Terminator: Dark Fate Could Have Been A Contender

November 4, 2019December 13, 2019

Not even James Cameron’s return as a producer could kick start the Terminator franchise, because of many reasons. The first being the demotion of Arnold Schwarzenegger into a supporting character; the other being the new face of resistance. Not even in his wildest dreams would the creator of the franchise would have thought that one day, the resistance would be led by a Mexican. Terminator is an American franchise that so far revolved around John Connor and his mother. Changing a person was a need of the time, but changing nationality was not required. Maybe that’s why the title of the flick Terminator: Dark Fate seems perfectly fit now.

Come with me if you want to live!

Mackenzie Davis’s Grace is the new savior in the franchise who gets help from Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and Carl (Arnold Schwarzenegger). However, it is the one they are saving and the attacker who doesn’t impress at all. Both new entrants to the franchise – Dani (Natalia Reyes) and Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna) – are overshadowed by Mackenzie Davis. She has the moves required from a super fighter from the future and that’s why she stands out. Gabriel Luna tries to imitate Robert Patrick’s T-1000 from T2 and doesn’t impress at all. The same goes for Natalia Reyes who doesn’t seem worthy of being protected from the future.

It’s time to say Hasta La Vista, Arnie!

For five films, Arnold Schwarzenegger carried the load of being the Terminator, and its time to bid farewell. Unlike his contemporary Sylvester Stallone, Arnie doesn’t seem to know when to quit. He was wasted as Pops in the last Terminator and also in this one where he appears as late as possible. It would have been better had both he and Linda Hamilton made cameo appearances where they looked out of sorts. Ditching T2 with an unacceptable scene at the start was criminal, as was recreating some of the iconic fight sequences from the first two films. And the CGI and Special Effects are no different from recently released films.

I’ll be back!

Thirty-five years ago when James Cameron, Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed up for the first Terminator, it struck gold. Within a decade they were back with its sequel that set the bar high for future films. However, it took the makers nearly 30 years to come up with a direct sequel of T2, and it’s disappointing. Arnold’s character became a hit because of its one-liners but here he is an old man who speaks fluently. Linda Hamilton looks too old to be a Terminator Hunter whereas Cameron’s story doesn’t stand out. He must concentrate on the Avatar franchise instead of Terminator that seems to have bitten the dust, this time for good.

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