Most fans seem to agree that the last truly great
Terminator movie was
Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but,
as you'll already know if you've read our spoiler-free review,
Terminator: Dark Fate is a step in the right direction for the franchise.
However, if you're still on the fence about whether it's worth heading to the theater tomorrow evening to check out this latest instalment in the long-running franchise, we now have a plot breakdown for you which touches on all of the sequel's biggest moments and unmissable surprises.
From the truth behind Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to some shocking twists and unexpected reveals, you'll find everything you need to know here about what exactly to expect.
We don't touch on every specific scene, and there's so much action in the movie you'll still have plenty of reasons to watch it even after diving into these spoilers. So, to check out this feature in its entirety, hit the "View List" button below!
John Connor's Fate Revealed
Fans have been wondering why there's pretty much no mentions of John Connor heading into
Terminator: Dark Fate, but given everything he's been through over the past few movies, it's easy to see why he wasn't given another leading role in this sequel to
Judgement Day. Well, what no one could have expected is what happens in the opening few minutes of the film.
It's 1998 and Sarah and John are in a beachside bar. As he turns to face his mother, we see that a classic T-800 (later revealed to be a T-801 model) has emerged from the ocean and it proceeds to gun the youngster down. After one shotgun blast to the chest, the Terminator stands over John and delivers a kill shot while a helpless Sarah watches on in horror.
What happens to the T-801? We'll get to that a little later, but this is a legitimately shocking opening!
On The Run
In the present day, we're introduced to Dani and her family. As she heads to work, two mysterious figures (later identified as Mackenzie Davis' Grace and Gabriel Luna's Rev-9) arrive from the future and a battle soon ensues which leaves Dani's father and brother dead.
Forced to escape with Grace, things look bleak for Dani when the duo find themselves facing down a Terminator with the ability to split itself in two. Grace tells her to make a run for it while the Rev-9 kills her, and it's clear from the fights that preceded this that this villain is vastly more formidable than both the T-100 and T-1000 models as it's damn near indestructible.
Luckily, it's then that some help arrives in the form of a familiar face...
She's Back
Sarah Connor is back and it turns out that she's spent the years since her son's death hunting Terminators. A mysterious figure sends her text messages on a yearly basis telling her the time and place a Terminator from the future will arrive in the present day, signing off with "For John."
Sarah, who is wanted in fifty states, wastes no time at all putting both Grace and Dani in their place. However, despite an uneasy alliance with her new part-machine, part-human ally, Sarah clearly has a soft spot for Dani, especially after realising that the young woman's son will go on to lead the human Resistance, just like John once did.
At least, that's what Sarah assumes, but the truth is something else entirely!
A New Future
Sarah and John Connor successfully managed to save three billion lives and stopped Skynet from ever taking over the world. Alas, in Grace's future, another defence system took on a life of its own and, once activated, it took a single day for everything on Earth to just stop working. Cities were abandoned and nukes were launched; then, with humans on the ropes, the machines arrived.
It turns out that Grace is a soldier who was injured in battle and volunteered to be spliced with machine tech in order to save her life and become a stronger warrior. However, the whole point of that isn't to last for a long time in battle, it's to take down the Terminators in a quick fight, and if these enhanced soldiers fail, they obviously die. This ends up making things difficult in the present.
With her energy zapped after every battle, Grace needs to refuel with various medications, which is actually a smart move to ensure that she's not as unstoppable as the movie's villain.
Meeting Carl
Grace, Dani, and Sarah remain on the run and after another set of explosive action sequences, they track down the man who has been sending Sarah those texts (he's also who her superiors in the future told her to report to should she run into any problems).
In case you haven't already figured it out, it's the T-801 who killed John all those years ago. He now goes by "Carl" and has a family he protects after saving his partner from an abusive ex. It's established that their relationship isn't a physical one, but he does care about them after growing something similar to, but not exactly like, a human conscience.
It was meeting them that made him realise what he'd done to John was terrible, and after being sent back by Skynet from a future that no longer exists, he's found himself without a purpose and wanted to give Sarah one by sending her those messages.
The Truth About Dani
After sending his family away and making it clear he won't be back, Carl introduces Sarah, Grace, and Dani to his impressive weapon collection and they track down an EMP which can end the Rev-9.
While all this is happening, we learn that Dani's son isn't the one who starts the human revolution; it's Dani herself. In the future, she rescued a young Grace from some looters and inspires the humans around her to take down the machines. In other words, she's this new timeline's version of John!
An epic plane chase follows which ends with our heroes taking refuge in a massive dam.
Putting An End To The Rev-9
In the fight that follows, Grace is badly wounded, Sarah is knocked out, and Dani (who is quickly becoming an action hero in her own right) is left to face the Rev-9. However, when Grace makes the ultimate sacrifice and tells the younger version of her friend from the future to rip out her power source to stop the villainous Terminator, another battle ensues. Unfortunately, things take another tragic turn!
The T-801's Farewell
Despite nearly being destroyed in one of the dam's turbines, the Rev-9 overpowers Dani before Carl wakes up and sacrifices himself in order to put an end to the Rev-9 once and for all.
As the badly wounded T-801 dies, he looks up at Sarah and says "For John." With that, it appears as if Arnie's time as the Terminator has come to an end, as it's hard to imagine how he could return.
Setting The Stage For What Comes Next
The movie ends with Dani looking at the young Grace as she plays with her brother and parents. Clearly, the hope is to now avoid that dystopian future ever taking place, and she sets off with Sarah on a mission to ensure that the world never falls to Legion and the new Terminators.
We never really learn much about Legion beyond what happened in the future, but this definitely feels like a teaser for a possible sequel and it seems like the franchise will now revolve around Sarah and Dani working together. However, with no Grace, no Carl, and the Rev-9 defeated, it's hard to say where the franchise could go next without retreading familiar ground from the past!
Are you guys interested in checking out Terminator: Dark Fate after reading these story details? What do you think about the creative decisions made in the Judgement Day follow-up?