Schwarzenegger and Hamilton Return to Their Iconic Roles
When you see Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton standing side by side in Terminator: Dark Fate, it feels like a slice of movie history pulled straight from the early '90s. They hadn't shared the big screen as their legendary duo—The Terminator and Sarah Connor—since 1991's Judgment Day. Nearly thirty years later, Dark Fate arrived and ignored all the films that had come after. Instead, it went back to the story everyone remembered: the relentless chase, the fight for the future, and the unstoppable machines.
This time, the threat wasn’t Skynet. It was something new: Legion, an artificial intelligence gone rogue from a different timeline. The Rev-9 Terminator sent back from this future is cold, calculating, and totally amped up with abilities the old models didn’t have. But the core was still there: one human, Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes), is the spark for tomorrow’s fight, much like John Connor once was. Instead of John, Sarah Connor steps up to help protect Dani, joined by Grace (Mackenzie Davis), a human soldier with cybernetic upgrades making her faster and stronger—though not invincible.
Production, Challenges, and Mixed Reception
Filming for Dark Fate wasn't some backlot job. The makers shot scenes in Hungary, Spain, and around the U.S., with production running from the summer to almost Thanksgiving in 2018. The shoot had its challenges, from big action set-pieces to weathering the high emotions of bringing old friends back together in new circumstances. For Linda Hamilton, stepping back into Sarah Connor meant tapping into years of history and pain. She wanted Sarah to feel battle-worn and rough around the edges; this isn’t the naive waitress from decades ago. Hamilton spoke honestly about the physical and emotional demands, describing it as both exhausting and deeply satisfying.
The movie dropped in theaters in November 2019. Fans were hyped to see the familiar faces again, but the excitement didn’t totally carry over at the box office. The film made $261 million worldwide—not bad if this was a low-budget affair, but Dark Fate’s massive production costs left it with a steep loss of over $120 million. Critics were all over the place too: some loved the action and the new cast, some thought it played things too safe, and others missed the tighter storytelling from the first three films.
Schwarzenegger himself later admitted the script didn’t reach the heights of the originals. He said, bluntly, these sequels 'didn't close the deal.' But despite all that, plenty of moviegoers walked away just happy to see Sarah and the T-800 together again. There was nostalgia, sure, but also genuine chemistry and respect between these two actors. Hamilton reflected on the whole experience as an emotional reunion, one that mattered well beyond special effects or plot twists. It was about these characters—tough, stubborn, sometimes broken—who just don’t quit, no matter how bleak the future looks.