Sometim
es I go to the movies to be intrigued, uplifted and educated. And sometimes I go just to watch a whole lot of stuff get blowed up real good.
You can guess into which category “Terminator: Dark Fate” falls.
This entry in the “Terminator” franchise picks up right after “Terminator: Judgment Day,” and posits that Sarah Connor (a deliciously well-aged Linda Hamilton) and her son were able to prevent Skynet from taking over the world.
However, things still go very badly indeed for a young Mexican auto factory worker named Dani Ramos (Natalie Reyes), who’s targeted for seemingly no reason by a sinister new brand of Terminator called a Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna).
But there’s always a reason, right? And there’s always a protector. In this film it’s Grace (Mackenzie Davis), a seriously buff and butt-kicking warrior from the future. Eventually Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up again, too, and he’s given a couple of funny bits along with the flash-bang stuff. (His deadpan descriptions of why he’s a perfect mate and the difference that the right blinds can make to décor are extremely amusing.)
“Terminator: Dark Fate” isn’t perfect. In particular, I wish that director Tim Miller (“Deadpool”) had trimmed some of the fight scenes. We get it: The Rev-9 can be sliced and diced and shredded but he always comes back for more. Stahp with the CGI, already!
Still, I was absolutely entertained – and it’s nice to have a film in which three of the four badasses are women.
Now let’s talk about money.
Personal finance lessons are where you find them. I’ve found them in operas like “Parsifal” and “Gotterdammerung,” movies like “A Quiet Place” and “True Grit,” television, theater and film (“Zombie consumerism”), and even the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
So why not “Terminator: Dark Fate”?
First, here’s a clip:
And now, the money lessons:
1. Be prepared.
A huge stash of weaponry figures prominently in the film. Good thing, since the new Terminator seems even more unkillable that the old ones.
I’m not suggesting you corner the market on gats, here, but rather than you prep in other ways. Pay off your consumer debt, build an emergency fund, learn to cook (generally, food is the easiest budget category to cut), stop automatically upgrading your electronics, consider keeping your car a few extra years, teach yourself new skills. I’m also a fan of what Liz Weston calls “the emergency fund you can eat,” i.e., a nice deep pantry (including paper products).
If you have pets, build them an emergency fund as well by keeping an ample supply of food, litter and other needed items. Rotate the stock so that food gets used up before its expiration date. And remember, those “new skills” could be things like grooming and nail-clipping.
2. Be adaptable.
When an unstoppable killing machine comes at you, it’s important to think on your feet. All three women use whatever’s available to survive.
With luck you’ll never have a serious financial crisis (or be hunted by a cyborg). Fact is, you need to be ready to face hard times and also determined to survive them. For more on this, see “13 ways to prepare for income reduction.”
3. Sometimes technology is NOT your friend.
Sarah lives off the grid, which is probably a good thing given that she’s wanted in all 50 states. She encases her burner phones in foil (in a most amusing way) lest someone track her signal, and does her best to avoid surveillance cameras (a losing battle in this day and age). She and Grace have an uphill battle making Dani understand that the tracks of a digital footprint can lead death to your door.
In the off-screen, nonfiction world technology can be amazing. We can pay our bills, send and receive money, shop, read, be entertained, and talk and collaborate with people anywhere in the world. Coalitions can form, resources shared.
But I think of technology as the big cat that’s never really tamed. We can co-exist, but the instant you stop paying attention you’re opening yourself up to (financial) pain and injury that you might not be able to survive. Dubious investments or outright Ponzi schemes, account hacking, identity theft…The tactics get more sophisticated and consumers get scared.
You should be scared, at least a little bit – enough to make you careful. Take steps to protect yourself.
Oh, and remember: If you wouldn’t want an e-mail or a comment on a blog or message board to be printed on the front page of The Washington Post, then don’t make it. Ditto any bon mots or photos shared on social media. The Internet is 4-ever. Just ask the people who’ve been embarrassed, or arrested.
4. Worked once? Might not work again.
All that Sarah needs to know about Terminators is that they’re lethal. She’s not prepared to trust the T-800 that pops up unexpectedly, even when it’s clear that this particular Terminator has been helping the cause for years. Her stubborn refusal to adjust to this new reality could be a problem. (Maybe it even does create a problem; I ain’t sayin’.)
With regard to money, the “past performance” maxim works both ways:
Just because something worked once doesn’t mean it will again. Once upon a time you could get a decent rate of return with certificates of deposit, or even with savings accounts. Looked at those rates lately? Or maybe you once made a nice side income via retail arbitrage or flipping houses, but now there’s a lot more competition and/or you’re slowed down by new responsibilities (kids, aging parents) or health issues (bad back from all that lifting).
On the other hand, the impossible might now be do-able. Perhaps you once despaired of ever being able to own a home, start a business, save for retirement. That was then; this is now. Educate yourself about the possibilities (small business grants? first-time homebuyer programs? Roth IRAs?), find a mentor, talk to a money expert. Rethink your limits. Create a goal and head toward it.
5. Mourn your loss, then get on with it.
Dani has to say goodbye to a lot of people and things. She has no warning whatsoever. One moment she’s arguing with her supervisor at work, and the next a cyborg is trying to kill her (and anything that gets between it and Dani).
No time-out, no second chance. Life as she knew it is over and done. Fortunately, her companions have Dani’s back when she grieves.
You may not be that lucky. In fact, you might feel terribly alone when you lose a job, get divorced, incur tremendous medical debt, withstand major financial losses, declare bankruptcy.
Sometimes, life just stinks. But it’s up to us to play the hands we’re dealt. Look for any available help: job retraining, free financial advice from an organization like the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, education grants and the like.
Grieve for what might have been, but don’t stay stuck.
