Terminator 3 : Rise Of The Machines (2003)
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There are few action film franchises as successful as the Terminator films. James Cameron's first two films were both huge box office successes, combining explosive action with a reasonably intelligent science fiction plot to create two of Hollywood's finest action films. There was therefore a mixed reaction when this belated sequel was announced – fans were concerned that franchise star Arnold Schwarzeneger might be past his sell-by-date and the replacement of Cameron with the relatively unknown Jonathon Mostow made it seem less likely that the this Terminator sequel would be to the same standard. In the end, they needn't have worried too much as Mostow manage to produce one of the Summer's best blockbusters and a film that is only slightly inferior to it's forerunners.
The fabled Judgement Day was avoided at the end of Terminator 2, leaving mankind's future saviour John Connor (Nick Stahl) free to gone with the rest of his life. However, it turns out that Judgement Day may just have been delayed, as a new Terminator in the form of Kristanna Loken's T-X is sent back from the machine-controlled future to kill John Connor and his future wife Kate Brewster (Claire Danes). As before, Schwarzenegger's re-programmed Terminator is sent back by the future resistance movement to protect their leader-to-be, but the advance of technology means that Arnie is now looking increasingly antiquated compared to Loken's upgraded Terminator. Connor, Brewster and their robotic protector must try and evade the T-X while simultaneously trying to get to Kate's father, the General in charge of the SkyNet Artificial Intelligence project that is poised to start the titular rise of the machines.
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The prime test of any action movie is the quality of the action scenes, and T3 certainly doesn't disappoint in that respect. Given the recent obsession with CGI action scenes, it's refreshing to see an action film that goes back to the old ways of building expensive sets and then blowing them up. Particularly entertaining is the lengthy car chase scenes as John and Kate try desperately to escape from the T-X in an ambulance while the T-X chases in a huge crane, with an escort of remotely-controlled emergency vehicles and Arnie desperately tries to catch up with the action. Loken may not be quite as imposing a presence as Schwarzenegger or Robert Patrick were, but she is convincing in portraying the unstoppableness of the T-X, as everything the good guys can throw at her only slows her down slightly, in a classic Terminator fashion.
The shoot-ups are as entertaining as ever, although the violence has been toned down slightly, meaning the film doesn't have quite the same impact as the original Terminator. The plot is also interesting, the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, and the main characters are very likeable and it's much easier to be concerned about their fate than in certain other recent action sequels (see “The Matrix Reloaded”). This film may be about death-dealing robots, but it hasn't lost sight of the power of adding a bit of additional human drama. Admittedly, it's probably best not to try to think too hard about how the various time-travel shenanigans work, and there are a couple of plot holes, but overall the plot works well, making this a decent piece of science fiction as well as a good action blockbuster. The best bit of the film is without doubt the ending, a daring plot twist that raises the film to a higher level and leaves the viewer eager to see the next film in the series. When so many action movies seem to fumble their endings in incoherent plot twists (see “The Hulk”) or average fight scenes (see “Spiderman”, “Daredevil”), Terminator 3 has the courage to do something other than the traditional Hollywood happy ending.
In summary, this is an excellent action movie that is of a similar standard to Terminator 2, even if not quite as good as the original “The Terminator”. The action scenes are superb, the characters interesting and the powerful ending makes this one the best blockbusters of Summer 2003.
Rating : 8 / 10
All content ©2003 William Marnoch.
Comments? Agree/Disagree with the Reviews? Suggestions? Random Ramblings? Whatever you might want to say, feel free to e-mail me at william@wmarnoch.freeserve.co.uk .