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Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
A true successor to Terminator 2
Mild spoiler below
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This film pleasantly surprised me. I was not planning on seeing it after the mediocre reviews.
First off, the action scenes are good, diverse and inventive. They fight on the freeway, on a plane and I liked the end fight as well. The film does its job in this respect. The new model Terminator is pretty cool. Someone remarked that Terminators these days have become pretty bad at killing (at least the intended target, 'cause this one's pretty darn lethal), but then that's what "The Terminator" is all about; the suspense of an unstoppable killing machine that's after you, as you try to get away. And it will not stop.
As you may have guessed, Sarah Conner's son, John, gets killed at the beginning of the film. Someone critiqued that this makes the previous two films pointless (Terminator 1 & 2, not the stuff in between), as the whole mission there was to keep him, the leader of the future resistance, alive. But actually this opens up the whole new story development of both the old Terminato (Schwarzenegger) and Sarah Conner, John's mother, finding new purpose in life. It was nice to see both actors reappear, as they carry old age, weight and wisdom into this film. Meanwile a new, similar branch of the future opens up, suggesting no matter what, the threat (or inherent danger) of AI is something humanity will have to deal with. Makes sense.
The new actors do a good job too, though nothing overly memorable. I did like the Mackenzie Davis's performance who defends the protaganist against the terminator. The new terminator guy does a decent job as well. And as for the protaganist, there's a nice emancipatory message there; her role turns out to be not quite the same as Sarah Connor's.
Lastly, I liked how contemporary societal developments are included in the film, namely the refugee crisis and ever pervasive big data tracking our every move. The sci-fi genre after all originated in the industrial revolution in Britain in the 1800's (the first ever film dubbed science fiction being 'Frankenstein' *). Critiqueing society and progress, and envisioning future scenarios based on societal trends, have been at the genre's core since its inception.
I do think the 'refugee part' (crossing the border) is a bit short and perhaps does not sufficiently convey the very real dangers and the desperation involved in such an endeavour, but at least it gives a general sense of the peril and precariousness of the many people finding themselves in this situation. This is important in an age where the 'West', the first world nations of this world, dehumanize the other and treat them as a threat, a plague, and in the process, lose their own humanity. We have to acknowledge our common humanity for the sake of life, compassion, the many lives at stake, and the survival of our planet. Only together will we be able to overcome the massive challenges lying ahead.
Terminator Dark Fate may not be a cinematic masterpiece, but I'm certainly glad I watched it, and maybe you will be too. Come for the action, stay for the deeply human themes woven within.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)
This film
This film put me to shatters
So difficult... yet makes you feel deeply human.
Predator (1987)
Mediocre 80's action flick redeemed by
The original Predator is very 80's. Sometimes that's a bad thing. Like when they stumble on the guerilla base and it turns into "The A-team". Offensive the way those bad guys are stereotypical, Spanish-speaking puppets, mowed down by the dozen. Then later, in contrast, the black guy's friend dies (the tobacco-chewing, cowboy- hat-wearing, Southern fella), and the film goes all teary-eyed on you. Ridiculous. Also strange how at the beginning, Arnie says his is a rescue team, not an assassination team. Then later they happily rank up video game kill count numbers.
About Arnie, he does a good a job of playing the responsible team leader. The few one-liners he lays down don't work the way they do in some of his other movies, and I don't find the way he survives later on all that believable. But overall, I think he was well cast.
So what is it that redeems Predator? Two things: the phenomenal soundtrack (it really is) and of course the (very cool) predator character. You don't get to see much of it for a good while, but the threat is looming. In conjunction with that, is Billy, the Native American looking guy and to me the most memorable of the bunch. His hunter's instinct senses the predator, even if they can't see it, and leaves his team worried. At one point, he tells the others that he is afraid and that whatever is hunting them, is not a man
Jûbê ninpûchô (1993)
Enjoyable watch / anime classic
Recently had another look at this 1993 animated film, and it's still an enjoyable watch. The animation's great, the action sequences exciting. The setting's dark atmosphere is put across well, aided by the theme song, which really makes you feel something's brewing. The different adversaries and their abilities are entertaining and creatively conceived.
The story and structure however are not very original. There's the love story: two kind souls in a harsh world, who meet each other for a brief moment, until fate pulls them apart. And the main character: a lone wolf facing off adversaries, until he eventually gets to the top guy (with whom he shares a dark past). Both have been done many times before, I'm sure, but don't let that hold you back. Instead, you can put on the film, sit back, and I'm betting you'll enjoy the ride.
Æon Flux (1991)
AEON (not worth your) BUX
Picked up the DVD series at the library, because I heard about it being a 90's cult series. Watched a few episodes, didn't like it, couldn't get myself to watch more of it. I feel this series sacrifices substance for style. Once you get beyond the pseudo-intellectual quotes, the strange futuristic setting and the obvious sexual tension, you are left with an incoherent mess. Perhaps it's just not my thing and I'm being too harsh, but be warned: this is not for everyone.
Maybe back in the day Aeon Flux was groundbreaking for what it did. This was made during the pre-mainstream era of MTV, when they were still willing and able to do things outside of the box. I'm all for that, but that doesn't mean the results will automatically be good.