I'm a huge fan of "The Terminator" franchise. I saw the first one when I was 10 years old and it blew me away to say the least. I was stoked to see T2 and it exceeded my greatest expectations. When I heard that they were finally making a third film, I was thrilled. However, I became concerned when all the problems with the film began even before the production started. Jim Cameron not being involved made me very apprehensive about the integrity of the story and its themes about humanity and technology. I didn't want T3 to be just a shoot-em-up action pic which the summer usually carries. I had read Arnold saying that he wouldn't be involved in the film unless Jim Cameron was involved but when he signed without him I figured that it was either a really good script which did the first two films justice or the $30 million paycheck (I hoped it was not just the second but Arnold doesn't really need the money so the script must be descent). The female Terminator seems a little contrived to me (through the process of elimination, it's the next antagonist that brings a new twist to the series, since the first two villians were males and Schwarzenegger had to be the hero again). Kristanna Loken sure looked the part: tall, seductive with killer eyes and a menacing presence. But, can the audience buy a woman "out-manning" Arnold. I was pleased that they decided not to cast Eddie Furlong as John Connor. Nick Shahl is a good actor with a couple good credits on his resume (In The Bedroom, Disturbing Behavior). Jonathan Mostow was a strange choice I thought as director, given he only has a couple credits to his name, both with only moderate success (Breakdown, U-571). Although, without Jim Cameron, the director is no longer a sell point anyway because no one can match his venerable appeal to sci-fi fans. Warner Bros. just needed someone who was passionate about the project and didn't want to run it into the ground. If Mostow took the job, he must truly believe he can pull it off. With all these pros and cons on my mind, I was very curious, nervous and excited going into this movie. I saw the film at a private screen for the Tonight Show staff on the WB lot last Monday (June 26). IT BLEW ME AWAY. It delivers on most fronts. The action is intense. It has a lot of physical stunt work which I believe to be more amazing then CGI stunts (like The Matrix films) because it comes with greater realism and bigger stakes. The special effects do not disappoint. The T-X is very cool. She can manipulate any machine and use them to work under her control. She can shape-shift like the T-1000 in "T2" (but she is still a metallic unit under her organic guise). She can manufacture weapons with her arms (flame-thrower, rocket-launcher). And she isn't too hard to look at either. She was sent back through time to take out John Connor's mission partners from the future since John Connor cannot be located (he's living off the grid leaving no physical evidence of his existence whenever he goes). He's totally paranoid about this future and dreads what he knows about it. The T-X happens upon John while attempting to terminate his future wife and parnter-in-arms (well played by Claire Daines). But the T-800 was sent back to protect John again and he gets to John first (but barely). The first meeting of the two Terminators culminates in a spectular car chase with a gigantic crane truck through the streets of downtown LA. It's one of the many fantastic action pieces in the film. The movie is basically a cat-and-mouse game between the T-800 and company and the T-X (similar story to the first two films). This film still has the plot line about Skynet and its imminent self-awareness which actually is set to happen on the same day the film take places. This adds great tension and suspense to the story since time becomes such a critical factor for John. Can he once again prevent the rise of the machines and circumvent his destiny? According to the T-800, Judgment Day has just postponed by the events which took place in "T2", not prevented. John doesn't want to be the leader of the human resistance again the machines and chooses once again to stop Skynet while still trying to evade the T-X who is hot on his trail (again, another great tension-builder). Before I continue, I need to mention one point which still bothers me a bit about the entire story behind "T3". If at the end of "T2", all evidence of the existence of the Terminator was destroyed in the boiling steel and Cyberdine Labs was completely eradicated, how did the T-800 and other models of Terminator get invented this time around. At the end of "T1" there was the wreakage of the T-800 in the hyraudlic press which inspired the creation of the hardware. But, all that is destroyed in "T2". I'm willing to forget about that hole in the story since the film was so good and worth making, but it's worth mentioning anyway. "T3" does lack the strong bond formed between the Terminator and John which is something that made "T2" surprising dramatic at times and made its ending more tragic and memorable. But even though "T3" doesn't work on all the same levels of "T2", the film focuses much harder on the levels it takes on and makes you forget about its lack of drama. The film has an ending I did not expect and I believe that it was the best way to end the film. I won't spoil it for you but you won't see it coming. I really hope that people will go see this film because it deserve to do well at the box-office. I don't think the advertising does the film justice and may deter a lot of people from seeing it (it looks a lot like a typical summer blockbuster instead of a good film). I wish they ran a few trailer which toned down the stunt work and special effects and dealt more with the story and the themes so people can see that it actually has them. Good word of mouth is what is going to fill the seats in the theater. It will open well, I think ($75 million over the 5 day week) but it's staying power will rely on both good reviews and repeat business. I am going to see it again this weekend and urge everyone who liked the first two not to miss the third installment. It will not disappoint, I promise.
