The Terminator franchise has always been about trying to maintain hope for humanity’s future in the face of relentless mechanized onslaught (as personified by the titular cyborg assassins). The latest sequel/reboot, Terminator: Dark Fate, embraces that notion as it steers the series into a new direction while both acknowledging and jettisoning many of the hallmark trappings of the franchise so far. It’s an exciting, action-packed and often humorous reset that captures the spirit and pacing of the first two James Cameron entries in a way that none of the recent three films could. It’s the best Terminator film since T2: Judgment Day.
One key reason is that Dark Fate does not place Arnold Schwarzenegger front and center. He shows up later in the film and appears for just the right amount of screen time. Where the first Terminator used him judiciously as the villain and Judgment Day introduced a new version of his T-800 as a heroic protector figure, the Austrian Oak’s shadow loomed large — perhaps too large — over the next three films, even when he was reduced to just a digitally recreated cameo.
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One key reason is that Dark Fate does not place Arnold Schwarzenegger front and center. He shows up later in the film and appears for just the right amount of screen time. Where the first Terminator used him judiciously as the villain and Judgment Day introduced a new version of his T-800 as a heroic protector figure, the Austrian Oak’s shadow loomed large — perhaps too large — over the next three films, even when he was reduced to just a digitally recreated cameo.
Continue reading…
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