10 Great Subplots In Bad Recent Movies

4. Badass, Middle-Aged Sarah Connor - Terminator: Dark Fate

Wonder Woman 84
Paramount Pictures

Though Terminator: Dark Fate was absolutely an improvement upon the previous two films, it was hardly a low bar to clear, and overall the film still failed to capture the storytelling magic or technical ingenuity of the original two movies.

Between its cynical attempts to rewrite the timeline for a new generation and its thoroughly mediocre array of action sequences, Dark Fate left most fans once again disappointed by another bungled attempt to rejuvenate the series.

The film's single success, however, was in bringing franchise vet Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) back into the fold for the first time since the second movie (no, we're not counting that voiceover cameo in Salvation).

In addition to undoing Sarah's off-screen demise in Terminator 3, Dark Fate also transformed the character into a fascinatingly world-weary warrior, wracked with trauma following the retconned death of her son John (Edward Furlong), and now devoted to hunting and destroying Terminators.

Hamilton absolutely knocks the role out of the park and does belated justice to one of the most iconic heroines in the history of action cinema.

It's just a shame the movie around her is such a soulless, lazy attempt to jump-start a franchise that's probably better off, er, terminated.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.