Review by John M. Delia, Jr.
“Our future depends on brave souls that can save us from the machines that can destroy us all.” With the hero’s in Terminator: Dark Fate their past lives are more important than their actions that give Earth the strength to defend itself. Can these evils that are right in front of the populous ever be defeated? It would give modern Earth a possible future that is safe from the mechanical soldiers of doom that are about to invade the future?
The story that started in 1984 with The Terminator has continued off and on over the years, giving audiences this sixth sequel. In case you don’t remember all the titles, here they are; The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Terminator Salvation (2009), and Terminator Genisys (2015). So this new sequel Terminator: Dark Fate takes place after Terminator 2: Judgement Day, around the year 1998.
Things have changed in the universe, since Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) altered the future and Skynet’s existence will never happen. The world has now been saved from the machines ever taking us over. Sarah has saved her son John Connor and saved billions of lives with her destruction of Skynet. But, just before Skynet was destroyed the Carl, a T-800 was already on the way for one last shot at killing the young John Connor.
In present day, Grace (Mackenzie Davis) a soldier from the future, appears in Mexico City with a mission to save Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes), a young working class girl employed at a local factory. As the story unfolds, Grace and Dani find themselves running for their lives from the new and improved terminator, Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna). With this new high tech machine on the loose with a mission to destroy anything in its path to eliminate Dani, they may need more help and Sara Connor may be all the help that Grace needs.
Director Tim Miller does an excellent job recreating the iconic characters and placing them into a story that brings you on a spectacular ride of non-stop action. Tim goes even further and creates a terminator that has never been seen before and is definitely amazing. He does such an exceptional job with the changeover to Grace and Rev-9 that it will help this new upcoming trilogy to form its own personality. Noteworthy however, the action scenes are remarkable and the franchise continues to be a non-stop ride of excitement for all to see
With this film taking a different path from the last three installments, it helps the story form its own identity that spins into a welcome direction. It definitely delivers on its promise and continues to advance the storyline by making it interesting. All in all this is one of the top action films of the year and worth seeing in the theater.
Final Comment: I based my grade on the fantastic special effects, the incredible action scenes, and the outstanding new storyline. 4 Stars out of 5
Additional Film Information
Cast: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Diego Boneta, and Gabriel Luna
Directed by: Â Tim Miller
Genre: Action, Adventure, and Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: Rated R for violence throughout, language and brief nudity.
Running Time: 2 hours and 8 minutes
Release Date: Â November 1st, 2019
Distributed By: Paramount Pictures
Release In: Â Standard, D-Cinema, Dolby Surround, Digital 4K