'Terminator: Dark Fate': Linda Hamilton is the definitive Sarah Connor and her being 'back' with Arnold Schwarzenegger could revive the franchise
While it may have been Arnold Schwarzenegger in the spotlight and one of the reasons behind raking in the moolah, Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor has been the true hero of the movies. In a film that revolved heavily on killing machines and the tech, Hamilton's Connor was the one human character who was a key plot point in 'The Terminator' and 'Terminator2: Judgement Day'. With 'Dark Fate', the iconic character, who has been away for three decades is back in action and still oozes badassery.
The '84 flick gave her a simple role. A typical LA woman of the '80s who plays a waitress. Her world changes upside down when she realizes a killing machine from the future comes in to prevent her future son from leading a resistance against the machines. It was perhaps the unassuming trait that made Connor a character who dusts herself off the attacks from a cyborg. In Kyle Reese's company, she gradually shapes up as a fighter and despite going through major trauma, manages to make it out alive. In the end, she accepts her fate and becomes pregnant with John Connor.
When Hamilton reprised her role as Sarah Connor in 'Judgement Day', we saw her locked up in an asylum, but was still in fighting shape to save her son from future Terminators. In Schwarzenegger's T-800, she finds an able ally as they fight Robert Patrick’s T-1000 to protect John, who is now a brash schoolkid.
According to Cinemablend, Hamilton had asked James Cameron to make her character "crazy" and to play the part of a hardened warrior, she also underwent military and weapons training. No to forget, she was coming off giving birth herself. This is a stark contrast to the waitress role in the first movie, but the role makes her the perfect action hero alongside a cybernetic Schwarzenegger.
It somehow didn't feel like a fitting end to her character in 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines' where it was revealed she died of cancer. Hamilton wouldn't appear in Bale's 'Terminator: Salvation' either. However, the spin-off series that saw Lena Headey take over the role. While it was unfortunate to have been shelved after two seasons, Headey's Connor shed some light into the character's life. While Headey was a great Sarah Connor, the Hamilton-effect was amiss.
Emilia Clarke took over the role in the 2015 reboot, 'Terminator Genisys' and placed Sarah in an alternate reality where Schwarzenegger's T-800 meets her at the age of nine and trains her to fend off attacks by the time Kyle Reese comes to protect her against the '80s T-800. It's not hard to figure out the movie tried a lot with the character and while Clarke does a great job in essaying a fit and action-ready Sarah, the film, however, bombed spectacularly.
Perhaps, what set Hamilton apart was the sheer preparation and a great story arc. This was a character who could hold her own after being subjected to some intense trauma in the first installment. Something that the movies after 'Judgement Day' never really shed much light on.
'Dark Fate' sees the original Sarah Connor the world saw and from the trailers and promos, she "is back" and ready to kick butt. The 62-year old became a cult figure with 'Judgement Day' and with Arnie by her side, Dark Fate can bring the franchise out of the dark times.
'Terminator: Dark Fate' will hit the screens on November 1.