Diandra Reviews It All-Terminator: Dark Fate Is Pure, Classic Thrills

Terminator: Dark Fate SURPASSED my expectations. It is no secret that the Terminator series feels a little overdone. Yet, with the return of Linda Hamilton’s iconic Sarah Connor, a female cyborg named Grace that can destroy any robot with kick-ass moves, and a FIERCE LATINA MEANT TO SAVE THE WORLD, I felt like telling Paramount, “TAKE IT! TAKE MY MONEY!”

Terminator: Dark Fate does for women what Captain Marvel did for us, as well; it showed that we can be superheroes and do not need men to save or distract us. There were no male love interests and frankly ….. I didn’t miss it. Instead, what we get are three women determined to survive and thrive the men trying to kill them…WHOA! Let that sink in. Moreover, the fact that the main woman everyone is trying to kill or save is a Latina was incredible to me, especially for these times. Our children are, literally, locked in cages by an administration that has no problems saying we deserve it because we are {cue whatever horrible lie}. Thus, seeing a woman of color as key to the future, and being protected by two kick-ass, white women was …..beautiful and uniting.

Terminator: Dark Fate – Official Trailer (2019) – Paramount Pictures

Indie darling, Mackenzie Davis, plays Grace, and I nearly reincarnated by how much life her performance gave me. Her ability to emote humanity, resilience, and guardianship, while also being a complete bad-ass, was spectacular. You can’t stop watching and feeling her every move, whether sentimental or ass-kicking. Her love and protectiveness over Natalia Reyes’ Dani felt genuine, which cannot always be said for performances. Their friendship engulfs audiences into this Terminator world, and builds both characters as women with massive traumas that continue forward out of dignity.

Within the first 15 minutes of this film. Reyes’ Dani is so devastated, you would not blame her for going into a fetal position and yelling “END CREDITS!” She loses her entire life and everyone she loves, but yet she is supposed to save the world. Why? Reyes makes Dani so good-hearted and strong, you see why her and Grace are bound and both are able to crack open the bitter, battered heart of one of the FIERCEST FEMALE CHARACTERS EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor.

Did I mention Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor is in this film? Should I mention it? Lol! Hamilton is able to expand on Sarah as a brave warrior, by changing her motivations/ emotions to be born from darkness. Yes, she is a “good guy,” but she, rightfully, feels very bad. Even her snark, witty comments ache with pain, and allow Hamilton to expand the character as one of the strongest representations of female strength on film. There is no doubt that Sarah Connor can defend herself, but this film is about learning you are worth self-defense even after you lose a battle.

TERMINATOR 6 DARK FATE Red Band Trailer (2019)

In terms of action, the film was INTENSE. It had every feel of thrills from the original and its sequel, but was amplified by 2019 effects. I went with a friend to see this picture and had to bury her shortly after. Her hands, literally, glued to the movie theatre’s cup holder from how scared she was for the characters. Gabriel Luna is terrifying and deliciously devious as the new terminator. There were about 1,000 times when I thought he was going to kill every character. As the Terminator sequel with the biggest, most adrenaline-packed sequences, audiences will feel for what these three women undergo to survive this baddie. Moreover, a hilarious, heart-warming performance by Arnold Schwarzenegger as Carl/ T-800 and a powerful look into immigration and ICE’s cruelty, Terminator: Dark Fate rises as one fo the best action films of 2019. Terminator: Dark Fate comes out November 1.