Terminator: Dark Fate is not a movie that is going to leave you with a sense of amazement at the end of it no matter what you think of - whether it's the story, the special effects or even the acting. But it isn't going to waste a good few hours of your life either. It falls somewhere in between - and somehow seems like an appropriate place for it.
This film directly follows the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day and finds a rather convenient way to bypass the not-so-good Terminator films that came in between. As far as the franchise goes, it sticks to what works. There are scenes that gory enough to satisfy some fans while still being aesthetically alright to watch - with pieces of metal and flesh flying around somehow not nauseating. It also has an underlying political tone to it with references to undocumented migrants for example - somehow trying to relate a fictitious world to the real one.
Mackenzie Davis is by far the most impressive of the actors in the movie and definitely holds her own as Grace. Some of the acting from the others - especially Luna and Reyes - definitely seems more pedestrian than what one might expect. Some of it, of course, may be down to the script and the character development but it's hard to pin all of the blame on that.
Overall, Terminator: Dark Fate is not the movie that is going to leave a lasting imprint with regards to the Terminator franchise, but it is a movie that provides a fairly controversy-free, even if generic storyline, that should make the movie just about watchable.
Rating: 3/5
