10 Movie Sequels That'll Definitely Make You Angry

2. Terminator: Dark Fate

Terminator Dark Fate
Paramount Pictures

Terminator: Dark Fate is fascinatingly polarizing. By picking up from where Terminator 2: Judgment Day left off and negating the three sequels in-between (a la 2018’s Halloween), its reunion of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton as the T-800 and Sarah Connor, respectively, is intrinsically tempting. Furthermore, it balances story, sentimentality, and sensationalism well enough to be the best entry in the franchise since mastermind James Cameron’s initial duo.

That is, once you get past its shockingly brazen prologue that sees Sarah and John Connor recuperating on a Guatemalan beach bar shortly after defeating the T-1000, only to have another T-800 travel back in time and gun down John as his mother watches.

To be fair, his death is crucial to the plot – and there are emotional payoffs throughout – but it also seems like a decision designed to upset franchise devotees and get the filmmakers as much hate mail as possible.

However plausible within the series’ world, the murder seemingly undermines everything the Connors and company accomplished during the prior journeys, too. As such, it makes subsequent viewings of The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day much different, and not for the better.

Contributor
Contributor

Hey there! Outside of WhatCulture, I'm a former editor at PopMatters and a contributor to Kerrang!, Consequence, PROG, Metal Injection, Loudwire, and more. I've written books about Jethro Tull, Opeth, and Dream Theater and I run a creative arts journal called The Bookends Review. Oh, and I live in Philadelphia and teach academic/creative writing courses at a few colleges/universities.