Wisely ignoring every inferior Terminator movie since the all-time great T2: Judgement Day, TERMINATOR: DARK FATE is a fast-paced, fantastic entry in the series and the best Terminator sequel in nearly 30 years.
The film teases you with a quiet opening as we meet Mexico City factory worker Dani Ramos (newcomer Natalie Reyes) and her family as she gets ready for work. About ten minutes in, I was thinking "okay, this is kind of slow paced, is this going to be dull?"
Wrong.
Director Tim Miller (Deadpool) is merely giving you a chance to breathe. Like James Cameron, who is finally back here as a producer (and it shows) once he gets things started, they NEVER let up.
Two new players arrive from the future, both appearing in all their glowing white hot orb fury south of the border.
Grace (a fantastic Mackenzie Davis) is an augmented soldier from the future, sent back to protect Dani.
Gabriel/Rev 9 (Gabriel Luna) is the ultimate, indestructible Terminator sent back with one mission, to eliminate Dani.
It's the classic Terminator set up, with two perfect twists.
Linda Hamilton is back, owning the movie as Sarah Connor. We see her pre-titles in scenes from T2 and in one very cool CGI scene with young Edward Furlong back as young John Connor.
At 63, Hamilton is lean, mean and wielding every huge weapon you can imagine as she leaps in to protect Dani.
Arnold is back for the conclusion as well, but I wont say much about his role here except to say that Schwarzenegger hasn't been this effective and funny in the role in years.
Are all of the explanations of the story line perfect? Not really, but they're intriguing and refreshingly engaging after the complicated web of tangled timelines and confusion that mired "Terminator Genisys" four years ago.
Is it James Cameron, his legacy with this franchise and sure hand behind the scenes?
Is it Tim Miller and the hilarious edge he brought to Deadpool weaving into the Cyberdine DNA?
Let's call it a magic blend of both.
Our whole gang that saw this together all loved it.
When the first long, literally jaw-dropping action sequence ended, I knew I was in great hands. The film never lags.
The music score by Junkie XL (Mad Max: Fury Road. Mortal Engines) fires up some enjoyable echoes of Brad Fiedel's classic themes while pumping the action scenes into a frenzy.
Mackenzie Davis is a new star as Grace. Like the film itself, she's lethal and a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
Hamilton and Schwarzenegger deliver every moment they're on screen.
DARK FATE finally brings the right alchemy of R-rated entertainment, action and humor back to the series for the first time since 1991.
Hugely enjoyable, TERMINATOR DARK FATE slays an A.
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