Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
★★½ — Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Terminator: Dark Fate arrived in 2019 as the sixth entry in the franchise and the third attempt to recapture the magic of James Cameron's first two films, this time with Cameron himself returning as producer for the first time since T2. The director's chair went to Tim Miller, who had made a strong commercial debut with Deadpool (2016) but was working at a considerably different scale here, with a $185 million budget that made Dark Fate one of the more expensive productions of that year. The film was conceived as a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), effectively ignoring Rise of the Machines, Salvation, and Genisys entirely, a soft-reboot approach that had become fashionable in the late 2010s (see also Halloween, Jurassic World). The headline draw was Linda Hamilton's return to the role of Sarah Connor after a 28-year absence from the franchise.
Ah, Dark Fate... the third attempt at a Terminator sequel that forgets all the other sequels. It almost works—until it doesn’t. Let’s start with the positives: Linda Hamilton is back and absolutely nails it. A grizzled, no-nonsense Sarah Connor is exactly what the franchise needed. And Arnie is surprisingly great as the ageing T-800 with a dry sense of humour and a curtain business. No, really. It somehow works. The action is slick, the new Terminator is suitably menacing, and the film tries to carry some of the old weight. But here’s the issue: the plot is held together by string and wishful thinking. Killing off John Connor in the first five minutes is bold, but it just kind of deflates the entire emotional investment from T2. The new timeline stuff is vague at best, nonsensical at worst. It’s not a total disaster, there’s fun to be had here, but the constant retconning and logic holes make it hard to fully buy into. A decent enough ride, but yet another missed opportunity for the franchise that refuses to say "I'll stay down."
Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2019 | Watched: 2025-04-09
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK
Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.
Related on Movies With Macca
More with Linda Hamilton: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) · The Terminator (1984)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More science fiction: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Fantastic Planet (1973) · Nightmare City (1980) · The Long Walk (2025)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
