The first reactions from Terminator: Dark Fate have rolled in on social media after the first wave of critics recently got a sneak peek at the movie. They weren’t the only ones either. An event at Alamo Drafthouse locations that was marketed as a Terminator 2: Judgment Day fan event with a sneak peek of footage from Terminator: Dark Fate turned into a full fledged screening of the sequel nearly two weeks before it hits theaters. So what are people saying? Get the Terminator: Dark Fate early buzz below.

Here’s what fans at the Alamo Drafthouse saw before they were treated to the entirety of Terminator: Dark Fate:

So if you weren’t at any of the 15 participating Alamo Drafthouse locations around the United States, you’ll just have to wait another 12 days to see the movie. But in the meantime, you can see what people thought with our round-up of reactions from social media. Let’s start with your own editor-in-chief, Peter Sciretta, who seems to have mostly enjoyed the movie:

#TerminatorDarkFate is better than you think it’s going to be. Its trying hard to be the Force Awakens of Terminator movies, and mostly succeeds. But it’s lacking Cameron’s innovation, evolution and directing. Arnold is fantastic, the best of his post T2 Terminator appearances.

— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) October 21, 2019

Below, you can find out the rest of the reactions from critics who have already seen the movie:

Terminator: Dark Fate is basically Terminator: The Force Awakens. A satisfying, exciting reboot that’s essentially the best parts of T1 & T2 in a blender. Davis, Reyes & Hamilton are excellent, the action wows & while it’s familiar, it’s easily the best T3 yet. Terminator is back pic.twitter.com/W1emrXIq5C

— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) October 21, 2019

TERMINATOR’s thought of as Arnold’s franchise. DARK FATE makes it clear he wasn’t the key ingredient that made it work. It was Linda Hamilton. She’s incredible in this, and the movie’s very solid. (I recently defended all the TERMINATOR sequels, so make of this what you will.) pic.twitter.com/3JSsac7LrL

— Matt Singer (@mattsinger) October 21, 2019

#TerminatorDarkFate is easily the best Terminator movie since T2. Has some fantastic action and loved how the film features 3 female protagonists that all kick-ass. So awesome seeing Linda Hamilton back as Sarah Connor. pic.twitter.com/15Yb6cC18W

— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) October 21, 2019

I've been a fan of Mackenzie Davis since seeing her in 'Halt and Catch Fire'. But she takes it to another level in #TerminatorDarkFate where she kicks all kinds of ass. If you like her work in Dark Fate, go back and watch #HaltandCatchFire. pic.twitter.com/P5gnqoXjFL

— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) October 21, 2019

#TerminatorDarkFate is the best of the TERMINATOR sequels after T2. Easily among the year’s most entertaining action films, it’s thrilling, intense & non-stop, but also a sweet story about making things right. Arnold is great & Linda rules, but Mackenzie Davis THROWS DOWN pic.twitter.com/8TQ4Gpkkdr

— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) October 21, 2019

Honestly, without Linda Hamilton, not sure it works. But now watching her and Arnold together on screen again, it’s kind of crazy they ever tried to make these movies without literally the main character.

— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) October 21, 2019

Is #TerminatorDarkFate the best since T2? Yup. Linda Hamilton’s return makes a BIG difference, Mackenzie Davis kicks all the ass, & Natalia Reyes is an excellent anchor. Gabriel Luna’s Rev-9 is a winner too. Physicality, VFX, fights – all spot on! Glad they gave this another go. pic.twitter.com/4Q1FNN49Hw

— Perri Nemiratu (@PNemiroff) October 21, 2019

Excited to report Terminator: Dark Fate is the best sequel in the franchise since T2. It's a "return to basics" movie — reminiscent of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in that way — but the new heroes are fantastic, it's great to see the legends kicking ass, and the action is great. pic.twitter.com/aAHSXhFyA4

— Evil Eric Eisenberg (@eeisenberg) October 21, 2019

Oh the film, you ask? It’s solid. Super well articulated action. Linda Hamilton is aces. Easily the best sequel since T2. #DarkFate takes The Force Awakens’ “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality to Cameron’s films and turns out it ain’t broke.

— Haleigh Foutch (@HaleighFoutch) October 21, 2019

It sounds like Terminator: Dark Fate is really hoping to revamp the franchise by injecting some of what made The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day the classics we still revere to this day. However, it seems to do that only in a way that treads the same territory as those movies, just like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, instead of doing anything innovative. Though many say the movie is the best since T2, that’s not exactly a high bar to reach, and that’s probably why many of the reactions say it’s better than they thought it would be and not flat out great.

What’s interesting is the reactions that say Linda Hamilton is the key to making this one work. Many have always said Terminator needs Arnold Schwarzenegger, and while it sounds like he serves his purpose well in this sequel, this doesn’t sound like it’s his movie at all. That’s probably for the best. And we’re very happy to hear that Mackenzie Davis is as badass as she appeared to be in the trailers.

Will audiences be as happy with what director Tim Miller has in store for them? Could this finally be the start of a new Terminator trilogy that has promise? We’ll find out when Terminator: Dark Fate opens in theaters on November 1, 2019. Watch the most recent trailer released right here.

The post ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Early Buzz: It’s ‘The Force Awakens’ of the ‘Terminator’ Franchise appeared first on /Film.