Judgement Day: Resurgence.
128 Mins. Starring: Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna & Arnold Schwarzenegger. Director: Tim Miller.
Back like Schwarzenegger. James Cameron and Linda Hamilton take 'Terminator' back to its nuts and bolts, original model roots with 'Dark Fate'. The fate of the furious are fuelled up here on this new model, original parts, sixth installment that's all desert sand and molten factory steel settings again in metal gear reminiscence. And let's not talk about 'Rocky's' horror (but have you seen those sly mods of Stallone as the Terminator like in that 'Last Action Hero' P.O.S. Easter Egg?) doing the time warp again this Halloween like this writer accidently wearing a lumberjack shirt over a Public Enemy tee (what a contrast) and inadvertently going as Jon Connor this year, minus the moped that squeals as much as he did. Always looking to Mulligan what they previously did, like when 'Expendable' Terry Crews' agent said yes to 'Salvation' (or Christian Bale's...still a decent movie like 'Genisys' that literally tried to be this franchises salvation...until the literal Arnie Easter Egg). Sending someone back to the future to make sure the Connor's family photo fades permanently whilst rocking out like Michael J. Fox to some 'Bad To The Bone' leather and NOT some Rocketman sunglasses (no disrespect Elton...my national treasure), to Easter Egg rectify all this on reflection. I've been saying this since 1991, following the action thriller sci-fi sequel to the original horror movie-through 'Rise Of The Machines' and all the rest-that we still need that all out night fight, laser of 'Terminator: War', the beginnings of 'T:2' promised (you've got two films left Jimmy, put the blue man group daoown for a second). Still this remains the closest 'Starship Trooper' to it. But until then this day after 'Judgement Day' like the 3D re-released classic is the closest and best we'll get to the iconic, chest like McConaughey thumping "dum-dum-dum-da-dum, do-do-do, do-do-dooo" legend. Hasta la relief baby!
'Deadpool' director Tim Miller, right on time knows how to bring that indestructible, killer, ultraviolence that breaks all sorts of walls. All the way from planes, trains, automobiles and the plummets of some dam good waterfalls of action this side of 'The Fugitive', for this resistance on the run. Cue the hilarious laughing Kawhi Leonard 'Terminator: Dark Fate' commercial tie-in and what it do. Hey, hey, hey, we have another Terminator on our hands, and not even a Punisher swinging sledgehammer to the skull will stop him. This 'Ghost Rider' is on fire all the way to the metal endoskeleton. His liquid metal (and an ability to double-up do more than just 'The Secret World Of Alex Mack' carpool together in his most solvent form) seeping through the Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, Japan as we watch 'Fate' under the Godzilla landmark famous Toho Cinema (in anticipation of 2020's match-up between the Olympians of this Kaiju and King Kong himself) in perfect IMAX Laser (I'll be back), for some inventive 3D promotion that looks like it's coming straight for you from the CGI ahead of its time inspired 'Judgement' of the golden era of 90's beginning movies (although in retrospect some of those bullet holes on the T-1000 look like crushed bakewell tart wrappers. But it still beats those nano tech age iron fillings of the last movie like a Marvel mask). He's going hunting and he doesn't need a Dodge to charge him as he lorry barrels his way through traffic in a reminiscent scene along those iconic roads that doesn't let up from the factory to the highway assembly line. The closest to the best in this franchise series of set-pieces, bumper to bumper. Even if Arnie gets to that storm drain, shotgun spinning chopper or not (which surely back in the hell to leather day took some inspiration off Marvel's rider for something that has now fan service beautifully come full circle). He has the helicopter and police man's uniform like 'Genisys' great, South Korean, 'The Magnificent Seven' actor Lee Byung-hun's liquid hunter. And how great is it that the new Terminator is Mexican (seriously who else can say they are both Ghost Rider and a Terminator?), with a solace story to the border to match for the sole assassin, scored by a Spanish guitar version of the iconic 'Terminator' theme? Especially as the "my whole body is a weapon" charismatic machine Gabriel Luna gives us a welcome break from Schwarzenegger's friendly rival Stallone's latest, 'Last Blood' Rambo. A franchise that seems to have gone from its Springsteen song 'First Blood' beginning to such a damn, downward spiral shame Trump wall, just missing a MAGA hat. Don't expect to find any of those caps to match here though for Arnold's superstar action hero who came to America as an immigrant with nothing in his back pocket but the desire to live out his big three dream of being the world's best bodybuilder (check), most famous actor (check...although that seems like a loose world until you realize who much nuts and bolts of acting skill it takes to play a robot, especially when reloading a gun with mechanical precision) and President of the United States (well that ones impossible. But Governor of California is pretty close right and we know who he'd make a better POTUS than right now). The hell's angel Gabriel rides again looking to fire everyone into ghosts.
"Who are you?" The Sigourney iconic Linda Hamilton sat on a motel bed just tilts her head like "please" (in the trailer at least, you have to hate the cinematic cutting room floor these days)! When-as iconic as the 'T:2' guns and roses corridor thorn twist-she steps out the car (or the always reliable, red Toyota pick-up to be precise. Which doesn't last long here. Which is factually inaccurate) for the first time with a truck load of artillery, aviators on instead of Arnie (just try not to cry...or cheer the cinema down). Just like the freedom fighter she always was, you know it's back on. This movie is all about the power of women and no one tops this Reaver like reaper of the machines. She drops the best meta version of Schwarzenegger's line too along with a grenade before brandishing another rocket launcher like toy to put this robot back in the box like Jack. As she hits the road like Ray to a roadside motel in the middle of this 'Logan' highway to a nowhere between Mexico and Texas' El Paso. She's a cult icon. A legend. And one in this great genre can actually act. You can tell from the opening security camera footage flashback. And her legacy is far from over. But cock and repeat, blasting the blunderbuss like Arnold, 'Blade Runner 2049' and 'The Martian' actress Mackenzie Davis is the real star of the show here with a human touch...but one that is enhanced. As she enters the same electric, thunder and lightning orb, naked way, and takes more than boots, clothes and motorcycles away from a Mexican stand-off with a patrol of bruised black and blue police. Before going all 'Misery' with a sledgehammer. Mackenzie's amazing Grace character is off the chain, with a Chadwick Boseman 'Message From the King' one, Cowboy swinging it like a lasso Woody (as Schwarzenegger says "it's Texas"). And anytime she's not kicking ass in this big-three, 'Running With The Devil' and 'Birds Of Passage' actress Natalia Reyes is. Showing that she isn't your stereotype typical mother of the resistance that needs to be cotton wool protected for all three acts of this plots premise. She's the heart and soul of this. And then there's Carl. Who the f### is Carl?! Well he's lumberjacked and flannel shirted, kind of like the kindly farm hand who you would have seen feeding baby goats with his baby girl (if Terminator's could father children, popping out your chest 'Alien' style) in a pre 'John Wick' like 'Commando' montage proving he wasn't always about throwing circular saws through people's heads. But like the 'Genysis' (damn that spelling) of explaining that Arnie's original Terminator cybernetic organism living tissue over endoskeleton ages (anything to keep the ageing Arnie franchisee in this franchise. But look out for some De Niro and Pacino CGI Oil of Olay in Scorsese's 'The Irishman' coming soon to all actors this side of 'Last Vegas' (oh hai Michael Douglas), it looks like he has retired to a cabin in the woods. And good for him too. Maybe keeping his machine head going by working at the local convenient store, paper, plastic or termination? Working the checkout in his iconic accent like "A-DOOT, DOOT"! With this machine and the animal 'Predator', Schwarzenegger always had two go-to action hero franchises like the 'Rocky' and 'Rambo' of Stallone. But after nuclear fallout distancing himself from the dreaded, laser critic pointing sequels like one ugly mother##### and with Stallone's 'Last Blood' drawing fresh (or should we say rotten?) criticism it seems like these two brutes are all about one 'Creed'. Pugilist to rock 'em, sock 'em robots. What they're most famous for will always come back like a bouncing ball out their red and blue corners. 'Dark Fate' is the best 'Terminator' movie since 'Judgement Day'...no mean machine feat we know ('Salvation' and 'Genisys' failed to quite take off like the young, potential leading men careers of secondary actors Sam Worthington and Jai Courtney respectfully, respectively). But this one is so good it's like Arnie is telling every Hamilton and Cameron missing movie since '91's 'T:2' like his 'Robot Chicken' character, "would you like my review? This is terrible! You don't write stories again. You suck at it"! "Hasta la vista...butt nut"! But like Jim Cam says of this tin can, they like 'The Sarah Connor Chronicles' T.V. series as good as they are exist in other timelines (hey if the resistance can change the future, so can 'The Terminator'). This epic, energetic, entertaining and emotional follow-up is the direct sequel to the Cameron classics and that awesome 3D Universal Studios groundbreaking ride co-starring Edward Furlong. And now the original machine is back with all the components restored to factory settings, it looks like there's enough cogs to take the H.G. Wells time machine spinning through the decades again for some total recall. As 'Fate' would have it. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Further Filming: 'The Terminator', 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day', 'Termiantor: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'.
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