return, one that’s rooted in the timely suspicion that even if we’ve averted robotic doom until now, society can only teeter on the brink of extinction for so long before it topples over completely. At least until then we’ve got Linda Hamilton back.
Screen Rant says :
Terminator: Dark Fate is a perfectly exciting popcorn flick, one that expectedly focuses more on thrilling action than thoughtful discussion of race and gender in modern America. It is, otherwise, an incredible return to form for the franchise. Dark Fate is the Terminator sequel fans have waited nearly 30 years for – and, thankfully, it’s well worth the wait. The action spectacle perhaps warrants a viewing in IMAX, though that will make the rougher CGI moments stand out more. Ultimately, Terminator: Dark Fate delivers pulse-pounding action, some sci-fi thrills and plenty of badass moments for original stars Hamilton and Schwarzenegger.
