| TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES |
 2003 - USADirector: Johnathan Mostow - Reviewed by Dan
The plot isn’t terrible, but it’s missing all the Connect-the-Dots that make all of our favorite James Cameron films so undeniably awesome. For instance, looking back fondly (and maybe unfairly) there’s a really huge explosion moment in T2 that I adore. Edward Furlong and Arnold are riding for their lives on this Harley through those run-off canals in Los Angeles (we’ve all seen them in movies a hundred thousand times). T-1000 scary-guy Robert Patrick is barreling down on them in a semi. You probably remember the scene. Anyhow, bing-bang-boom, the semi crashes and in two seconds of screen time we see about 15 cuts in which the gas tank is punctured, the liquid spills, a couple of wires spark dangerously next to each other and then WHAM! KABOOM! All hell breaks loose—but that T-1000 walks out of the blaze unscathed and everybody’s hearts start racing even faster because NOTHING! NOTHING will stop that S.O.B.! Cameron makes Tinker-Toy movies that fit into place every which way and by gum, we love him for it. In other words, James Cameron is a master of the Believable Nonsense Moment. We get the Kaboom we all crave, but he does it without insulting our intelligence. He shows us as much of everything as he can leading up to that big Ka-POW! which makes it even more exciting because when it matters, our brains are brought along for the ride. Realistic details in the midst of fantastical ridiculousness sold T2 for me (and um, Titanic... *ahem*). Although Jonathan Mostow tries his directorial best to live up to the heart and spirit of the previous films (Cameron and Gale Anne Herd share some of the writing credit for T3), he doesn’t pay enough attention to the believability tactic that made the first two films so unrelentingly exciting. For instance, in T3, there’s a "back seat driver" scene that’s horrifying and funny, but still, I couldn’t help but wonder how the accelerator and brake were being controlled. In spite of the fact that I said "huh?" quite a lot, there an admirable number of special effects and the sheer number of cars destroyed during the making this film warrants a matinee or a rental. So what if the ending begs comparison to Planet of the Apes? What the hell—it’s closure. None of this is Arnold’s fault. The guy looks unbelievably good at 56 and stays true to the character that he was born to play. Ultimately, T3 is fun, and while there is some brain to the plot, it’s not evident moment-to-moment on-screen. But, hey—at least he’s back... |
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I’m sorry to say that T3 is not the movie you hope it will be.
