TERMINATOR: DARK FATE

"I'll be back" is very much a catchphrase that the Terminator franchise has lived by since its inception in 1984. Two seminal sci-fi classics and three more incredibly mediocre sequels, degrading in quality as they went on, later and we arrive at Terminator: Dark Fate, the sixth film of the franchise that ignores everything after Terminator 2: Judgement Day while also bringing back a few familiar faces, both behind and in front of the camera, along for the ride.

25 years after the events in Judgement Day, a modified liquid metal Terminator (Gabriel Luna) is sent from the future to kill Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes) and a hybrid cyborg human (Mackenzie Davis). The only thing standing between them, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger).

News of another Terminator film was met with worthy caution by myself, after the utterly dismal Genisys made a mockery of what once made the franchise such a pioneer for blockbuster filmmaking. It comes as a great surprise to me then that Terminator: Dark Fate finally delivers a worthy sequel to Judgement Day, the return of both Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor and James Cameron as producer playing a major part in the film's success.

Opening with a sequence I was expecting but by using state-of-the-art visual effects meant I was drawn right in from the very beginning. From there, the film is a non-stop action blockbuster full of humour and, most importantly, heart that combines with spectacular special effects to create such a crowd-pleasing experience for a Terminator film. 

Coming to the performances, the new blood of the franchise is just as important as the old guard, and they do a great job in making their characters both strong and likeable. Mackenzie Davis and Natalia Reyes in particular ensure the franchise isn't just relying on nostalgia to get it over the line, and Gabriel Luna offering the presence required for a determined killing machine in these films. It's great to see Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton back together again in the Terminator franchise, and both are on good form here, Hamilton the more hardened of the two with Schwarzenegger delivering a surprisingly nuanced turn as a Terminator.

Terminator: Dark Fate doesn't come without the usual blockbuster cliches mind, corny dialogue and major conveniences aplenty however, it's a sequel that feels as if it actually respects what came before it, all while offering a new horizon for a once flagging franchise. Don't be surprised if "I'll be back" is heard again a few years down the line.

Verdict: ★★★½