MOVIE REVIEW: Terminator - Dark Fate
(I Love Music - AndrewW. K.)
There's all kinds of flowery openings I could write to this review. I could fill it with dates and factoids that celebrated the success of James Cameron's first two Terminator movies, and the failure of the three that followed. There are only a few things you actually need to know though:
Terminator 1 was a sleeper hit.
Terminator 2 was one of the finest action sequels that has ever been made.
Terminator 3 and Terminator Salvation were both forgettable, weak entries.
Terminator Genesys was too little, too busy, and too late.
Finally, James Cameron is back in the driver's seat to provide us with a Terminator sequel that everyone hopes will have been worth the wait. Arnold Schwarzenegger is back, Linda Hamilton is back, and the brains behind it all is back.
Should you go see it?
THE SHORT VERSION:
Affirmative.
THE LONG VERSION:
This is going to be another one of those 'Not That Long' long versions. As with the intro, there are only a few things you need to know:
- This is not a perfect movie. It does not have a perfect story. It's still a great movie, and the story is more than serviceable.
- Sarah Connor is a bad, bad woman, and Linda Hamilton still wears big boots.
- It's always good to see Arnie back in action.
- The door is open for at least one more movie, and I would totally be okay with it.
This is not Terminator 2. T2 is untouchable as a movie. It's very nearly perfect. Instead, this movie is probably the best that could follow T2. You should go see it. If you're a fan of the first two Terminator movies, there'll be plenty for you to enjoy. If you're not, there's plenty to enjoy besides.
HERE THERE BE SPOILERS:
- There are easter eggs everywhere in this movie.
- The digital effects work in this movie has some really strong spots and some really weak ones. Fortunately, the former outweighs the latter.
- The opening few minutes of the movie are raw and powerful, and the digital restoration of the old Terminator footage is fantastic.
- I have some pretty big problems with the concept of an augmented human like Grace, but Mackenzie Davis does her best with the roll. It's a far cry from where I saw her in The Martian. It's tough to stand her up next to Linda Hamilton though, because Hamilton has always been a badass of the highest calibre. When she was younger, she was a hoss. Now that she's older, she's still a hoss. Davis just looks...soft next to her.
- Yes, I thought they were reaching a little with Carl's story. That's probably the weakest link in the entire plot.
- One of the things that made Terminator 2 so phenominal is the simplicity and practicality of the sets. They did so much with practical effects that the movie was easy to focus on. It was easy to focus on the action and the characters because there wasn't all of this visual confetti going on. Dark Fate is certainly an action extravaganza, but they could have done away with at least a third of the film's action sequences and extended what remained to provide a more focused, cohesive film.
- Gabriel Luna does a FANTASTIC job as the new Terminator. I loved Robert Patrick from T2. Luna channels the same sense of calm inexorability that Patrick displayed. It seems a little fucked up that you have to scroll down a LOT on the IMDB site for this movie to find his credit in the film.
- I know I'm probably going to take some stick for this, but Natalie Reyes does nothing for me. Give me Michelle Rodriguez any day of the week. One of the reasons why the first two Terminator movies worked so well is because of Linda Hamilton exuding the strength and tenacity to survive. I don't get that from Reyes' performance. Rodriguez, on the other hand...
- Carl the Drape Salesman. That is all.
There's all kinds of flowery openings I could write to this review. I could fill it with dates and factoids that celebrated the success of James Cameron's first two Terminator movies, and the failure of the three that followed. There are only a few things you actually need to know though:
Terminator 1 was a sleeper hit.
Terminator 2 was one of the finest action sequels that has ever been made.
Terminator 3 and Terminator Salvation were both forgettable, weak entries.
Terminator Genesys was too little, too busy, and too late.
Finally, James Cameron is back in the driver's seat to provide us with a Terminator sequel that everyone hopes will have been worth the wait. Arnold Schwarzenegger is back, Linda Hamilton is back, and the brains behind it all is back.
Should you go see it?
THE SHORT VERSION:
Affirmative.
THE LONG VERSION:
This is going to be another one of those 'Not That Long' long versions. As with the intro, there are only a few things you need to know:
- This is not a perfect movie. It does not have a perfect story. It's still a great movie, and the story is more than serviceable.
- Sarah Connor is a bad, bad woman, and Linda Hamilton still wears big boots.
- It's always good to see Arnie back in action.
- The door is open for at least one more movie, and I would totally be okay with it.
This is not Terminator 2. T2 is untouchable as a movie. It's very nearly perfect. Instead, this movie is probably the best that could follow T2. You should go see it. If you're a fan of the first two Terminator movies, there'll be plenty for you to enjoy. If you're not, there's plenty to enjoy besides.
HERE THERE BE SPOILERS:
- There are easter eggs everywhere in this movie.
- The digital effects work in this movie has some really strong spots and some really weak ones. Fortunately, the former outweighs the latter.
- The opening few minutes of the movie are raw and powerful, and the digital restoration of the old Terminator footage is fantastic.
- I have some pretty big problems with the concept of an augmented human like Grace, but Mackenzie Davis does her best with the roll. It's a far cry from where I saw her in The Martian. It's tough to stand her up next to Linda Hamilton though, because Hamilton has always been a badass of the highest calibre. When she was younger, she was a hoss. Now that she's older, she's still a hoss. Davis just looks...soft next to her.
- Yes, I thought they were reaching a little with Carl's story. That's probably the weakest link in the entire plot.
- One of the things that made Terminator 2 so phenominal is the simplicity and practicality of the sets. They did so much with practical effects that the movie was easy to focus on. It was easy to focus on the action and the characters because there wasn't all of this visual confetti going on. Dark Fate is certainly an action extravaganza, but they could have done away with at least a third of the film's action sequences and extended what remained to provide a more focused, cohesive film.
- Gabriel Luna does a FANTASTIC job as the new Terminator. I loved Robert Patrick from T2. Luna channels the same sense of calm inexorability that Patrick displayed. It seems a little fucked up that you have to scroll down a LOT on the IMDB site for this movie to find his credit in the film.
- I know I'm probably going to take some stick for this, but Natalie Reyes does nothing for me. Give me Michelle Rodriguez any day of the week. One of the reasons why the first two Terminator movies worked so well is because of Linda Hamilton exuding the strength and tenacity to survive. I don't get that from Reyes' performance. Rodriguez, on the other hand...
- Carl the Drape Salesman. That is all.
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