Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Review
by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)July 2nd, 2003
TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES (2003) 2 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, David Andrews and Kristanna Loken. Story by John Brancato & Michael Ferris and Tedi Sarafian. Screenplay by John Brancato & Michael Ferris. Terminator Make-Up and Animatronic Effects by Stan Winston. Visual Effects Supervisor Pablo Helman. Music by Marco Beltrami. Directed by Jonathan Mostow. Rated R. Running time: 109 minutes
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines could have been a much better movie had it spent more time looking ahead then over its shoulder.
T3 expends too much time and effort on recapturing past glories; tossing in catch phrases and situations from the previous two films instead of working to find a voice and style of its own.
T3 should satisfy most action junkies. The various chases, explosions and wrecks are a paean to the efforts of the stunt and effects personnel.
Too bad, though, more effort and thought did not go into the script.
When we last saw John Connor he was tearfully watching the Terminator sent to protect him destroy itself in molten lead so no one could retrieve and use any of its components to create Skynet, the computer that — according to history — was to destroy mankind and begin the reign of the machines.
Well history, especially in movies, has a way of changing. Now it seems Skynet is a top secret military project in which a main computer takes over in an emergency and runs all the other government computers.
And, wouldn't you know it. Such an emergency has begun. A powerful virus is running rampant through the world's computers throwing everything a-kilter, so the brass at the Pentagon is considering putting Skynet on line to combat the virus. Unlike the audience, they are unaware that Skynet itself is creating the virus.
Meanwhile, John Connor, now a young man, is living below the radar, as he says. He works day jobs, crashes wherever he can, does not own a home, phone or even a credit card.
But those determined machines from the future are out to get him again. This time a beautiful, but deadly T-X (Kristanna Loken), the latest in combat technology, is sent back not only to terminate Connor, but all those who will become his lieutenants.
The human resistance sends its own Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), whose mission it is to protect not only Connor, but Kate Brewster (Claire Danes), who will play a significant role in Connor's future.
All the pyrotechnics and special effects in Hollywood cannot cover up the flaws running through T3.
For example, where did the government get the technology to build Skynet if the first two Terminators were destroyed as was the computer company that supposedly created it in Terminator 2?
And, since we learn the fate of John Connor, why was it necessary to send another Terminator to kill him?
These questions remain unanswered as you are continually distracted by the noisy mayhem coming from the screen.
Also serving as a diversion are the numerous reminders to the first two films. After putting the T-X out of action for a while, the Terminator says, "She'll be back," and the audience chuckles.
Still later, after being pummeled by T-X, the Terminator returns to the fray announcing, redundantly, "I'm back." Again, knowing chortles from the audience.
Both cyborgs arrive in contemporary times naked, as in the first two films. Only this time director Jonathan Mostow and his writers go for laughs as the Terminator enters a cocktail lounge that is holding a ladies' night and "borrows" the clothing of the featured male stripper who, conveniently, is dressed similarly to the biker from T2.
Mostow (U-571) keeps the pace moving, with only a few static interruptions for characters to mill around for exposition purposes.
Schwarzenegger, of course, acts naturally — that is, like a robot. No great demands are made on the rest of the cast, either.
Rise of the Machines holds your attention. It is not on par with the first two Terminator movies, mainly because of the absence of director James Cameron. Despite being rather pedestrian, the movie entertains. But don't expect too much in originality. T3 is content to merely sit on the cinematic shoulders of its predecessors than find a path of its own.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Other reviews by Bloom can be found at www.jconline.com by clicking on movies.
Bloom's reviews also appear on the Web at the Rottentomatoes Web site, www.rottentomatoes.com and at the Internet Movie Database:
http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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