All 6 Terminator movies ranked from worst to best

4. Terminator: Dark Fate

Despite being the fourth sequel that never really needed to happen, Terminator: Dark Fate is probably the most divisive of all. And yet, it’s the T2 sequel that the critics were most kind to. That in itself makes it a must-watch so that you can make up your own mind.

It’s easy to see where the divisive reputation comes from. As a longtime Terminator fan, I hated the decision to kill off John Connor in the opening flashback. No, I despised it. Especially since the movie replaces him with characters few fans of the franchise actually care about. Nonetheless, I’d be lying if I said a pretty good movie doesn’t follow that controversial decision.

The movie’s story isn’t anything we haven’t seen in previous sequels and the new characters aren’t as interesting as their predecessors, but Dark Fate has a grit about it that the two previous movies didn’t have. It feels like a Terminator sequel in style in that it isn’t afraid to get violent and it isn’t afraid to tug on your heartstrings. While Genisys turned up the light, the action, and the one-liners, Dark Fate returns the franchise to its visual origins, giving it a classic, mature action movie feel.

As much as the movie wants the new stars to shine, the real star is Linda Hamilton who effortlessly brings Sarah Connor back to the big screen after almost three decades. She doesn’t lose a step, and the biggest tragedy of the film’s underperformance is that we probably won’t see her in action as the character again.