Terminator: Dark Fate (IMAX in some cinemas)

Stars: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Edward Furlong, Diego Boneta, Enrique Arce, Steve Cree, Tom Hopper, Cassandra Starr, Brett Azar, Tabata Cerezo

Director: Tim Miller

The sequel strikes back and, effectively packed with lashings of adrenaline surging action, suspense and vivid movie magic, revives the series by delivering an unexpectedly entertaining science fiction thriller set more than 20 years since Sarah Connor thwarted Judgment Day and saved the human race.

There the story picks up where Terminator: Judgment Day left off, 22 years after Hamilton's Sarah Connor prevented Judgment Day and saved the human race.

This time around we kick off in Mexico City, where Dani (Reyes) lives with her brother (Boneta) and father (Arce). Their unpretentious lives are shattered when a new, advanced and - of course, as the storyline demands - lethal Terminator, played by Luna, travels back in time to kill Reyes.

Providentially Reyes manages to save her life by joining forces with super soldier from the future Davis and battle hardened Hamilton.

Cue an adrenaline-surging tsunami of blazing thrills, action and solid suspense which, decorated by a splendid galaxy of Oscar-worthy special effects, delivers a follow-up that's well worth following.

Fortunately for Reyes and Company, the story leads them to Schwarzenegger's original Terminator, thus guaranteeing a future for Reyes, Davis, Hamilton and - naturally - the human race.

Original director James Cameron here serves as co-story creator (with Charles Eglee, Josh Fridman, David Goyer and Justin Rhodes), leaving Goyer, Rhodes and Billy Ray to provide the lively, eminently suitable-for-another-sequel screenplay while Miller (also one of the film's seven executive producers) directs fast and furiously enough to deliver an efficient, audience-friendly blast that should satisfy Terminator movie fans, action addicts, genre buffs and Schwarzenegger devotees alike.

It's been 35 years since Arnie's Terminator first intoned 'I'll be back'. Here he returns to the role quite late in the movie but, serendipitously, bearded, still scary as hell and with an impeccable Austrian accent, he crowns an action-crowded movie that deserves praise for reviving a classic series.

Alan Frank

China/USA 2019. UK Distributor: 20th Century Fox. Colour.
128 minutes. IMAX. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 1, Swearing 2.

Review date: 24 Oct 2019