Rating: 8/10
Review date: July 12, 2003
Years had passed ever since the young John Connor and his mother destroyed the chip from which Skynet is supposedly built in the future. Judgment Day didn�t happen but the now mature John is still haunted by the nightmares so he lives on the street while trying to keep a low profile.
Unfortunately, a new female Terminator called the Terminatrix (T-X for short) is sent from the future to accomplish what the T-1000 failed to do. As can be expected, another T-800 is also sent back to protect John for the second time.
Let�s be frank on the fact that many people had little faith on this movie because of several reasons: a) James Cameron who directed the first two movies is not directing and b) Linda Hamilton who plays Sarah Connor is also not present while c) Edward Furlong won�t be returning as John Connor due to some drug-related problem.
I�m glad to say that those people�s predictions are wrong; T3 wound up being one of the best action movies this year and it definitely has enough to be able to stand on its own feet against its predecessors.
Director Jonathan Mostow managed to provide some of the most satisfying action scenes this summer such as car chase scene with Arnold hanging onto a crane loaded on a truck which is driven by the T-X (refer to the trailer). I won�t spoil any other scenes here but suffice it to say that the movie�s pace is quite fast while there is not much character development was seen as compared to T2. That�s not to say that it is a bad thing since there are quite a number of plot twists which let the audience understand more of the Terminator storyline and universe.
Nick Stahl who replaced Edward Furlong as John Connor acted well enough to make me sympathized with his character. Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator is his usual self even though it is arguable that his behavior is more human this time around. I do love his one-liners even though they don�t create as much impact as �I�ll be back� or �Hasta la vista, baby� did.
The two actresses need to be mentioned here are Claire Danes as Katherine Brewster and Kristanna Loken as the Terminatrix. Kudos should be given to Claire Danes for successfully persuading me to believe that she is really going through all the feelings that her character felt in the movie. Kristanna Loken is also a great cast as the T-X with her cold and ruthless expression and some killer abilities to make her look even scarier although I wish that the filmmakers had somehow written more scenes for her to perform in; I believe nobody will mind seeing her wreaking more havoc.
This reminds me to talk about the length of the show which I think is somehow too short. This is not too big of an issue since I was truly engaged in the movie from the beginning to the end (kudos to Mostow and the screenwriters) although I really don�t mind if they stretched the movie a bit longer by injecting more character development which makes T2 very successful.
It is certainly important for me to note that I was left with the impression that quite a few number of scenes were omitted from the final theatrical cut in order to retain the fast pace of the movie. There are a few rather glaring loopholes which don�t really bother anyone but it�s still there nonetheless such as how certain characters seems to be able to show up at the right moment and the right time.
The CGI was very nicely done as we can see from the Terminatrix as well as an awesome shot depicting a beaten-up Arnold with half of his face gone thus showing the machine underneath the skin which was done with a combination of CGI and make-up
T3 is actually very similar to T2 since it pays homage to the original by rehashing some scenes albeit with slightly different setting and style (you will understand what I mean when you watch this movie) but there are considerable differences that actually set the movie apart. For example T2 is longer partly due to the amount of drama included and partly also for the character development while T3 lacks any of those and instead opted to provide fast-and-hard hitting action scenes and numerous plot twists that doesn�t hold back any punches.
The ending was spectacular and rather predictable (*cough* look at the title *cough*) even though it is quite anti-climatic. It does leave the storyline hanging at a perfect spot for the movie makers to continue with another sequel which might possibly be set in the post-Judgment Day world.
*Trivia*
The T-X was originally called the T-1G. At one point The T-X was going to be a male Terminator. A number of actors were supposedly in the running for the role of the T-X, including Vin Diesel, Shaquille O'Neal, Famke Janssen and Joanie Laurer. Carrie Anne Moss, Peta Wilson and Jeri Ryan were also considered.
Ang Lee was offered to direct the film, but turned it down to direct Hulk (2003) instead.
Besides Arnold Schwarzenegger, the only other actor to appear in all three Terminator movies is Earl Boen who played the character of Dr. Silberman in all three movies.
The exact date of Judgment Day is 24 July 2004 at 6:18 PM, according to both the T-850 & the watch he examines in the beginning of the film.
This is Arnold Schwarzenegger's last starring role before becoming governor of California.
Memorable quote: �Talk to the hand.�
-Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator-
(c) Martin Taidy 2003