T3: Rise of the Machines - 7/4/03

Written by: John Brancato, Michael Ferris and Ted Sarafian (story)

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, Kristanna Loken

Official Site

When I first heard that there was going to be a Terminator 3 without James Cameron, I was very excited. I honestly don't remember any of the possible directors who were going to take up the trilogy... but I was interested in some fresh blood. I thought that a new Terminator movie, after Titanic, would have been a strange new vehicle for Cameron...

The character, of course, is legendary in science fiction film, and has a wide audience base... so that wasn't going to be a problem. Story wise... eh... I wasn't too concerned. I was mostly concerned with who was worthy enough to give this character (and the fans) the proper take.

After the way Mostow handled U-571 (which I enjoyed)... the special effects, the actors... well, even though I was a fan, I wasn't sure what Mostow would do with more than $100 million dollars more than the budget of U-571. (the total budget of T3 was $170 million)

Well... having seen the film, I can say that it is very evident how Mostow handled the enormous jump in budget. Using Schwarzenegger, Danes and the rest of the cast, along with using Stan Winston to his fullest... well, this film is certainly worthy of continuing the saga of John Conners. Mostow did an excellent job.

From the beginning I was impressed with every aspect of the film... and as it went on, I was impressed with the script, the overall plot, and the direction they took the franchise. Very intelligent.

There were some very funny moments, and I found myself wondering how Cameron would have handled them differently. I wondered if some of those moments would have been too tongue-in-cheek for Cameron and, again, I was glad they found a replacement director. A fresh look into the world of SkyNet and John Conners and the Terminators was just what this third film needed.

Not to say that a Cameron film wouldn't have been something special... I don't have anything against the King of the World... smirk... I just hope that after the debacle that was Dark Angel (a series that pained me to watch), he takes on a project that will add to his great body of work. The Terminator, The Abyss, Aliens, True Lies... wonderful movies.

I have always been a fan of Schwarzenegger's, ever since Conan. His films of late... End of Days, Collateral Damage, The 6th Day... not some of his best, but still entertaining to a point... but I'm sure fans of his were very pleased to find him getting back into the Terminator. There were a few too many lines where, sure, you can figure would come from a machine like that, but just seemed forced when he said them. "Talk to the hand," was pretty goddamn funny... heh.

I haven't seen anything of NIck Stahl's, save The Thin Red Line, and I don't remember him well. His work in this film was pretty good, as was his written character... but he was a little overshadowed by the other three characters.

I thought Danes was a very strong character in this film, and she did a great job. Her acting was a little more natural than Stahl's.

Kristanna Loken... well, where'd they find her? She's been in some television, but nothing too mainstream that we would recognize her... and the same with her film career... and its funny, because I see a strange comparison between her and the Arnold of 1982... waiting for his big break and getting the role of the Terminator. I wonder what it will do for her career? She played the part well... though hardly had any lines to speak... so I don't know. There was a strong personality there, but not as strong as Schwarzenegger's... so, we shall see.

Don Burgess has shot some great films over the past few years... his big break coming with Forrest Gump in 1994, and he would follow Zemeckis to Contact, What Lies Beneath and Cast Away. He also shot Spider-Man and The Bourne Identity... so you know he can work with a serious amount of special effects and, with this film, action sequences that rival just about anything we've seen in an action film. He did a brilliant job with the photography.

Anyone who doesn't know the name Stan Winston should really take the time to look up his career. He is the most sought after character creator in the industry... his work, from the original Terminator, to the Predator, Edward Scissorhands, Pumpkinhead, A.I. and, of course, his incredible work on Jurassic Park... all of these achievements have made him a genius in the special effects field. He is also a partner of Cameron's in the effects company Digital Domain.

With some of the best action scenes I've seen in a long time and a very intelligent script... along with a fresh perspective from Mostow... and, of course, Arnold... this is an easy recommend. I was very impressed with this movie, especially the production work. I hope it proves to be successful enough that a 4th film will come out of development hell.