Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Terminator: Dark Fate Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 11, 2020

Spoilers for this film and the 'Terminator' universe follow.

Terminator: Dark Fate hearkens back to the franchise's roots in its open, recalling Sarah Connor's emotional outburst at the Pescadero State Hospital where she fiercely warns Dr. Silberman of the coming apocalypse. The footage is lifted straight out of Terminator 2: Judgment Day and follows with a serene scene from a world she, her son John, and the reprogrammed T-800 saved at the end of that film. And then Director Tim Miller (Deadpool) cuts it all down when another T-800 strolls up to John Connor and blasts him in the chest with a shotgun, negating anything and everything that since followed. Dark Fate ignores everything Terminator from 1991 to 2019, for better or for worse, and asks the audience to push ahead with a new generation of characters leading the fight while returning a few old favorites into the fold. It's basically the Terminator universe's answer to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, et al.

It is the year 2020. The world did not end on August 29, 1997, and Skynet did not rise to power. Now, the future holds a new threat. The artificial intelligence known as "Legion" has sent a highly advanced Terminator, dubbed Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna), back in time to assassinate a key future resistance target, Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes). Coming to her aid from the future is a human augmented with cybernetic implants named Grace (Mackenzie Davis) who has a connection to Dani in her time. They are aided by an aging Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) who has been destroying terminators since her son's death, receiving digital word of their pending arrival from a mystery source.

Dark Fate is a fun roller coaster movie but offers little beyond the basic ebbs and flows, which are very familiar. The movie plays with a basic Terminator cadence from which it cannot escape, concerning itself with fan service, scenes that recall previous installments (even those the movie deliberately ignores), and winks and nods, sometimes even with a twist ("I'll be back"). In a movie such as this, or the new Star Wars or Star Trek films or any franchise that is trending towards the vision of blending new with old, there are certain expectations which must be met, boxes to check, I's to dot, and T's to cross. That's all well and good, and the movie does these things very well, but the result is a film that struggles to find its own footprint, even when there are new heroes and villains in play. It's the same thing with the action scenes. They are unquestionably big -- huge -- and are by far the most completely realized, high end, ultra kinetic examples yet seen in a Terminator film (and several are amongst the best ever captured on film). At the same time, they're just expected, and it's difficult to buy into the danger when the movie is all but forced to walk down a mostly predictable path. Dark Fate does it all very well; it's just gotten to the point of so much saturation and familiarity that the movie can't escape the clutches of conformity.

The movie's switch from Skynet to Legion as the digital destructor is perhaps its most visionary, and vital, storytelling component. Skynet was defeated in 1991, but the movie posits that artificial intelligence's takeover is only a matter of when, not if, and certainly not why: that much is obvious when Dani and her brother go to work one day and learn they're about to be replaced by machines, which are more efficient than humans in every way. The movie flirts with interesting metaphysical and social dilemmas and quandaries with James Cameron's fingerprints all overt the material. Mankind's artificial destiny is further explored in the character Grace, an "augment" who is superhuman by biological standards but still less than a machine's cold and calculated effectiveness, not to mention its soulless existence. Unfortunately the movie only dabbles around the periphery, for the most part, succumbing more to the temptation to dial up action and dial down the more interesting sociological and psychological questions that arise from the material. It could stand more balance, but even as a high energy well oiled movie machine, so to speak, it's quite entertaining and by-and-large a worthy Terminator experience.

Terminator: Dark Fate Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Terminator: Dark Fate's 1080p transfer is unremarkable - in a good way. The image doesn't particularly stand out for any insanely high end qualities, but neither are there any bad characteristics to report. It's technically sound but without that edge that will blow away any eyes that have been watching movies on Blu-ray for the past few years. The digitally sourced motion picture is clear and texturally firm, presenting both practical and extensive visuals with just about as much definition as the resolution can provide. Battle damaged skin is a highlight, whether considering humans, augments, the T-800, or the Rev-9, all of which offer their own carefully manicured characteristics which the Blu-ray picks up with satisfying clarity. Grace's scars are a standout for their appreciable lines and the feeling of slightly raised texture above the surrounding tissue. Digital effects are extensive and there's a good, seamless blend to real and artificial, particularly in various fight scenes where characters, weapons, environments, and other surrounding factors are expressive and firm on the 1080p format. Overall image clarity is quite good and reliable from start to finish and under any lighting or visual effects conditions. Likewise, the color palette is pleasantly robust, with good, neutral contrast the order of the day. Blood is properly toned on skin surfaces and occasionally beyond. Environments, from bright factory floors to murky future battlefields, each find proper color spectrum clarity and accuracy. Both black levels and skin tones are fine. Noise appears from time to time in low light but other source limitations or compression issues are unremarkable, if they are present at all in more than very trace quantities.

Terminator: Dark Fate Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Much like the video, Terminator: Dark Fate's Dolby Atmos soundtrack is of excellent quality, delivering everything as-expected of a new release, of a precisely engineered multichannel and multidimensional audio presentation. The track works wonders during action scenes, which are fierce, frenzied, and fully realized examples of harmonious audio intensity. Every action set piece offers something different but all share the same core characteristics, which include thumping gunfire and thunderous explosions but more than that a sense of balance, clarity, and precision movement and placement. The feeling of large, immersive space is evident across every battle, and the track enjoys perfect balance through all channels. This extends to music as well, which both seamlessly blends with action in the most intense moments and plays with command when it's the sonic focal point. Overhead compliments are rarely fully discrete but they do add a significant sense of heightened awareness -- literally, not just figuratively -- within the whole experience. Environmental sounds are nicely integrated as well, whether heavy machinery din at Dani's workplace seen early in the film or later when the band of heroes arrives at Carl's woodland home. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized from a front-center position.

Terminator: Dark Fate Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Terminator: Dark Fate's Blu-ray includes deleted and extended scenes and four featurettes. DVD and digital copies of the film are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Deleted and Extended Scenes (1080p, 8:54 total runtime): Included are I Need Your Car, Internet Café, Augmentation Volunteer, The Crossing, Alicia Confronts Sarah, and Let Me Save You.
• A Legend Reforged (1080p, 20:11): An exploration of the series' timeline, Tim Miller's direction, James Cameron's involvement in the film, the writing process, Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger's return and Sarah Connor's and the T-800's place in the movie, and the new characters and actors who play them.
• World Builders (1080p, 32:46): An in-depth piece that explores complex digital effects, shooting in Spain and additional locations, set design, making the future war scenes, crafting several key stunts and action pieces, practical and digital effects, and more.
• Dam Busters: The Final Showdown (1080p, 8:30): A detailed exploration into making the movie's action finale, including location details, narrative elements, and fight choreography.
• VFX Breakdown: The Dragonfly (1080p, 2:33): A visual effects progression montage from the film's future battle sequence.

Terminator: Dark Fate Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Will anybody be back? Terminator: Dark Fate deserved, and the entirety of the Terminator franchise deserves, a better fate than what the future appears to hold. Dark Fate's tepid box office returns and mixed critical reviews have again put the franchise on the precipice of insignificance. Then again, despite some first-class action effects and fairly strong story beats, the air of familiarity that hangs over the movie shows that the future is indeed set, to a point: it's always going to be more of the same, a predictable sojourn from checkpoint to checkpoint with no obvious direction beyond looping back to what worked decades ago. This is a fine enough film in isolation, and perhaps had there not been several other films in between this and T2 enthusiasm and support may have been greater, but at this point it seems that something big is going to have to give to keep the Terminator universe ticking. Paramount's Blu-ray does deliver excellent video and superb audio. A good array of in-depth extras are included, too. Recommended.