Catching up with... Terminator: Dark Fate

Movie folks have talked Terminator: Dark Fate to death since it landed on screens with a thud last November. We're aware of how big a bomb it was, and how unenthused most people still are about it.

But Tim Miller's flick is about to land on Digital, so I figured it was high time I give it a watch.

Every fibre of my being wanted to hate this movie, but it's actually quite an entertaining entry in the series. It's easily the best sequel since T2, and I'm one of the few who didn't mind Rise of the Machines.

The opening eight minutes are by far the best. This is where Dark Fate justifies its existence, and plays with the idea that if something's supposed to happen, it's going to happen. There's nothing we can do to stop it. The fatalist in me loved that.

How about the remaining two hours? This is a decent action/sci-fi film. Linda Hamilton is a joy to watch, and brings renewed -- and angry -- life to Sarah Connor. Mackenzie Davis makes for a great female Reese, and Gabriel Luna is a fine stand in for the T-1000.

And although he's only in the second half of the movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger has way more to do here than he did in the last Terminator movie. It was nice having him back.

I really liked the action, which is visceral and relies more on practical stunts and effects, at least until the end. The film moves well, and only slows down when it needs to. And yes, the R-rating is welcome.

Some have complained this is a feminist hijacking of the franchise. Given that James Cameron was back as a producer, I'm not surprised or upset. He's always focused on strong female characters. It just makes sense.

As you can tell, I dug Terminator: Dark Fate. It can't hold a candle to the first two movies, but it didn't deserve the roasting it did by fans and critics. I was entertained, and that's most important to me. I'm giving it a Good.

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