Terminator: Dark Fate 4K/Blu ray Review (Paramount)
Terminator: Dark Fate is a 2019 science fiction film directed by Tim Miller (Deadpool). It was written by David S. Goyer (Blade franchise, Batman Begins, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Constantine, & Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), Billy Ray (Overlord, Gemini Man, The Hunger Games, & Richard Jewell), & Justin Rhodes (Contract Killers, Grassroots, & RoboCop Returns). The story was written & it was produced by James Cameron (Terminator franchise, True Lies, Point Break, & Avatar) who hasn’t been involved with the series since 1991. It’s a direct sequel to 1984’s The Terminator & 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Dark Fate ignores of the events of 2003’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, 2009’s Terminator Salvation, 2015’s Terminator Genisys, & the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Actress Linda Hamilton returns to the Terminator franchise after 28 years. The budget was at an estimated $196 million & it grossed $261.1 million worldwide at the box office
Three years after averting the threat of Skynet, Sarah (played by: Linda Hamilton from The Terminator/Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Children of the Corn, Black Moon Rising, & King Kong Lives) & John Connor (played by: Edward Furlong from Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Brainscan, American History X, & Pet Sematary II) are enjoying life by a beach in Guatemala when they are suddenly attacked by a T-800 Terminator. Sent back through time by Skynet prior to its erasure. Twenty-two years later, an advanced Terminator called Rev-9 (played by: Gabriel Luna from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Gravy, Matador, & True Detective) is sent back in time to Mexico City to murder Daniella “Dani” Ramos (played by: Natalia Reyes from Birds of Passage, 2091, & Cumbia Ninja). A cybernetically enhanced soldier, Grace (played by: Mackenzie Davis from Station Eleven, The Turning, Tully, & Blade Runner 2049) is sent to protect her. Dani is attacked at work with her brother Diego (played by: Diego Boneta from Scream Queens & Rock of Ages), Grace helps them escape the dangerous Rev-9. Rev-9 tracks them all down & nearly eliminates them until Sarah Connor shows up to save them from the killing machine. Sarah has been getting tips over the years where to find terminators & the messages always end with “For John”. Grace tells her that Skynet does not exist in her timeline. It’s an A.I. called Legion that developed by the SAC-NORAD for cyberwarfare. After hiding out from Rev-9, they decide to get some additional help for their serious problem. It turns out to be the old T-800 (played by: Arnold Schwarzenegger from the Terminator franchise, Predator, The Expendables franchise, & Junior) now disguised as a human known as “Carl”. He’s the same person that has been sending Sarah messages all these years. He has left his killing past behind him & now he’s living a normal life with a family. Carl decides to make things right with his past & helps them to battle this new breed of terminator. This one is nothing like the others, they prepare for war. Grace reveals why Rev-9 wants to kill Dani so bad & her personal history with her. Can Sarah save the world again? or Has her time finally ran out while they face another Judgement Day????
Terminator: Dark Fate was way better than expected. The original trailer was awful & I wasn’t even interested in seeing this at first. That’s a bold statement because I am a huge fan of the Terminator franchise. Luckily, the next few trailers were much better & it got me very interested in this long awaited sequel. The fact that James Cameron & Linda Hamilton returned to the series after 28 years really sold me on Dark Fate. It’s a very similar story & concept compared to the original with a few tweaks. They completely ignored the last 3 movies & the television show like they didn’t exist. The whole Terminator universe has been like that for awhile which can be a little confusing, skipping & moving around different timelines consistently. When it comes to acting, Arnold Schwarzenegger keeps getting better with each sequel. This is definitely his best performance as the T-800. Linda Hamilton never missed a beat here as the iconic Sarah Connor, so many have played that role over the years but she proves here that she’s still the best. You couldn’t tell that she hasn’t been in this world for a long time now because it was so natural for her. I’ve never seen the beautiful Natalia Reyes in anything before this but she carried the film. She held her own against the others as the lead. I am not going to lie, I cringed at both Gabriel Luna & Mackenzie Davis during earlier previews. I thought the casting was going to ruin this entire project when it to came to those two. They were much better than I thought & I have to give them props for that. Mackenzie was a bad ass & she brought some unexpected emotion into the role. Gabriel had some slick one liners & he had the charisma to pull off this villain that tricks so many people in this. It was loaded some cool fights & explosive action. I was beyond impressed with the visual fx for Dark Fate especially with the opening scene. The younger Edward Furlong as John Connor looked 100% real, technology is crazy these days. This is far from being my favorite Terminator film but it’s still better than some. It’s a worthy follow up to the classics, it’s very fun & entertaining. RECOMMENDED!!!!
Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Paramount! This 2160p (2.39:1) transfer with Dolby Vision & HDR10 looks great in 4K. The visual fx are top notch in Dark Fate & they really shine in this format. It has a variety of audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, & French: Dolby Digital 5.1 on this UHD release. It’s one of the films that you can test out on your speakers on because it has a killer boost when it comes to all the action in this. The dialogue is very clean & the music is elevated on these tracks. It also has English, English SDH, French, & Spanish subtitles. Both picture & sound are at a high quality. Paramount delivers another great technical release!!!!
Let’s discuss the special features from Paramount! None of the extras are on the 4K, they are located on the blu ray disc. 6 “Deleted and Extended Scenes” that run almost 9 minutes, it includes I Need Your Car, Internet Café, Augmentation Volunteer, The Crossing, Alicia Confronts Sarah, & Let Me Save You. It’s always cool to see these extended or deleted moments that didn’t make the final cut. “A Legend Reforged” is a little over 20 minutes. It has interviews with director Tim Miller, producer James Cameron, actors Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Gabriel Luna, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, & various other members of the production. They chat about how they developed this project & wanted to go back to it’s roots. They talk about bring back James Cameron & Linda Hamilton to the franchise after all these years. They bring up working with the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger in his iconic role. They bring up the cast & their characters for this new installment. They chat about working with Tim Miller. They talk about their experience working in the Terminator universe & all the work they put into it. “World Builders” is almost 33 minutes. It has interviews with the cast & crew. They go over the opening scene. It focuses on the amazing visual fx to bring back a classic character & younger versions of ones that’s featured here. They mention that they wanted to go a different direction compared to past films. They chat about the various locations that they used for the production. They go over important action & stunt scenes from the film. They cover all kinds of technical aspects of Dark Fate. It has some behind the scenes footage from the set. “Dam Busters: The Final Showdown” is a little over 8 minutes. It has interviews with the cast & crew. I enjoy Tim Miller’s passion while talking about this project, he cusses a lot which is kinda funny. They chat about the big final fight & action scene from the feature. They talk about fx, stunts, & everything it took to pull it off. “VFX Breakdown: The Dragonfly” is a little over 2 minutes. It highlights the visual fx for the future action sequence. It has before & after shots so you can see all the hard work put into it by the crew. It also includes a slipcover, a digital code, & a blu ray copy of the release. A few store exclusives have been released for Dark Fate. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
Great review. James Cameron never disappoints