Tim Miller | Cinema Parrot Disco

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

Directed by Tim Miller

Based on Characters by James Cameron & Gale Anne Hurd

Starring: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Diego Boneta

Plot Synopsis: (via IMDb)
Sarah Connor and a hybrid cyborg human must protect a young girl from a newly modified liquid Terminator from the future.

My Opinion:

Oh – I had no idea that this was released in the UK just over a week before the US?? Woohoo! We always get stuff last! Too bad this one sucked. Well, since it’s out in America today, I guess I better post a quick review.

Why can’t they just let things die?! Okay – I realize this review is starting out very negative. I didn’t HATE this sequel and did get a few moments of enjoyment out of it. But it’s just another completely pointless addition to a franchise that was perfect to begin with. Fuck all these sequels & reboots & remakes. Give us something original.

I’m a very big fan of The Terminator and thought Terminator 2: Judgment Day was great (and one of the all-time best sequels). Everything since has sucked. To be fair, the others didn’t damage the legacy as they were so forgettable. Honestly, I can’t now remember a damn thing that happened past T2. Which is fine as James Cameron has said those are part of an “alternate universe” and Dark Fate is a direct sequel to T2. Dark Fate is indeed better than the previous movies that followed T2. Unfortunately, being a direct sequel with both Linda Hamilton & Arnold Schwarzenegger, it DOES damage the legacy of the first two films. Especially Judgment Day. I’m so pissed off about a couple of things specifically that, any slight enjoyment I got out of seeing Sarah Connor & that kickass Terminator design once again, was completely ruined.

Well, we do indeed get to see Linda Hamilton & Arnold Schwarzenegger again. I admit that I loved that despite being pissed off and they’re by FAR the best things about Dark Fate. I still love the character of Sarah Connor and she still kicks ass, which is fantastic to see from a woman her age. Yes, I’m loving the increase in strong female characters lately, especially those who are over forty. I swear the world sometimes thinks we all cease to exist or be interesting after forty. I hate the strong female character thing when it’s forced, though. It wasn’t with Sarah Connor or Ellen Ripley or even Laurie Strode. Nowadays it doesn’t always come naturally as they try to force an agenda into everything. Let stories and characters just be the best they can be by putting whoever will be strongest into a role, no matter who they are or what they might look like. Hamilton & Schwarzenegger are perfection. The new girl, Natalia Reyes, was perfectly fine. I liked that she’s not some kickass female, just like Sarah Connor wasn’t at first. She felt more real that way. However, I thought Mackenzie Davis was extremely miscast, although I’ve liked her in some other roles. I was fine with the extra role for a woman in this one as I thought the friendship between the three worked well. I just don’t think they cast the right actress in her case.

Schwarzenegger, though cool as always and surprisingly funny (should a killer robot dude be funny?!), was a bit wasted. That was a shame. It took way too long for him to show up but luckily he did, as the movie was seriously dragging by that point and needed him to spice things up. Hamilton seemed a bit too cool with seeing him again, though. Remember how much she freaked out in T2?! Not that it matters since, as I said, this movie shits on T2‘s legacy. Oh, I didn’t mention the new Terminator dude (Gabriel Luna). Meh. Who cares? He can do one new very cool trick that I liked but I’m still too pissed off for that to impress me. Oh, and the action gets too far-fetched to be taken at all seriously near the end. I don’t want a Terminator film to be laughable. The first two are classics and should’ve been left the hell alone.

Oh well. As I said, we get to see Schwarzenegger & Hamilton again. I’ll forget this plot in a few years anyway. I’ll be generous with my rating but it’s thanks only to seeing these two reprising their very iconic roles. The rest of the movie wasn’t needed. We didn’t need this!!!

My Rating: 6.5/10

Let’s listen to Brad Fiedel’s awesome Terminator theme. They don’t make movies or music like this anymore…

Deadpool (2016)

Directed by Tim Miller

Based on Deadpool by Fabian Nicieza & Rob Liefeld

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T. J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan Kapičić

Music by Junkie XL

Plot Synopsis: (via IMDB)
A former Special Forces operative turned mercenary is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopting the alter ego Deadpool.

My Opinion:

Another superhero movie! YAY!!! (I’m saying that sarcastically in my head – I suppose that doesn’t come across in text). Okay – I begin every one of these superhero movie reviews lately by saying “I’m getting a bit superheroed-out“. And I really really am. Deadpool is fun, though. I did a list of My Top Ten Superhero Movies ages ago, which I really should update as I’d most definitely move stuff around (I was too nice to Nolan’s Batman trilogy). I know, however, that since making that list, Guardians Of The Galaxy is now the firm number one for me. Deadpool doesn’t change that but I’d have to say it would probably make the top five. It’s a welcome break from the superhero films that take themselves far too seriously.

I’m not a huge fan of Ryan Reynolds (I had a really hard time choosing his best role for the Movie Reviews 101 Opinion Battle). Well, I can confirm that Deadpool is now by far his best role. His wisecracking smart ass thing worked perfectly. I loved the very adult humor and the dick jokes that were actually pretty funny (as far as dick jokes go). His girlfriend (Morena Baccarin) is a saucy minx making some great dirty jokes right along with him. Plus there are loads of movie references for all us geeky cinephiles and even a JUDY F*%KING BLUME joke especially for ME!!! (Pretty sure I was the only one there who got that one….)

I think the only downside to this film, for me, is that I don’t really see it as a “multiple-watcher”. Once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it. You’ve heard all the jokes. I’d maybe watch it a second time as there are so many jokes that there’s no way you’d catch them all the first time but beyond that I’d rather just watch a Deadpool sequel with all new wisecracks I haven’t yet heard. I think that’s the nature of comedy, though. Or maybe that’s just me but, personally, very few of my all-time multiple-watcher favorites are comedies. I got a lot of laughs from this one viewing, though.

Sorry this is a short review but I don’t have much to say about this one. I really enjoyed it as far as this genre of movies goes but very few of these movies end up as all-time favorites of mine. This is a movie that’s definitely not for everyone – you’ll either like the humor & violence or you’ll hate it. I just really enjoyed watching a “superhero” movie that has some balls for a change.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Is There A Scene After The Credits? Obviously! At the very end after all the credits. The question is: Is it worth staying for? Well, it certainly was for me! But I’m old so I get and appreciate the reference. However, since starting this blog I have discovered that the younger generation sadly does NOT appreciate what the end credit scene references. So…. It’s up to you if you want to stay but you’ll probably only appreciate it if you’re over 35. I bet you’re curious now… 😉