terminator3

How do you follow a cult classic and its mega-blockbuster sequel when the director and creator has
all but abandoned the franchise to satiate his obsession with the Titanic and Bill Paxton? Easy.
You get a director with a solid reputation and a unique voice to tackle the project. With Jonathan
Mostow at the helm, they didn’t go wrong.

Everyone wanted a sequel to “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” Well, some die-hard fans were torn, I’
m sure. The worst can usually show up in the third installment. Take “Return of the Jedi” or “Mad
Max: Beyond Thunderdome” or “Superman III.” Yep, it can get pretty ugly with trilogies.

Fortunately “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” didn’t turn out to be as bad as it could have
been. In fact, it’s not bad at all, just not as interesting as the first two. Frankly, there is no way this
movie could have escaped the law of diminishing returns on the story because in simply making this
film, the movie negates the message of the last one and is forced to go through a series of identical
machinations to establish the story. I don’t blame it, I merely recognize it.

In a word, this movie isn’t as deep as the first two, but it doesn’t trip into shallow waters either.
There is a sincere effort here to keep with the feel and theme of the Terminator storyline. John
Connor is now older. His mother died sometime in the past from cancer and now he’s trying to stay
“off the grid” so he can never be tracked or found again by the time-traveling terminators.

Well, this time Skynet somehow manages to send another robot, only this time it’s a female-looking
robobabe called the T-X. The resistance sends another Arnold Schwarzenegger back to protect
Connor and his unwitting companion, played by Claire Danes. Yeah, it sounds the same and on
the surface it is, but they’ve changed up some subtle plot points to keep it interesting, though this
time it’s more about the action.

The writers were clever in making sure Connor wasn’t the same kid just older. He’s got some street
smarts now and he’s not the gullible chump he could have been. The story has an almost morbid
edge to it as he begins to learn that history can’t be rewritten, only slightly delayed. While he’s
trying to figure out how he can stop Skynet from evading destruction again, Schwarzenegger is
dealing with the T-X in action scenes that truly rival “Terminator 2” for complexity and cool factor.

I’ll never forget Ahnuld ripping a urinal out of a bathroom wall and using it like a baseball bat on the
T-X’s head. Also brace yourself for the wildest and most destructive truck chase in movie history as
the T-X grabs a crane vehicle and sets off to kill Connor, who’s in a tiny van. I don’t know if I’ll ever
get an accurate count on the number of telephone poles knocked down in that one.

With the director of “U-571” at the camera, “Terminator 3” entertains on its own terms without compromising the original movies. No, it doesn’t have the
freshness of the first one and it can’t up the ante because the second one already did that. “Terminator 3” relies on evolutionary storytelling and new
relationships to keep the movie moving and by and large, it works.

The film is a little morbid in places, but commits to its idea. It dips into the well a little, but only to put a new spin on something when needed. Mostow remains
original in the midst of familiar territory for the audience. He manages to give us what we want to see without turning us off with too much of the same. A fine
line, and he walks it confidently.