Terminator: Dark Fate- gritty B movie aesthetic makes this a surprisingly pleasing entry

Dhinoj Dings
Nov 4 · 3 min read
Photo by Michael Huard on Unsplash/ Representative image

As I am writing this, three days have already passed since Terminator: Dark Fate hit the theatres. The box office verdict seems to be out- that the film is underperforming. How poor will its performance be compared to the last three entries- which were more or less universally reviled- remains to be seen.

But one thing is for certain- Dark Fate is a superior entry in a franchise that kept coming back- no pun intended- to see a futuristic robot save some hapless human from another futuristic robot.

That’s not saying much, or so you may think; particularly when you hear that the story is repeated in the newest part as well.

Dina Ramos(Natalia Reyes) is the young woman who should be saved this time, just like Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor was to be protected by Arnold Schawrzenegger’s Terminator in the franchise’ iconic second part which elevated the series into the formidable entity it is today.

Instead of Skynet- the evil AI that threatened to kill Connor — and thereby prevent the birth of mankind’s future savior in the great battle against the machines- this time , we have Legion, which sounds exactly like Skynet except in name.

Also, the robot sent from the future to protect Natalie from the evil Terminator is not exactly a robot but an augment, a bionically enhanced human being named Grace- played with a graceful dignity befitting the name by Mackenzie Davis.Gabriel Luna plays the evil Terminator with a stoic grimness born from his single minded devotion to succeed in his mission to kill Dina.

In other words, you will find certain differences in the film from the second part- the story beats of which are most familiar to audiences- that aren’t real ‘differences’ if you look at them closely.

But there’s one way in which director, Tim Miller(Deadpool,2016) brings a significant difference from that film.

Instead of following the sleek aesthetics of the second part- like the other entries that followed- Miller goes for a gritty, B-movie style of action that made the first film in the series so enjoyable.

Dark Fate is not a film that’s swamped with action scenes. But when they do come, they come for your throat, and they are as much a visual treat- carefully orchestrated and backed by grimly efficient CG effects- as they are entertaining.

Natalia Reyes plays Dina Ramos with a believable vulnerability at the start which soon gives way to an intensity and focus of purpose she discovers inside herself. This self-discovery and coming of age- if you could call it that- is pivotal to the movie since it makes you see the character as worthy of surviving.

In the final showdown with the Terminator, you root for her like you would your favorite team in the world cup final.

Linda Hamilton reprises her role as Sarah Connor. Connor’s son, John is shown to have been killed by Schwarzenegger’s Terminator early in the film. For the bulk of the movie, she appears as a hard drinking, deeply traumatised elderly woman whose sole purpose of existence is killing Terminators whenever she finds one.

The bonding between Connor and Dina (Sarah views Dina as John surrogate) is surprisingly believable for an action film- thanks largely to the frayed energy lathered in motherly love Hamilton brings to the character.

This bond gives the action sequences a well-earned emotional punch.

The conflicted relationship between Connor and Arnie’s Terminator-who killed her son but with whom she must team up to help Dina- feels under-explored to extract full emotional effect.

However, it gives another layer to Hamilton’s character, making her feel even more real.

By relishing in a gritty B-movie aesthetic even as he gives relationships the necessary space to develop- as much as is possible in a blockbuster which follows familiar beats like a clock hand tracking minutes- Miller has created a movie that’s eminently watchable even if it never reaches the pure action heights of the James Camron directed T2.

It certainly doesn’t deserve the dark fate of failed box office.

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