Terminator: Dark Fate tries to fix everything that went wrong with the last three films in the franchise, and mostly it does not. The movie brings back Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, Edward Furlong as John Connor, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800, but it also adds a new villain, a new heroine, and a new timeline that asks audiences to forget almost everything that came before. The result is a film that is technically competent, occasionally thrilling, and ultimately unsatisfying.
Trailer, via Paramount Pictures.
Sarah Connor Returns
Hamilton returns as Sarah Connor, and she is the best thing about Terminator: Dark Fate. Her performance carries scenes that might otherwise collapse under the weight of exposition. She is older, harder, and still fully committed to the fight against Skynet. The film spends significant time establishing her current life, her relationship with her daughter Dani, and her ongoing fear of the machines that nearly destroyed her world. That character work pays off in the final act, where her determination drives the plot forward.
Furlong also returns as John Connor, now a grown man running a resistance movement. His presence grounds the story in the continuity of the original trilogy, even as the film pushes him aside to make room for a new lead. His arc is thinner than Hamilton’s, but he delivers when the script calls for it.
Schwarzenegger’s T-800 is the film’s anchor. He plays the familiar stoic protector, and the movie wisely lets him be that. There is no attempt to reinvent the character; he is simply there, doing what he does best. The chemistry between Hamilton and Schwarzenegger remains the heart of the series, and the film leans on it heavily.
Dani Ramos and Gabriel Luna
The new characters are where Terminator: Dark Fate stumbles. Dani Ramos is played by Natalia Reyes, and her arc is meant to mirror Sarah’s from the first film. She is a young woman who discovers she is being hunted by a machine, and the film wants her to become the next leader of the resistance. The problem is that her journey feels rushed. The film introduces her, throws her into danger, and expects the audience to care within minutes. Reyes does what she can with the material, but the script never gives her enough space to earn her place.
Gabriel Luna plays the new villain, a hybrid human-machine named Rev-9. He is fast, agile, and capable of separating his head from his body. The design is striking, and the action sequences featuring him are some of the film’s best. But the character is thin. He is a tool for the story, not a fully realized threat. The film explains his origin in a way that contradicts earlier movies, and it never quite resolves the contradiction.
The New Timeline
The central conceit of Terminator: Dark Fate is that the events of the previous films happened, but in a slightly different way. This allows the film to bring back the old cast while ignoring the messy continuity of the later installments. It is a clever idea, but it comes with a cost. The film spends too much time explaining itself, and the explanations are often clunky. Characters talk about timelines and alternate realities as if they were everyday conversation, and the audience is expected to keep up.
The film also introduces a new kind of terminator, played by Diego Breytenbach, who is controlled remotely by a human agent. This is a smart twist, and it sets up a tense standoff in the middle of the movie. But the scene is over before it can breathe, and the payoff is smaller than the setup suggests.
The Action Sequences
The action in Terminator: Dark Fate is where the film shines brightest. The fight choreography is sharp, and the set pieces are well staged. There is a chase through a Mexican border town that is genuinely exciting, and a rooftop confrontation that is tense. The film knows how to move bodies across a screen, and it uses that knowledge to keep the audience engaged.
The film also benefits from a score that is appropriately industrial and oppressive. The music matches the tone of the story, and it helps sell the sense of dread that the script struggles to establish on its own.
The Plot Weaknesses
Despite the strong action, the plot drags in stretches. The middle of the film is slow, and it relies too heavily on exposition to explain why the characters are where they are. The film jumps forward in time several times, and each jump requires a new explanation. This structure works better in theory than in practice, and it leaves the audience feeling lost.
The film also suffers from a lack of stakes. The characters are fighting Skynet again, but the film does not make the threat feel urgent. The death of a major character late in the film is meant to be shocking, but it lands flat because the audience has not been made to care about anyone except Hamilton’s Sarah.
The Final Act
The final act is the strongest part of Terminator: Dark Fate. The film builds to a climax that brings together the old and new casts in a way that honors the history of the series while moving it forward. Hamilton and Schwarzenegger share a scene that is pure fan service, and it works. The film ends on a note that is open-ended, which is a gamble, but it pays off by leaving the door open for future installments.
The Verdict
Terminator: Dark Fate is a mixed bag. It has moments of genuine excitement, and it features some of the best performances in the franchise. But it is also weighed down by a convoluted timeline, weak new characters, and a plot that never quite finds its footing. The film is not a disaster, but it is not a triumph either.
Key Facts Box
- Title: Terminator: Dark Fate
- Year: 2019
- Director: Tim Miller
- Running Time: 127 minutes
- Score: 5.4 of 10
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