Terminator: Dark Fate Review - 5 Ups & 5 Downs

2. The Lazy, Obvious Script & Dialogue

Though Dark Fate's script isn't as convoluted as Genisys' or relentlessly miserable as Salvation's, it's also extremely basic and formulaic, intended largely to service the film's simple goal of "course-correcting" the franchise.

The script is jam-packed with blatant exposition, hilariously on-the-nose references to real-life politics, and a feminist-baiting one-liner so embarrassingly unsubtle you might end up chuckling uproariously.

Whenever the film slows down to explain its own blurry logic, it just piles more unnecessary and silly baggage on top of itself, quickly explaining away nagging issues and raising contrived narrative roadblocks for our heroes which only resurface when convenient for the story.

Also, there are more than a few wink-wink dialogue references to earlier films in the franchise - do we really need to hear another groan-worthy reprise of "I'll be back" six films deep into the series? It's not cute or clever - it's creatively bankrupt.