Okay, I'm actually going to avoid spoiling this movie directly but I'm willing to bet that most of you will be able to figure out what happens in first few minutes of this film with little to no problem. So, just in case, don't read this unless you're okay figuring out where this is all going.
So, without going into any detailed Spoilers for this film the opening of Terminator: Dark Fate is one that you'll either find intriguing or infuriating. On the one hand, it's a REALLY gutsy move and one that helps to show that the is film isn't F#ing around And helps to set up the character arcs for all the characters, helps show that this is in an alternative continuity right out the gate, and is likely going to be a massive gut punch to fans of the series.
On the other hand, many will likely see this as cheep move just put in for Shock Value that's meant to just surprise the viewers and a shallow attempt at drama that hinders the enjoyment of the series as a whole and makes cuts off a LOT of story potential.
For me, I'm not really sure how I feel about this yet as I do see why some like this opening and why others hate it. (sigh) I'll wait for it and the rest of the film to sink in as this is not something I can make an snap judgement on but needless to say, when everyone here sees/hears/reads about this moment it will give us something to really debate over.
This November is already proving to be very interesting, what a way to Open this month.
The alternate continuity exists solely to put more women into the show. That's it. Besides that, the film is what it has been since 3: a convoluted mess that continued a fully self-contained story beyond a reasonable point.
But that's just how I see it. If anyone else can still get some joy from this more the power to you.
I'm curious, clearspira, what do you make of Bumblebee? Would you accuse that movie of having a similar "let's put tons of women in this!" agenda? I actually loved it since Bay's films were so overtly racist and sexist, you can only go up, and while giving her a male name is eye-rolling, I think it was a good idea for a female lead as sort of an apology for how rampantly Bay had objectified them. Thing is, I think Hollywood's way of doing that is insulting. The accusation of the "let's put tons of women in this!" agenda, I mean. It's out of touch business suits trying to pander to the strawman of leftist ideals in their head without actually being liberal themselves, or if they are, their lofty positions in their ivory towers atop the elite power structure fueled by greed makes them out of touch with us.
See, something like shoving the men in Terminator aside? I could sympathize with those who criticize it. I'm also willing to say that I think it wasn't actually deliberate in Star Wars. How much of this is pandering to liberals in a world where most accept the GOP as corrupt (a strawman of conservatives, since you can be a "socially liberal, fiscally conservative" Republican, I know, I've met 'em, or those who identify to that bastardized label, "classically liberal"), but they stay in power? I think making Rey a Mary Sue and shoving Luke to the side was unintentional. Yeah, the stronger liberal elements are there, but there's also the fact they REALLY wanted to recapture that "magic lightning in a bottle" flashpoint moment for a whole generation, since they knew it would bring them in huge returns, and indeed, if you adjust for inflation, Force Awakens is second only to A New Hope. That was their original short-term goal, and they didn't really think about where to go next past that. It's why they brought in everything from every corner of the fandom for Force Awakens. Legends characters bastardized into canon and given different names? Check. A repeat of what was once popular? Check. Subtly digging on the prequels while ensuring the new EU would be able to ease the anxieties of actual prequel fans? Check. That said, making this A New Hope meant they would HAVE to have a damned good reason to make Luke, of the previous generation, into the new Obi-Wan and Yoda of his time. It is a way they keep screwing us over for greed, and that the past is being sacrificed for inferior retellings in the present. I think Last Jedi perfectly encapsulates that, and Johnson could see it, so, give the man credit for this much, at least, he decided to double down on that and be honest with what they were trying to do. As honest as you could ever be in Hollywood when there's lots of money on the line.
What's my point in all this? That I think they never wanted Luke to be a bitter and nihilistic old hermit who won't take responsibility for his actions. If anything, it shows how those in charge should have reined in their directors. Different people will have different creative ideas. Hell, the new EU gets rigidly brought under a tyrant's whip in terms of "quality control," but the movies, which are basically just more "turn off your brain" than ever, do not? LOL. In that kind of environment, you get a lack of a central vision like even the damned prequels have.
So in conclusion, while there's legit reasons to be upset, for Terminator fans (I wouldn't know, I honestly haven't checked out anything Terminator related since the Sarah Connor Chronicles, and even then, I was disappointed in it, and only came for Summer Glau, but finally quit halfway through Season 1), is it really their agenda you speak of, or more your own latent anxieties and the strawman you have in your head? It is how I feel towards Star Wars, so... really, we should all try and examine this, clearspira. Get in touch with what it is that upsets us. Or we're never going to improve as a species or a society.
"A culture's teachings - and more importantly, the nature of its people - achieve definition in conflict. They find themselves, or find themselves lacking."
— Kreia, Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
Over all based on that Dark Fate seems like solid movie worth watching and forming own opinion about which is good sign because of how much this franchise has let me down since T3.
"In the embrace of the great Nurgle, I am no longer afraid, for with His pestilential favour I have become that which I once most feared: Death.."
- Kulvain Hestarius of the Death Guard
I think T2 is nowhere near as good as we remember. Really. It's just nostalgia goggles blinds most people as well as respecting it from an era where movies were a lot better, far less corporatized than today, with practical sets and so on and so forth.
"A culture's teachings - and more importantly, the nature of its people - achieve definition in conflict. They find themselves, or find themselves lacking."
— Kreia, Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
I think T2 is a brilliant film, with great action, character moments and very well paced. I recently re-watched it, (along with T1) and I think it's still a great film. And as for when films were a lot better, films are just as good now as they were back then. Wonder Woman, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Logan, A Monster Calls, The Planet of the Apes reboot Trilogy and the usual MCU film released each year.
In my most humble opinion Films, TV and especially video games, are either just as good as they were 20 years ago if not better. I mean, I love A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back but I also love Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Captain America: Civil War. Sure, Dark Phoenix is terrible but I adore Deadpool. Was Terminator Genisys and Fant4stic bad, YUP, but who doesn't enjoy Mad Max: Fury Road or Inside Out, which were released the same year.
Are there more films with CGI then practical effects and sets, yeah. But that doesn't mean they're not any less good then what came before. CGI just allows creators to get their projects done a lot quicker and is, in many ways, cheaper to work with then practical effects.
But back over to films, as I posted elsewhere this coming November is shaping up to be an interesting month. We've got Terminator, RWBY Vol. 7 and His Dark Materials Season 1, and that's just the first three days. We've got tones of great looking comics, films, games, TV shows and Movies coming out in November and even if some of them aren't good they're still going to give us something to talk about and debate over.
