Terminator: Dark Fatetakes place in the same continuity asTerminator 2: Judgment Day, but its placement in the timeline is not that simple. Ignoring several entries in theTerminatorfranchise timeline,Terminator: Dark Fatewas expected to be a return to basics for the series. WhileDark Fatewasn’t as well-received as the first twoTerminatorfilms, it’s thehighest-ratedTerminatormoviesinceT2. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton both reprise their original roles, withTerminator: Dark Fateintroducing new characters.
Terminator: Dark Fatebegins similarly to the original movie, with a young woman being hunted by a machine with a human appearance, and a powerful fighter coming to save her.The Terminator inDark Fateis a formidable combination of the Terminator models from the first and second movies. That said,Dark Fateis very different from both, with time jumps, social commentary, and some controversial story decisions.
Terminator: Dark Fate Takes Place 25 Years After Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Dark Fate Is A Legacy Sequel To Terminator 2: Judgment Day
TheTerminator 2: Judgment Dayendingshows Sarah Connor finally gaining her son, John’s trust, and driving away with him after the two have presumably prevented Judgment Day. The movie had an alternate ending which showed a much older Sarah watching John and her granddaughter. However, the more ambiguous one was aired, allowing the events ofTerminator: Dark Fateto happen.Terminator: Dark Fateis set 25 years afterTerminator 2: Judgment Day, and begins with Sarah and John assuming that they are safe in a Guatemalan bar, and discovering that they are not.
Terminator: Dark Fateshocked audiences by killing John Connorwithin minutes of the movie. AsSarah Connor became an iconic character inTerminator 2: Judgment Daywhile trying to keep her son safe, John’s death revealed that Sarah had failed. This was unpopular with many audiences, as it undid the movie’s optimistic ending. That said, the decision to kill John effectively retconned the entire franchise afterTerminator 2: Judgment Day, as John had been a central character in the sequels.Dark Fate’s most controversial death was the catalyst of its plot.
Terminator: Dark Fate Ignores All Terminator Movies Released After Judgment Day
Dark Fate Ignores Rise Of The Machines, Salvation, And Genisys
Dark Faterestartedthe confusingTerminatormovie timelineafter the events ofJudgment Dayand ignored all of the other sequels released after it. AsJohn Connor was effectively the most important person in theTerminatoruniverse, it would likely have been strange not to include him inDark Fatewithout a very good reason. Killing John, whose fight to save the world from the machine uprising formed the main plot for all theTerminatorsequels, allowedDark Fateto be a more creative movie. Without the John-centered plot,Dark Fatecould embrace nostalgia while updating an important storyline.
Terminator movies in release order
1984
100%
89%
1991
91%
95%
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
2003
70%
46%
2009
33%
53%
2015
26%
52%
2019
82%
WhileThe Terminatorhas a perfect 100% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it is about a woman destined to give birth to the man who will save humanity from the machines. There may be nothing wrong with this concept in general, but the woman being destined to be the savior rather than give birth to him is generally a much better-received idea.Dark Fateupdated the key point fromThe Terminator, with Dani discovering that she is destined to become the future founding commander of the resistance. This sets up a potential sequel with Dani fighting the machine uprising.
Terminator: Dark Fate Also Visits 1995 And The 2040s
Terminator: Dark Fate Has Flashbacks And Visits The Future
Terminator: Dark Fateshows two timelines before the main events, as well as the clip from 1991’sJudgment Day, in which Sarah insists that the apocalypse is coming.Dark Fate’s first-time jump is short, in which John Connor is killed in Livingston, Guatemala, in 1995. The movie’s other time jump is to the 2040s, where Grace is from. As Grace has been considered one oftheTerminatormovies' best characters, it is possible that anotherTerminatorsequel could revisit her timeline before her apparent death inDark Fate.
$261M Terminator Disappointment Finds Redemption In Netflix’s Global Chart 5 Years Later
The Terminator franchise’s movie that underperformed at the box office five years ago is now a streaming hit in Netflix’s Global Top 10.
One of the major problems with a franchise about time travel is the fact that it will almost certainly become a paradox.Each newTerminatormovie has tried to fix some of the series' plot holes, with varying degrees of success. WhileGenisysattempted to rewrite the original movie (and was critically panned for doing so,)Terminator:Dark Fatetried to be a sequel toTerminator 2: Judgment Day.
Terminator: Dark Fate
Cast
Terminator: Dark Fate is a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgement Day, ignoring the rest of the future films to re-canonize the franchise. Set years after Sarah Connor successfully stopped the impending Judgement Day, a new Terminator is sent to destroy the resistance before it forms. Now forced to team up with a former T-800 terminator model, Sarah will seek vengeance and protect Dani Ramos, the new target of Skynet.
Terminator
The Terminator franchise, launched by James Cameron in 1984, explores a dystopian future where intelligent machines wage war against humanity. The relentless pursuit of key human figures by time-traveling cyborg assassins known as Terminators is central to the narrative. John Connor, the future leader of the human resistance, is the core target of the malicious machines.
