Terminator 3 - Rise Of The Machines (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Satisfactory
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Outstanding
Soundtrack	Average

Advantages:	special effects, Arnie back to form
Disadvantages:	lack of James Cameron, never going to be as good as the first two

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

“The future has not been written. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. I wish I could believe that. My name is John Connor, they tried to murder me before I was born, when I was 13 they tried again. Machines from the future. Terminators. All my life my mother told me the storm was coming, Judgment Day, the beginning of the war between man and machines. Three billion lives vanished in an instant, and I would lead what was left of the human race to ultimate victory. It hasn't happened, no bombs fell, computers didn't take control, we stopped Judgment Day. I should feel safe, but I don't, so I live off the grid - no phone, no address, no one and nothing can find me. I've erased all connections to the past, but as hard as I try I can't erase my dreams, my nightmares…”

In 1984, an unknown filmmaker and an unknown ex bodybuilder joined forces to create a cheap, low budget, sci fi B-movie that earned cult status, made a star of its main man, made its writer/director the toast of Hollywood and spawned a sequel that revolutionised the way special effects were developed and used. It is of course “The Terminator”: the story of a cyborg covered in human flash that travels back in time to assassinate a young woman who has yet to give birth to a child that will grow up to be the leader of the future world. Confused? Don’t worry, it’s not that complicated.

Its sequel “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”, deepens the story and blows the world away with its ahead of its time CGI rendering (hats off to Industrial Light & Magic). A third was always considered and was always a case of when not if. Despite many scares that it would be a project trapped in Hollywood limbo forever after creator James Cameron wanted nothing to do with it and star Linda Hamilton bailing out because – allegedly she couldn’t be bothered to get into such painful shape like she did for number two. Though, I don’t see her doing anything else better with her time at the moment. Anywho, with Cameron gone, it seemed that nothing was going to happen and the project would be cast aside, just like James Cameron’s “True Lies 2” after what happened on 9/11 but as long as producers Mario Kassar and Andrew G Vajna had the rights to the franchise as it were, they weren’t going to let a potential cash cow down, no siree. Replacing Cameron with “U-571” helmer Jonathon Mostow and replacing previous John Connor, Edward Furlong with “In The Bedroom’s” Nick Sthal (two many nights out busy bingeing booze and lines of white powdered substance put a stop to that apparently) and the film was ready to go. Arnold Schwarzenegger would of course return and some slight of hand (re write) of the script would intercept Linda ‘Sarah Connor’ Hamilton’s absence from the project.

The story for the third instalment of the sci. fi trilogy is thus: After surviving previous assassination attempts throughout his life, the now adult future world rebel leader John Conner (Nick Stahl) has decided to live ‘off the grid’. Meaning he has no address, no phone, no email, no permanent work placement, no credit cards, no forms of paper trail whatsoever in his life to avoid further threats on his life. That is until Skynet (the future supercomputer that decimates the world and spawns a race of machines, who’s soul purpose is to exterminate human life on the planet) sends a Terminator back through time to the present, a far superior Terminator designed for ‘extreme combat’. A Terminator called the T-X (Kristanna Loken) and unlike its predecessor, non human assassins over the years, this one is in the form of a slender, athletic ,blond female and quite a hottie at that. Her mission is to kill John Connor’s future lieutenants in the upcoming nuclear war as Conner living ‘off the grid’ is near impossible to find. But by chance the of fate, the pair do meet and he then becomes her primary target. Fortunately another Terminator is sent back through time for the obligatory ‘protector’ role in the proceedings, an obsolete, reprogrammed T800 Terminator (Schwarzenegger).

He tracks down John Conner to protect him from the vicious T-X and also helps out caught in the crossfire, vet, Kate Brewster (Claire Danes) who is weaved into the storyline more than first anticipated as it turns out she has a part in the future war. Also, her father Robert Brewster (David Andrews) is the army general behind the creation of a new supercomputer that will revolutionise the defence of the military. As the Terminator races against time to lead John Conner and Kate Brewster to safety away from the highly upgraded, T-X there is also the worry of a mysterious computer virus that could impact the world stronger than anyone could imagine. The “Rise Of The Machines” subtitle may hint to exactly what that may be…

Arnie is back to form and its about bloody time after a string of cringing attempts at comedy and the likes of “Batman & Robin”, the ‘governor’ returns to his most loved role. The part of the Terminator is perfect for the likes of Schwarzenegger, single minded, unflinching, uncompromising and very mean looking. The Terminator is a man of few words, perfect for Schwarzenegger’s limited acting ability. Although in honesty, not every actor famous or not would be able to play the part of the Terminator. To be fair, to portray an inhuman, cold, calculated enigma of a person is acting, and quite good acting too. The only flaw in the Arnie’s performance is that the menace he once had in the first film has more or less diminished during the course of the trilogy. In the first film, Schwarzenegger was able to convince you that he could plunge his fist into your torso and rip out your heart without thinking twice. “T2” lacked some of the fear of the Terminator, primarily (now I’m talking like a robot!) because he was fighting for good instead of evil. In “Terminator 3” the same has happened: Schwarzenegger is again the good guy but the only difference between this and “T2” is that the Terminator in “T2” had the presence of an anti-hero whereas in “T3”: the Terminator is more of a regular hero, who shrugs off gunshots and considers mass car crashes as minor inconveniences.

Nick Stahl (“In The Bedroom”) has some very large shoes to fill as future world leader John Conner. With previous John Conner Edward Furlong (“American History X”) out of the picture after one night on the tiles too many and many encounters of white powdered lines rendering him un-castable. Stahl however seems right as Conner taking on the personality of Furlong’s childhood Conner without feeling too awkward about it: and believe me that sort of thing shows up on film like a sore thumb. Stahl provides a worthy and charged performance that is enjoyable to watch, handling each new situation well. Clare Danes (“Romeo + Juliet”, “Brokedown Palace”) also fits in well, proving that she can do the action heroine thing and is a suitable substitute for the reluctant Linda Hamilton. Although not as single minded as John Conner’s estranged mother, Sarah Conner, (the first target in the first film) Danes can still whoop cyborg a$$ when the occasion rises.

After gunning down the prototype, Hunter Killer mini jet with such sincerity and initiative, a dazed John Conner (Stahl) looks at Kathryn Brewster (Danes).

Brewster: What?
Conner: Nothing… you remind me of my mother…

Kristanna Loken fits the bill perfectly for the ruthless, proverbial ball buster T-X, effortlessly mixing a contrasting blend of beauty and danger. Sharing similar qualities to that of Robert Patrick’s T-1000 shape shifter in “T2”, but Loken doesn’t fall into the trap of replicating such nature. Supporting acts are pleasing as well notably from the likes of David Andrews (“Apollo 13”) as Brewster’s military father. Earl Boen (the only actor apart from Schwarzenegger to be in all three films) makes a warm yet brief appearance to reconnect you with those past memories of the previous two films. Whether it be pleasing or awkward to see Boen’s character: Dr. Peter Silberman again is for the fans to decide.

After reading the brief synopsis of the film before the inevitable cinema viewing: I did fear that this was going to be a modernised rehash of the second Terminator film but fortunately it’s “Terminator 3’s” multiple screenwriters that saves it from being standard Hollywood cash cow material. With the lack of creator James Cameron’s script and talent in the director’s chair, it fills even the most hardened fans with doubt whether or not the film will be successful. I am a “Terminator” fan (sigh) and I for one think that the previous two films where a pair of Arnie’s best, so it’d come as no surprise if I told you that I had doubt about the film to begin with. No Linda Hamilton, no Edward Furlong, no James Cameron: the very man needed to make a third. The lack of James Cameron is the reason why you’d want the film to fail whilst another part wants the film to succeed because you’re a Terminator fan. On paper the film seems atrocious, everything seems to be against it: no Cameron and a multiplex friendly certificate. How can you take a four year to watch “T3” when they are a) not old enough to register and appreciate it fully and b) legally aren’t allowed to watch it’s predecessors? The answer is the Hollywood money-making machine that cuts films to make them more family friendly and therefore make potentially more money (the main disadvantage of the 12A certificate).

Having said all this, I never really felt that the film suffered by the lack of the vital elements needed. Sure, “Terminator 3” is not as good as it’s James Cameron predecessors, but it’s still a very fun ride. Director Jonathan Mostow (“U-571”, “Breakdown”) is free to do his own thing but wisely never ventures out into unknown Terminator territory, avoiding mass fan upset at the same time. He does however avoid lurking in James Cameron’s shadow by trying to recreate his style in a film that he wanted nothing to do with. For the first time, the Terminator is allowed to express himself/itself more as a character rather than an 80’s icon. Twenty-first century filmmaking? Maybe. And still on the topic of certificate, don’t let the 12A tag it’s been given discourage you. This film is without doubt the most violent 12A film I’ve ever seen, even beating the likes of “Spider-Man” the very seed of the whole controversial change.

Special Effects guru Stan Winston returns to create, again, some awesome visuals and prosthetics. “Terminator 3” is a rare summer blockbuster that isn’t overwhelmed by it’s effects. It is surprisingly very story driven that provides some interesting twists and turns and an ending/revelation that I found to be very brave indeed for Hollywood mainstream. I won’t go into details over it but let’s just say that it’s totally unexpected and not tidily wrapped up like most modern films with large budgets. So will there be a “Terminator 4”? Who knows? But if they do, Schwazenegger not featuring is more or less guaranteed now that his political career is up and running…

BOTTOM LINE
“Terminator 3” is not as evil and wrong as some fans may have let on. It was one of the better films in the 2003 line up of summer flicks. Although it doesn’t have the James Cameron seal of approval, it’s still a fun ride with spectacle after spectacle and some genuine drama as well. Not as good as 1 and 2 but is still a worthy third instalment by any means displaying some real confidence in itself and in its execution. Good performances throughout by Arnie and co and some exceptional special effects (courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic) round off the good but not brilliant package that is “Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines”.

CERTIFICATE: 12
TIME APPROX: 109 minutes

CAUTION:
Some strong violence
Infrequent strong language

IF YOU LIKE THIS TRY
Terminator 2: Judgement Day – James Cameron’s first sequel to the original classic that is still out shines most modern blockbusters after thirteen years.

She’ll be back…

<DarkMark