Next month, director Tim Miller (Deadpool) will release the sixth and latest instalment of the post-apocalyptic Terminator franchise, Terminator: Dark Fate.
Although the majority of diehard fans of the franchise have shunned and critiqued all three post-1991 Terminator films, it’s possible they might see some worth in the upcoming instalment — or at least some critics think so.
A week ahead of Dark Fate’s North American release on Nov. 1, a number of reviews have surfaced. While most critics were more impressed with the film than they were with Rise of the Machines (2003), Salvation (2009) and Genisys (2015), they made it very clear the bar was set very low — suggesting the franchise might have repaired itself.
After three decades, with the return of James Cameron as executive producer and Linda Hamilton as leading lady, many believe Dark Fate could be promising.
It was also confirmed that the film would serve as a direct sequel to the first two — and most popular — Terminator films, The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which Cameron, 65, directed.
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Though there is a lot of hype surrounding Terminator: Dark Fate, as well as specific expectations, here’s what the critics are saying about it so far — with no spoilers.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
“Terminator: Dark Fate offers a fair bit of pleasure to those wanting a 21st-century retread of T2. But it suffers greatly from obeying the imperative the first sequel established: trying to blow minds and up the ante the way that FX-pioneering adventure did … One might expect that, having hired Deadpool director Miller, the filmmakers have a sense of irony about all this and wanted him to bring some meta-movie wit to the action. No such luck. This film contains even less humour than the last one. We’re distracted from the staleness of this storyline by sequences that strain awfully hard to dazzle us … Aside from predictably excellent CGI, an underutilized Mackenzie Davis is the film’s best new addition.”
From Entertainment Weekly:
From Variety:
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From Empire:
“Dark Fate feels like a real Terminator movie at last, from the breakneck, deeply terrifying chase that opens it to its moving finale. This was never just Arnold Schwarzenegger’s series; it’s Linda Hamilton that’s the key ingredient … This film takes true narrative risks … As familiar lines are spun in new ways and we build to a heavy metal clash of a finale, this occasionally leans too heavily on the homage but mostly, remarkably, feels like a worthy descendant rather than a cheap cash-in … For the first time in a long time, we can look to the future of Terminator with hope.”
From The Guardian:
From Vanity Fair:
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While many critics claim Dark Fate is the best and most entertaining instalment in the Terminator series since Judgment Day, they don’t seem too positive about it being a very meaningful or even necessary film in itself.
More reviews of the movie can be found here.
Terminator: Dark Fate hits cinemas across Canada on Nov. 1.
Watch the film’s trailer in the video above.