Arnold
CibbuanoTerminator 3
November 10th 2006 11:11
Oh dear... I kind of knew what to expect right from the outset. I can't say I was surprised in any way with how this turned out, so I'll try and keep my gripes to a minimum - or well-balanced at the very least.
Arnie's back in his signature role, looking as buff as ever (though slightly-more leathery, probably thanks to some botox injections) to lead the way in the third film in the Terminator series. Depressingly, at the time of the film’s release, it looked as if more films might get made, so I think we can say that the buck stops here.
It's a few years down the track - John Connor (not Edward Furlong) is wandering about, breaking into vet labs and scoffing doggy drugs, all angst and woeful about his apparent fate. You see, T3 completely disregards the rules set up by the last three films - the plot is a bunch of arse, or should that be half-arse. A new Terminator (the TX) comes back in time to assassinate John Connor's future lieutenants, and is followed by the good-old Arnie Terminator model (becoming more and more the 'Volvo' of Terminators). A bunch of stuff happens; inexplicable developments, a fair bit of action, and one of the worst endings imaginable. So, what was good?
The action kicks. There's some great sequences, and the film doesn't really let up, wisely spending as little time as possible on the pathetic mechanics of the plot in favour of some great robot-on-robot fighting and vehicle-smashing. Stahl and Danes do as good as they can with what they've got, and it's not too bad. 'The Rise of the Machines' is probably one of the better aspects of the film, and the lead-up to the end sequence (featuring the original models [unseen until now] of the Terminator) is pretty good too. The effects are a pleasing mix of CGI and non-CGI tricks, making for a less-fake look then this reviewer expected.
And now, the bad points. I've already mentioned my disdain for the plot and it's ignorance of the previous films... which is fair enough in light of the fact that a third Terminator movie really couldn't exist without some disregard for the continuity of the previous films. But, what is unforgivable is the lameness of the TX. The only good thing that the TX had going for it is that it's a hot chick. Other than that, the T1000 would kick it's arse. Where the TX fails the T1000 would have marched on in all it's liquid metal glory. There are so many developments the script-writers could've conjured up to invent a better and improved model of the Terminator, but instead they opt for some under-utilised crap about the TX being able to control other machines. It doesn't make any sense in terms of upping the anti for sequels. Other bad points of the film include the unavoidable absence of Furlong, James Cameron and Linda Hamilton.
Basically, the biggest flaw of the film (and this encapsulates a lot of what I've already said) is that it tries to be like Terminator 2 (arguably the biggest standout case in sequels having the ability to be better than their predecessors). What made T2 so great is that it was completely different to the original film whilst remaining true to the spirit of the ‘franchise’. T3 just tries too much to copy T2, rather than do anything new - even to the point of trying to replicate actual sequences from the previous film - and it suffers as a result. But, having said all that, it's still enjoyable. Watch it for the action and Arnie's comic-relief one-liners.
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