Sunday, November 3, 2019

Terminator: Dark Fate

Movie Name: Terminator: Dark Fate
Year of Release: 2019
Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Diego Boneta, Tom Hopper, Tristan Ulloa, 
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
View Trailer

Synopsis and Review:
After the mediocre "Terminator Genisys" came out in 2015, guided by the hands of director Alan Taylor, this new chapter in the franchise, is a vast improvement, thanks to an invested director and cast, all aided by state of the art visual effects. 
The film introduces us to Grace, a young woman from the future who is intent on protecting Dani from the relentless pursuit of a new terminator, who can divide himself and attack from multiple fronts. They gain a strong new ally in the shape of Sarah Connor, who we come to learn, was unable to save her son John, from actually being shot by another terminator sent to kill him (past the events that occurred on "Terminator 2"). Sarah in the interim years since that event took place, has devoted her time following leads that are sent to her phone, where she tracks and destroys terminators that are sent from the future. Grace while not being a terminator, is no longer entirely human, and requires the help from Sarah and Dani. The three of them decide to track whomever is sending those messages to Sarah, who coincides with a location known to Grace. That becomes their final resource against the unstoppable terminator.
"Terminator: Dark Fate" takes a very obvious detour and completely avoids the story developments/sequels which occurred after James Cameron's "Terminator: Judgement Day". "Terminator: Dark Fate" very much becomes a narrative about Sarah Connor's redemption path after being unable to save her son John, from being terminated by his beloved T-1000. It's also an attempt at capturing the magic of the original "Terminator" from 1984, where a young woman is at the center of the salvation of the human race, and has no one but a soldier from the future to rescue her. The combination of the iconic Sarah Connor and the basics of the original narrative, do make for the best parts of the film, however, what made the original film so successful was the fact that even though the film took place in a city, it felt like a claustrophobic chase film, and the characters were sufficiently developed to be compelling. Bringing back Linda Hamilton to embody the seasoned Sarah, does give it an edge, and it's the best thing about the film, since the rest of the characters feel and sound oddly generic and without much substance. The film is nonetheless well orchestrated, and the action sequences are impeccably shot and ultimately make the film entertaining. The cinematography from Ken Seng is impeccable, while the score from Tom Holkenborg is effective, while also bringing to mind the classic theme from Brad Fiedel. Worth watching.

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