More than two decades after Sarah Connor prevented Judgment Day, a new and lethal liquid metal Terminator, the Rev-9, is sent back in time to eliminate a young factory worker named Dani Ramos. To survive, Dani must rely on Grace, an enhanced super-soldier from the future, and a battle-hardened Sarah Connor. However, as the Rev-9 proves nearly unstoppable, they are forced to seek help from the one thing Sarah hates most: a T-800 from her past that has gained a conscience.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
November 1, 2019 |
Running time |
128 minutes |
Genre |
Sci-Fi Action Adventure |
Budget |
$185,000,000 |
Box Office |
$261,119,292 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Tim Miller |
Produced by |
James Cameron David Ellison |
Written by |
David S. Goyer Justin Rhodes Billy Ray |
Music by |
Tom Holkenborg |
Cinematography |
Ken Seng |
Edited by |
Julian Clarke |
Production Co. |
Paramount Pictures 20th Century Fox Skydance Media Tencent Pictures |
Distributed by |
Paramount Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #06 in The Terminator Collection
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The Plot
The Beach in Guatemala
In 1998, three years after the defeat of the T-1000 and the aversion of Judgment Day, Sarah and John Connor attempt to live a life of peace at a beach bar in Livingston, Guatemala. The calm of the seaside setting is shattered when a T-800 Model 101 Terminator suddenly approaches them. Carrying what appears to be a harmless black trash bag, the machine reveals its deadly intent by unveiling a concealed shotgun. Before Sarah can react, the Terminator opens fire, shooting the young John Connor.
Shocked and desperate, Sarah attempts to save her son, firing wildly at the machine with her pistol to no avail. The Terminator effortlessly shoves her aside, leaving her helpless on the sand. Sarah can only watch in horror as the machine delivers a final, fatal shot to her son. Having completed its mission, the T-800 turns and walks away, leaving a grieving mother cradling the body of the world's former savior.
New Arrivals in Mexico City
In 2020, the cycle of time travel begins anew in Mexico City. Two beings arrive from the future in separate locations: a Resistance fighter named Grace and a terrifying new model of Terminator, the Rev-9. The Rev-9 materializes in an apartment complex, immediately beginning its hunt by locating the home of the Ramos family. It encounters Dani Ramos's father, swiftly gathering intelligence on her whereabouts.
Meanwhile, Grace arrives under a bridge in a violent electrical storm. Disoriented and naked, she is quickly surrounded by police officers. However, Grace displays superhuman combat abilities, engaging in a conflict with the officers and escaping arrest before stealing clothes and a vehicle to locate her target.
Targeted at the Assembly Line
Dani Ramos is introduced living a modest life with her father and her brother, Diego. Dani and Diego head to their job at an automobile factory, where tensions are high. Diego is dismayed to learn that his position on the assembly line is threatened by automation, fearing he will be replaced by a robot. As Dani passionately accosts the factory manager to defend her brother's livelihood, the Rev-9 enters the facility.
The Terminator has shapeshifted to perfectly disguise itself as their father. It navigates the factory floor until it spots Dani. Just as the Rev-9 pulls a weapon to assassinate her, Grace appears, shotgun in hand, and engages the machine. A chaotic brawl ensues, with Grace proving to be a formidable protector.
The Highway Chase and the Split
Grace, Dani, and Diego manage to flee the factory in a truck, but the relentless Rev-9 gives chase in a massive dump truck, plowing through traffic to reach them. During the high-speed pursuit, the Rev-9 reveals its most terrifying capability: it divides itself into two distinct, separate entities. The exterior mimetic polyalloy (liquid metal) separates from the internal hardened endoskeleton, allowing the machine to drive and attack simultaneously from two angles.
Tragedy strikes when the Rev-9 attacks their truck, killing Diego. As the grieving Dani and the battle-worn Grace are cornered by both parts of the Terminator on a highway bridge, unexpected reinforcements arrive. Sarah Connor steps out of a vehicle, armed with military-grade heavy weaponry. She blasts the liquid metal component with a grenade launcher, temporarily disabling it, before firing a missile directly at the endoskeleton, halting its advance.
Sanctuary and Revelations
Taking advantage of the chaos caused by Sarah, Dani and Grace escape in Sarah's car. However, Grace's augmented physiology takes a toll; she passes out, suffering from a critical metabolism crash. Before losing consciousness, she reveals to Dani that she is an augmented human, engineered for short bursts of intense combat, and requires specific medical treatments to stabilize. Dani and Grace raid a pharmacy to acquire the necessary supplies, but their location is compromised. Sarah, having tracked them, arrives and takes them to a motel room for safety.
In the motel, Grace recovers and explains her origins: she is a soldier from the year 2042. After sustaining severe injuries fighting a Rev-7 unit, she volunteered for cybernetic augmentation to travel back in time and protect Dani. Sarah shares her own story, revealing that she tracks Terminators using mysterious, encrypted text messages she receives whenever a time displacement event occurs. She hunts the machines as they arrive, noting that every message ends with the same haunting phrase: "For John."
A New Future: Legion
Tensions rise as the group compares their knowledge of the future. Grace is confused by Sarah's talk of Skynet and John Connor, revealing she has never heard of either. Sarah realizes that while she stopped Skynet in the 1990s, she failed to prevent the rise of artificial intelligence entirely. Grace informs her that a new AI designed for cyber warfare, named "Legion," eventually became self-aware and initiated its own Judgment Day, decimating humanity.
Seeking the source of Sarah's mysterious intel, Grace uses her future tech to trace the origin of the text messages. The coordinates point to a location in Laredo, Texas. Shockingly, these coordinates match a set of numbers tattooed on Grace's body, indicating a destined connection.
Crossing the Border and Meeting Carl
The group decides to follow the coordinates, necessitating a dangerous border crossing into the United States. However, the Rev-9 has infiltrated the surveillance networks and flagged them as terrorists. They are intercepted and arrested by border patrol forces. In the detention center, the Rev-9 launches a brutal attack to kill Dani. The three women manage to escape amidst the chaos, hijacking a helicopter to fly to the coordinates in Texas.
Upon arrival, they discover a remote cabin. To Sarah's fury, the occupant is the exact same T-800 Model 101 that killed John in 1998. The Terminator, now calling himself "Carl," explains that after killing John, his mission was complete. Without orders from a non-existent Skynet, he developed a form of conscience. He integrated into human society, adopted a family, started a drapery business, and learned the value of human life. Seeking redemption, he was the one sending Sarah the location of other Terminators to give her a purpose, signing them "For John."
The Plan and the True Leader
Despite Sarah's hatred, the group agrees to work with Carl to destroy the Rev-9, realizing they need his strength. They devise a plan to acquire military-grade electromagnetic pulse (EMP) grenades from an acquaintance of Sarah, a military major. However, the deal goes wrong when the Rev-9 ambushes them. The group is forced to flee into a nearby military base, where they commandeer a C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft. During the firefight and escape, the precious EMP grenades are damaged and rendered unusable.
In a moment of quiet amidst the chaos, the truth about Dani's importance is revealed. She is not the mother of a future savior, as Sarah assumed. Dani herself is destined to be the Commander of the Resistance against Legion. Grace explains that Dani is the one who saves humanity, which is why Legion is so desperate to eliminate her.
The Crash at the Hydro-Power Plant
The Rev-9 pursues them in a KC-10 Extender aircraft, boarding their plane in mid-air. A violent struggle ensues, destroying the controls of the aircraft. The plane crashes into a river adjacent to a massive hydro-power plant. The group survives the crash but is immediately pursued by the relentless Terminator into the industrial complex.
Inside the turbine hall, they make their final stand. Carl and the Rev-9 engage in a brutal physical clash, dragging the machine into a spinning turbine which heavily damages the Rev-9 but also incapacitates Carl. The Rev-9, broken but functional, continues its crawl toward Dani. Sarah is subdued, and Grace, mortally wounded and her power draining, realizes she cannot win.
Sacrifice and Victory
Grace pleads with Dani to use her volatile power source—a thorium energy core—to destroy the enemy. Understanding the cost, Dani tearfully removes the power source from Grace's chest, effectively killing her protector. As the Rev-9 lunges, Dani attempts to jam the core into the machine.
Carl reactivates, grabbing the Rev-9 and restraining it. He instructs Dani to run. Carl jams the destabilizing power core into the Rev-9's eye socket. Recognizing the moment of his own end, Carl looks to Sarah and speaks his final words: "For John." The core detonates, obliterating both the Rev-9 and Carl in a massive explosion, finally ending the threat.
The Cycle Continues
Some time later, Dani and Sarah are parked outside a playground. They watch a young Grace playing with her family, safe in the present timeline. Dani vows not to let Grace die again in the future. As they prepare to leave, Sarah tells Dani that if she is indeed destined to become the leader of the Resistance, she needs to be ready. Sarah starts the engine, and the two drive off together, beginning Dani's training for the war to come.
