Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Review
by Jerry Saravia (faust668 AT aol DOT com)December 18th, 2003
TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES (2003)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
RATING: Three stars
Who would've guessed that "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" would be an action-packed, thoroughly exciting entry in the series? Funny, nerve-frying, often supremely entertaining, "Terminator 3" certainly rises to the occasion and is one of the better sequels in quite some time.
This time, an older John Connor (played by Nick Stahl, replacing Edward Furlong) is now working construction jobs and living off the grid, bearing in mind an unforeseeable future. Of course, since this is a "Terminator" movie, the future is still quite bleak. Two terminators have been sent from the future, one is the protector and the other a destroyer. The protector is the standard T-101 model, a titanium steel cyborg (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger), who is not just protecting John this time but also Kathy Brewster (Claire Danes), a future wife of John's and also someone who will work under his command. The destroyer is a T-X model, or Terminatrix (Kristanna Loken), an advanced liquid terminator prototype whose arms can fire missiles and can be used as blowtorches. Her purpose is to kill John Connor and Kathy, not to mention others who will eventually work under John's command. The problem is that on this day of chaos, a nuclear war is about to happen. "Judgment day was inevitable," says the T-101 model. The rest of the movie is like a sci-fi suspense thriller where our heroes have to race against the clock to prevent Judgment Day from happening.
Okay, so for some of you out there, not one word of the previous paragraph will make a lick of sense. So let's backtrack: the first "Terminator" film featured a killer cyborg sent from the future to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the future mother of John Connor, the leader of a resistance group against the machines after a nuclear apocalypse. In the second film, two terminators are sent back to kill the young John Connor (Edward Furlong), though the main focus was on Sarah Connor's own determination to stop the inevitable. Naturally, I thought the story was complete and there was nothing more to say. But money talks and Schwarzenegger, who's been in desperate need of a hit, could not say no. So is "Terminator 3" simply a reiteration of the previous films? In some ways, but it is acceptable since we are dealing with time-travel paradoxes where events are always reiterated in some form or another. For example, we get to see Schwarzenegger, in his birthday suit, enter another bar where he asks a male stripper (!) for his clothes. We also get a truck chase that is among the most frenetic in the series, complete with an extended crane that causes so much damage, you'd be surprised if half of the city of L.A. wasn't destroyed. This may not top similar sequences in "Terminator 2" but it comes close. There is also a physical battle between the two terminators, dozens of cyborgs armed with laser weapons, an army base that uses outdated computer systems, Arnie cutting his chest open to remove some explosive device, phrases like "I am back" or "I like your car" uttered by the mentally deficient terminators, computer systems run amok (meaning no cell phone use - how sad), helicopters crashing through walls, an electromagnetic field that liquid terminators may not appreciate, a coffin holding an arsenal of weapons, and so on. Yes, it is all silly to the nth degree, but I can honestly say that it is terrific fun.
Schwarzenegger still knows how to deliver his lines with a capable robotic mentality. Nick Stahl is a nice addition to the series, though his interpretation of John Connor indicates that he seems more willing to accept his future than he cares to admit. He has a nice rapport with Claire Danes as the sweet-tempered Kathy Brewster, who of course learns how to fire an automatic rifle. As for Kristanna Loken, she may not have the malice or the fierce presence of Robert Patrick's T-1000 model from the last sequel, but she is definitely not someone you want to mess with either (though feminists may scoff at seeing her thrown into a toilet headfirst).
"Terminator 3" may seem unnecessary and may be too short for some, but it does have believable performances, a feverish pace and a truly astounding finale (some may consider it too much of a downer). Now that the focus is sqaurely on John Connor, I suppose we can expect another sequel. Let's say that the series has been leading to an inevitable conclusion and I will say, inevitably, it is enough.
For more reviews, check out JERRY AT THE MOVIES at http://www.geocities.com/faustus_08520/Jerry_at_the_Movies.html
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