"Terminator: Dark Fate" Movie Review

Terminator: Dark Fate is an action-packed epic that's by far the best entry in the franchise since Judgment Day. It ignores the show and parts 3 through 5, making it a direct sequel to Judgment Day.

The film picks up where T2 left off, showing a young Sarah and John Connor recovering from the T-1000 attack. Turns out, multiple Terminators had been sent back along with the T-1000 and one successfully terminated John. Sarah then spent the next 20 years hunting down the other Terminators. Now, a new threat has arrived. Grace, an augmented super soldier, has been sent to protect Dani, a young Latina who will grow up to be important in the fight against Legion, the A.I. corporation that takes the place of Skynet. Teaming up with Sarah, Dani and Grace have to find a way to survive against a new model of Terminator, the Rev-9.

Some people might have issues with Dark Fate rebooting the franchise, but honestly I am more than fine with it. After the failed experiment that was Genisys, the franchise needed a good reboot. Getting the negative out of the way, the only issue with the film was Arnold Schwarzenegger's story. It felt like it was just thrown in for fan service and completely unnecessary. If this is in fact Arnold's final turn as the Terminator, then his send-off was not that great.

Returning to the positives, Mackenzie Davis was absolutely amazing as Grace. Not only was her acting on point, but she was also a badass who's destined to be a great action star. Linda Hamilton's return was glorious. We haven't seen her since T2, so having her reunite with Schwarzenegger on-screen was a nice nostalgic moment. She may be in her 60s but she hasn't slowed down at all. Her energy and commanding presence was the drive that kept the film flowing so well.

The film had some of the best action scenes, not only in the franchise but also in any action film. The ending was left open-ended, which is fine with me. If it's this quality, I wouldn't mind more films.

In conclusion, if you're a Terminator fan, you'll love Dark Fate. For the most part, it succeeds and even offers a few humorous moments. With the story being by James Cameron and the directing by Tim Miller, this is one film that can't lose. I give Terminator: Dark Fate a 3.5 out of 4.