Terminator: Dark Fate
Decades after Sarah Connor prevented Judgment Day, a lethal new Terminator is sent to eliminate the future leader of the resistance. In a fight to save mankind, battle-hardened Sarah Connor teams up with an unexpected ally and an enhanced super soldier to stop the deadliest Terminator yet.
Working with a enormous budget of $185.0M, the film achieved a modest success with $261.1M in global revenue (+41% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) exemplifies deliberately positioned plot construction, characteristic of Tim Miller's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 8 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Guatemala, 1998: Sarah and John Connor relax on a beach, living peacefully in hiding after preventing Judgment Day. The ordinary world shows a family finally at rest after their struggle.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when The Rev-9 attacks Dani's home and factory, killing her father and brother Diego. Grace intervenes to protect Dani. Dani's ordinary life is shattered by lethal force from the future.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 31 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Dani actively chooses to follow Sarah and Grace to the coordinates in Laredo, Texas, committing to the fight rather than running away. She crosses into a new world of resistance and purpose., moving from reaction to action.
At 65 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat The Rev-9 attacks during the border detention center assault. The team narrowly escapes on a C-5 military transport plane, but the Rev-9 infiltrates the aircraft. The stakes escalate dramatically—false victory of escape becomes immediate defeat as the plane is compromised mid-flight., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 95 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Grace is mortally wounded by the Rev-9, impaled and dying. She tells Dani to use her power core as a weapon. The "whiff of death" is literal—Grace, Dani's protector and the symbol of the future resistance, dies to give Dani the means to fight., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 104 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Dani removes Grace's power core and weaponizes it. She synthesizes Sarah's warrior experience, Grace's sacrifice, and Carl's redemption into her own path. She declares, "I'm not running anymore." The protected becomes the protector., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Terminator: Dark Fate's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Terminator: Dark Fate against these established plot points, we can identify how Tim Miller utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Terminator: Dark Fate within the science fiction genre.
Tim Miller's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Tim Miller films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.3, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Terminator: Dark Fate takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Tim Miller filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional science fiction films include Lake Placid, The Postman and Oblivion. For more Tim Miller analyses, see Deadpool.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Guatemala, 1998: Sarah and John Connor relax on a beach, living peacefully in hiding after preventing Judgment Day. The ordinary world shows a family finally at rest after their struggle.
Theme
Grace tells Dani: "You're not the threat. You're the answer." The theme of destiny versus choice, and who gets to define the future, is planted early in the Rev-9's relentless pursuit.
Worldbuilding
Mexico City, present day: Dani Ramos works at an auto factory with her brother Diego, living a mundane working-class life. Meanwhile, Grace (enhanced soldier from the future) and the Rev-9 (advanced Terminator) both arrive naked in 2020, establishing the new timeline and threat.
Disruption
The Rev-9 attacks Dani's home and factory, killing her father and brother Diego. Grace intervenes to protect Dani. Dani's ordinary life is shattered by lethal force from the future.
Resistance
Grace protects Dani through a vehicular chase on the highway. Dani resists understanding, demanding answers. Sarah Connor appears and destroys the Rev-9's endoskeleton with a rocket launcher, temporarily saving them. Sarah explains the threat and reveals she's been hunting Terminators for years, receiving mysterious coordinates.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Dani actively chooses to follow Sarah and Grace to the coordinates in Laredo, Texas, committing to the fight rather than running away. She crosses into a new world of resistance and purpose.
Mirror World
The group meets Carl, the T-800 who killed John Connor. Now living as "Carl" with a human family, he has learned the value of human life and purpose. He represents the thematic possibility of redemption and choosing one's own identity beyond original programming.
Premise
The team plans their strategy. Sarah grapples with Carl, the machine that murdered her son. Carl explains Legion (the new Skynet) and offers his help. Grace's augmentations deteriorate, requiring medication. The group bonds and prepares, traveling to Carl's coordinates and formulating a plan to cross into the US and eventually face the Rev-9.
Midpoint
The Rev-9 attacks during the border detention center assault. The team narrowly escapes on a C-5 military transport plane, but the Rev-9 infiltrates the aircraft. The stakes escalate dramatically—false victory of escape becomes immediate defeat as the plane is compromised mid-flight.
Opposition
The plane crashes in a dam. The Rev-9 splits into two units, overwhelming the team. Grace is critically injured and needs her power source replaced. Carl sacrifices his power core. The team makes a desperate stand at the dam's turbine room, but they're outmatched and exhausted. Sarah is wounded, and hope dwindles.
Collapse
Grace is mortally wounded by the Rev-9, impaled and dying. She tells Dani to use her power core as a weapon. The "whiff of death" is literal—Grace, Dani's protector and the symbol of the future resistance, dies to give Dani the means to fight.
Crisis
Dani cradles Grace's body, processing the sacrifice. Sarah and Carl are barely holding off the Rev-9. Dani must choose: remain the protected victim or become the leader Grace believed she would be. The emotional darkness of loss transforms into resolve.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Dani removes Grace's power core and weaponizes it. She synthesizes Sarah's warrior experience, Grace's sacrifice, and Carl's redemption into her own path. She declares, "I'm not running anymore." The protected becomes the protector.
Synthesis
Final battle in the dam's generator room. Dani, Sarah, and Carl coordinate to destroy the Rev-9. Carl holds the machine while Dani drives Grace's power core into it, finally destroying the Terminator. Carl is destroyed in the process, finding redemption. Sarah and Dani emerge as survivors, bonded by shared loss and purpose.
Transformation
Young Grace as a child plays in a playground while Dani watches from a distance. Dani has become the leader who will one day send Grace back in time. She mirrors Sarah's journey but defines her own path—no longer the protected factory worker, but the commander of humanity's resistance. Sarah joins her, two warriors ready to face the future together.