He always did say he would be back. Actually, Arnold Schwarzenegger has said that iconic bit of dialogue any chance he can. This time out in the franchise, he’s bringing the terminator-slaying GOAT with him, Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor. Yes! For the first time since 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, both Hamilton and Schwarzenegger are in the flick and there’s a bonus … it’s a huge one. The actioner features the return of the man who invented this cinematic landscape, James Cameron—who served as executive producer for Terminator: Dark Fate after winning back the rights to his beloved apocalyptic and futuristic landscape.
Terminator: Dark Fate is out now on home video and features some in-depth bonus features that add layers upon layers to the fun. Oh, lest we forget who is helming this puppy, the one and only Tim Miller (Deadpool)!
So, exactly how does this story work so that all of our favorite characters are realistically inserted into the story—all while introducing a fresh cast of characters that can take the mantle and run with it, should the audience respond to this sixth Terminator film? Cameron describes this latest flick as the first true sequel to Terminator 2. Remember how glorious the visuals were on that first Terminator sequel? They pushed the limits of what was technically possible at the time. Imagine what Cameron and his FX wizards can do with 29 years’ worth of technical tools that were previously only a pipe dream?
But all that eye candy means nothing if the story doesn’t grab audiences on two fronts—cerebrally and emotionally. It does do that to large extent.
The action picks up decades after Judgement Day. We meet a new Terminator who says little but destroys much. Gabriel Luna is a marvel as REV-9. Knowing the boots he was stepping into from years of varying Terminators—such as Robert Patrick’s iconic turn in the 1991 blockbuster, of course Schwarzenegger and let’s not forget the stellar television show The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The Fox show possessed a double dose of mechanical marvel with Summer Glau’s role as protector and the always awesome Garret Dillahunt as the antagonist.
In 2019, fans get Mackenzie Davis’ (currently in theaters in The Turning) mind-blowingly evolved Grace. She’s pure Terminator, yet somehow simultaneously more human than any other incarnations combined in the series. What that does is set up an emotional mortal element that has been somewhat vacant from all previous humanoid killers. Much like every other Terminator ever, she arrives with a flash. Rapidly, she must find the ultimate leader of the resistance in the future.
At this point most folks watching this film probably thought … John Connor, again? Cameron took a major risk dramatically with what occurs early in Terminator: Dark Fate. But that’s how sequels are supposed to be—give audiences a primary reason for going back for more and not more of the same. Not only are the two fresh Terminators distinct, the landscape of this world has altered and that fact puzzles Sarah for a spat. Didn’t she end the threat when she took out Cyberdyne Systems, aka Skynet?
It’s an intriguing set-up and for the most part it works. For more on the film itself, head over to our theatrical Terminator: Date Fate review.
Now, it’s on to the bonus features! With Cameron back, the fresh action mettle of Miller and his two iconic stars, there’s a whole lot of franchise-wide enlightenment.
First up, tackle World Builders, the over 30-minute in-depth featurette that spotlights the supremely complex digital effects that make what was achieved in Judgement Day seem quite pedantic. Also explored is a look at the shoot in Spain—as well as other locales—how some showstopping stunts were shot and how Story and his team set out to create the futuristic war sequences. With so much digitally done, World Builders also shows off how filmmakers crafted practical effects as well. This is one of those home video extras that first intrigued us to the featurettes on DVD as lessons in filmmaking that feel right out of film school.
A Legend Reforged explores one of the aspects of the film itself that most intrigued me heading into first witnessing Terminator: Dark Fate. Given all the Terminator movies that have come before, how was this sixth film going to fit into the timeline. This 20-minute featurette does a brilliant job of looking at the creative pairing of Miller and Cameron and how they chose to forge their own narrative path that stemmed directly from Terminator: Judgement Day. Story talks about Cameron’s involvement in the film, as well as the writing process while Schwarzenegger and Hamilton’s return is celebrated in the most glorious of ways. This featurette also introduces us to the fresh characters and the thespians behind their movie magic, as well as a nice snippet on the T-800 and its place in the movie.
What was merely teased in World Builders gets its own piece in VFX Breakdown: The Dragonfly. The future battle sequence gets broken down and showcases exactly how that stellar FX work was achieved. Dam Busters: The Final Showdown is a divine eight-and-a-half-minute behind-the-scenes journey that shows off the genius of those charged with bringing the climatic conclusion to life.
There are some interesting deleted and extended scenes, including I Need Your Car, Internet Café, Augmentation Volunteer, The Crossing, Alicia Confronts Sarah and Let Me Save You. Sadly, there is no commentary track by anyone involved on the Blu-Ray that I reviewed. But, if you utilize the digital copy, a commentary track by Miller is included, along with a handful of exclusive featurettes.
Film Grade: B+
Bonus Features: B