“Terminator: Dark Fate” (R)

Linda Hamilton is back with a vengeance in “Terminator: Dark Fate,” a direct sequel to director James Cameron’s 1991 action blockbuster “Terminator 2:  Judgment Day” that ignores every “Terminator” film in between then and now. As such, “Dark Fate” is superior to the three films that tried to revitalize the franchise, even if it essentially a rehash, for all intents and purpose, a reboot, of the original “Terminator” plot in 1984. But by doing so, director Tim Miller (“Deadpool”) and Cameron, who is on-board as a producer and gets story credit on “Dark Fate” with two others (and five more wrote the screenplay), had to make some crucial creative decisions that may end up alienating the franchise’s diehard fanbase.

AUDIO: Hear Tim’s review of “Terminator: Dark Fate” with Tom Barnard on “The KQ Morning Show” on KQRS-FM. The segment is brought to you by Michael Bryant and Bradshaw & Bryant.

“Dark Fate” picks up in 2019, where Grace (Mackenzie Davis) a tech-enhanced human super soldier from the future arrives much in the same way Kyle Reese and The Terminator in the original film did in the original “Terminator,” naked via an orb and a bolt of lightning. Her mission from the future – 2042 to be exact – in a war against the machines, now called “Legion,” is to protect Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes), who presumably will give birth to the leader of the future resistance. Hot on their trail, though, is a technologically advanced and seemingly unstoppable liquified version of the Terminator called the Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna), who has the stunning ability to separate its human likeness from its endoskeleton, essentially making him twice as deadly.

Grace will get help to protect Dani, whether she wants it or not, from Sarah Connor (Hamilton), who is receiving information about arrivals from the future from an unknown source. Not surprisingly, the source turns out being her former foe the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who now lives off the grid under the guise of a drapery store owner named Carl. But the eventual reunion between Sarah and the Terminator is beset by deep anger, as Sarah – despite saving 3 billion lives by preventing “Judgement Day” – is still reeling from a devastating turn of events 22 years earlier.

From a filmmaking standpoint, “Dark Fate” is expertly made, with engaging action scenes throughout that rival the high energy and creativity of “T2.” And while Davis, Reyes and Luna are solid, the entire film is anchored by Hamilton, who is even tougher than she was in “T2” almost three decades ago. No one can upstage her in the film – even Schwarzenegger – who doesn’t appear until 75 minutes into the film, which clocks in at 2 hours and 8 minutes.

That’s not to say Schwarzenegger hasn’t lost his step as the T-800, and he uses the character’s lack of human emotion (although he claims to have become more human since the events of “T2”) to deliver some of the funniest lines in the movie. In a way, “Dark Fate” serves as fitting way to wrap up his appearances in the franchise (presumably), giving the character the ending he (and Hamilton) deserves. In fact, Schwarzenegger’s presence – even as a supporting character – is so powerful, that it makes you realize just how lacking Luna is as the villain. Luna is good, but he simply doesn’t have the charisma that Schwarzenegger had when he originated the bad guy role in 1984.

For all “Terminator: Dark Fate” has going for it, the movie is full of flaws. First, there’s the inability to get past the original “time travel to save the future” plot, even though Cameron, Miller and company made a daring move early on in the film to set the overall narrative in a different path. Oddly enough, the move, without giving away a huge spoiler, is never properly explained, leaving fans with task of drawing their own conclusions.

AUDIO: Hear Tim’s review of “Terminator: Dark Fate” with Paul Douglas and guest host Brittany Arneson on “Paul and Jordana” on WCCO-AM. The segment is brought to you by Michael Bryant and Bradshaw & Bryant.

No matter the areas where the film is lacking, “Dark Fate” is worth seeing for Hamilton alone. It was a genius move bringing Hamilton back into the fold to give some new edge to the “Terminator” franchise, much in the way Jamie Lee Curtis returned to last year’s “Halloween” film series (much like “Terminator,” “Halloween” ignored all the sequels after the first film). Sarah Connor has a war-weary wicked edge to her, and her attitude, which is magnified by her smoky voice, screams bad-ass throughout the film. With any luck, “she’ll be back” should “Dark Fate” become a huge enough hit to justify another sequel.

Lammometer: 7 (out of 10)

Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for “The KQ92 Morning Show” on KQRS-FM,  “Paul and Jordana” on WCCO Radio, “It Matters with Kelly Cordes on WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere, and reviews streaming programming on WCCO Radio’s “Paul and Jordana” as well. On TV, Tim has made hundreds of guest appearances on “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC).

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