Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2019
	Director: Tim Miller (Deadpool)
	Actors: Linda Hamilton (The Terminator 1-2), Arnold Schwarzenegger (Predator, Maggie, Total Recall), Mackenzie Davis, Gabriel Luna (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV-series), Natalia Reyes
	Country: USA, E, CN, H
	Genre: Action, SF
	Conditions of visioning: 24.01.2020, VOD, 40" TV screen.
Synopsis: A Terminator and a soldier from the future arrive in Mexico. After locating their target, they are soon met by Sarah Connor (Hamilton) who is on a mission.
Review: Arguably the best Terminator movie since T2: Judgment Day. T3: Rise of the Machines was a semi-parodic sequel and the last movie with Arnold before he turned Governator, T4: Salvation tried a new approach and failed, and the reboot T5: Genisys was fun to watch but didn't make much sense especially without sequel to answer the questions it left open. In fact the best Terminator recent material may be excellent novels T2: Infiltrator, T2: Rising Storm and T2: The Future War, followed by The Sarah Connor Chronicle TV-series. And in fact Dark Fate reminds me of those good references with its augmented human, the meeting with an old Arnold and other details. I love how the movie opened, thanks to digital de-aging tech, putting you in the mood you were right after watching T2 and making clear that it is a direct sequel to that one. The concept is always the same: a future AI sends a killer back in time to terminate the savior of humanity, followed by a protector sent by the future resistance. But the movie clarifies early on that Skynet was never born, replaced instead by another AI hinting that this kind of future is, under a form or another, humanity's Dark Fate. I like both characters from the future, I like the one they are trying to protect, I like how Sarah is back and how it is explained and the same goes for the original Terminator although I would have preferred it to be a twist. It was almost for me as I was not sure whether Arnold was in this movie, that's the upside of not watching trailers and not even seeing movie posters. Just the basic poster ruins everything, telling you who is back, who is the robot and who the protector, unlike so well-done in T2 when the awesome revelation comes as a surprise. There are many fights in the movie against an apparently invincible machine but they are well choreographed and play the proper role of propelling our characters forward to escape from the enemy. I feared bad special effects from the first shots in the movie but they turned out to be generous and pretty good. Fan service is present but rather discreet and well-placed (except for the not welcome "I'll be back"). Most important, I found that Schwarzenegger was well in the role, better-looking than in any of the movies he shot post-Governator, and with a few hilarious lines. I don't understand why the movie was not more successful, maybe because of how it was marketed or because of its release date. Although it seems unlikely, I would love to see a sequel explore the many possibilities left open by the ending...
Rating: 7 /10