There actually are some really good things about this film; Linda Hamilton's return as Sarah Connor is great. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a Terminator tasked with finding actual meaning in its existence exceptionally well. Mackenzie Davis makes a fine performance, and the action and special effects are top notch.
But, and it's a pretty big "but", the franchise isn't doing itself any favors. The films have become something of a pseudoanthology; with each sequel claiming to be the true sequel to Judgement Day. And that's where this film loses the viewer. The first thing the film does is throw out the entire point of the second film, when it wasn't really necessary. Then it gives us exactly zero reason to get invested in this story, because we have no reason to believe that it won't also be wiped away by the next installment. And there's the problem; by bouncing from continuity to continuity, the film doesn't allow itself to be anything more than popcorn entertainment. And for a franchise that started with two near-perfect films, that's the real disappointment. And each subsequent "Part 3" hasn't lived up to the high standards of their forebears.
Rise of the Machines took a more comedic approach and set up the idea of John Connor actually being the fabled leader of the first two films. Salvation didn't quite live up to that. Genisys wasn't great, but it had some interesting ideas, and ended with room to go somewhere new. But this film... Well... The above highlighted cast give their all.
Review of Terminator: Dark Fate
