MovieChat Forums > Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) Discussion > Is it the worst Terminator yet?

Is it the worst Terminator yet?

posted 5 years ago by PrimeMinisterX (8449)
7 replies | jump to latest

I decided to go ahead and check this one out tonight, despite my better judgment.

It truly is Wokenator. This is a political message wrapped up as a Terminator movie.

John Connor is killed at the beginning of the movie. Fuck him. Fuck that white male. Of course he's not the savior of humanity, because it's obviously this little Mexican girl.

Look at all the Mexicans in this movie. They are wonderful people with a beautiful culture. Look how they cleverly come into the US by DIGGING UNDER WALLS in search of a better life. We, meanwhile, cage them up in detention centers. And evil terminators DRESSED UP AS BORDER PATROL hunt down our heroines. But never fear, these bad ass ladies have his number. After all, the little Mexican girl is the savior of humanity. The TRUE John Connor.

Even beyond all that though, it's not even that good of a movie. It starts out fairly well and there are some scenes that are well-directed, but it ultimately fails to stick the landing and just descends into the CGI green screen mess that I feared from the beginning that it would be.

In the early stages of the film I actually had a little hope that it might be okay, but by the end I was like fuck this movie. I'd rather rewatch T3. Maybe Genisys, too. Definitely Salvation.

[–] 10200 (656) 5 years ago

John's death is what is wrong with this movie but I'm OK with the story starting in Mexico and have no problem with diversity as long as it makes sense. But I do have a problem with Dani's character in general - never in a million years would she stand out above everyone else to be the future leader. Why???? Hell, if they had reversed the rolls and made Grace the leader and Dani her protector, I could have bought into that better than what was thrown at us.

And her name has always bothered me - coming so soon after GOT, did they really have to name her Dani?

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8449) 5 years ago

Simply having characters that are of different races and genders is fine. It's when the filmmaker is obviously trying to push some leftist political message--a very common thing in Hollywood, especially right now--that I get put off. And this entire movie seems engineered to be a jab at Trump and Trump supporters. There's just too much that is a commentary on the current political climate.

To address your points though, yes, the Dani character just does not have the gravitas needed to be believable as the leader of the resistance. The Dani character was okay in the beginning and came across as charming and likable, but the more they tried to make her menacing and tough, the less likable she became. By the end she's in cornrows and looks like someone Central Casting sent over to play Female Gang Member #3 and it just doesn't work. As you said, "Never in a million years would she stand out above everyone else."

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that this movie is just awful.

[–] CallmeV (142) 5 years ago

I think Salvation was the worst of the lot.

I found this better than T3

[–] chase (10) 5 years ago

Salvation wasn't particularly great, sure, but at least they weren't trying to step in the same river for the fourth time with it. Kind of sad that this deserves praise, but there you go.

[–] CallmeV (142) 5 years ago

My problem with Dark Fate was that it followed the PC problem that you find in this time and area.
There were a few good moments, I liked the ending and how got me a bit nostalgic after T2.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8449) 5 years ago

Last night I went home and found T3 on Hulu and started watching it. Even though it is a fairly mediocre and generic-feeling sci-fi actioner, I still found it to be more enjoyable and sincere than Dark Fate. I at least could sit back and just enjoy it without feeling I was being preached to.

And if someone is watching T3 again to wash out the taste of your movie, then you know you fucked up.

As for Salvation, I avoided that film for a long time but I finally got around to watching it just a few weeks ago. And I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy it fairly well. It's not a masterpiece, but it is an enjoyable movie I think, and it really does something different within the Terminator universe.

[–] 10200 (656) 5 years ago

I actually enjoyed parts of Salvation. I thought Yelchin did a very good job as young Kyle, but they screwed it up the Marcus character. I really didn't have a problem with Bayle as John either - her certainly looked more the part than Stahl. Salvation is the direction it should have gone but with a better story. Regardless, they should have stopped the time travel with terminators sent to the past to kill John theme.