Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
directed by Jonathan Mostow
story by John D. Brancato & Michael Ferris and Tedi Sarafian
screenplay by John D. Brancato & Michael Ferris
based on characters created by James Cameron & Gale Ann Hurd
starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, and Kristanna Loken

          The first two Terminator movies are classics, not so much as films as much as for what they brought to motion pictures.  The first is credited as introducing writer/director James Cameron as a solid craftsman, and, more importantly, Arnold Schwarzenegger as a blockbuster commodity.  T2: Judgement Day contained innovative "MORF" effects, produced by Industrial Light & Magic, which revolutionized computer generated special effects.  The third installment, Rise of the Machines, probably won't go into any film history books, it lacking anything original or new.  Yet, as far as action films go, T3 has everything you could possibly want.  Everything that you know of, at least
          There were low expectations for Terminator 3 because James Cameron, who wrote and directed both previous chapters, had absolutely no part in its making.  It was also worrisome that the film would be so lacking in groundbreaking effects, that there would be nothing of interest aside from familiarity and nostalgia.  And the writers may have sensed these worries because they have totally capitalized on them.  The script pays tribute to the previous episodes by adhering to Cameron's formula so much that at times, and I presume this was intentional, it makes fun of the franchise as well as itself.  The trademark voice-over at the opening and close, the acquisition of clothing, specifically the leather jacket for Schwarzenegger, and of course, the ever-important one-liners are all back for another run.
            Not back this time is Linda Hamilton, who began it all as original target Sarah Connor, who would immaculately conceive the future savior of mankind.  So without the feminine ass-kicking Hamilton (Cameron commonly features action heroines) supplied the last time around, Kristanna Loken is featured as the T-X, a near perfect terminator who primarily takes shape as a  beautiful woman.  She has been sent back, not to kill John Connor (Stahl), who "lives off the grid" and cannot be located, but to wipe out other high-ranking members of Connor’s future army, including Kate Brewster (Danes). 
          Fate brings John and Kate together, though, and both become the T-X's primary targets.  Meanwhile, Skynet, the military project responsible for the machines that will take over the world, is going as planned, despite the attempt to shut it down in the last film.  In charge of the project is General Robert Brewster (David Andrews), Kate's father, another target of the T-X.
          In order to save the life of the general as well as all of humanity's, John and Kate must evade the attempts made by the terminator, get to Skynet's headquarters in the Mojave Desert and shut the project down before the beginning of armageddon, scheduled to take place in three hours. 
         Sent for their protection is another T-800 (Schwarzenegger) who has no interest in stopping Skynet.  He only wants to get the two far enough from the T-X, which he feels is unstoppable and far enough from where the bombs will inevitably fall.  Due to an interesting catch, though, he is persuaded to bring them to the military base, despite his primary objectives. 
           Aside from getting top-billing and a record high salary, Terminator 3 is not Schwarzenegger's film.  He has very little to do aside from providing comic relief in his characteristic monotone dialogue and a tremendous fight with the T-X in a men's room, providing one of the many allegorical statements found in the film.  Nor is it Loken's film, though her terminator is extremely lethal and supplies some of the most destructive action scenes I've seen in a long time.  Early in the film, she drives a crane through the streets of Los Angeles, completely blowing away the overrated chase scene from another of this summer's movies.  Yet, she barely speaks, lacks the muscle of Linda Hamilton, acts more lifeless than Schwarzenegger (and for that matter, the crane as well), and, I have a feeling, her terminator model is more easily disposed of than the movie admits, in some ways causing it to be less advanced than the T-1000 of the last film.
          Nick Stahl is the deserved owner of this picture.  He is so much more preferable as Connor than Edward Furlong, showing a real talent for acting that even surpasses his great performances in Bully and In the Bedroom.  Most young actors could have ruined the whole picture by playing too weak or too whiny.  Stahl performs the role with a perfect combination of cynicism and trepidation.  As Eve to his Adam, Claire Danes overcomes an awkward sense of cliche prissiness, eventually displaying honest emotion as a woman abruptly thrown into her destiny by a lifetime's worth of tragedy in the span of a few hours.  Director Jonathan Mostow takes a lot of interest in these two characters, never allowing them to fall into stereotypical scenes of getting to know each other, understanding each other and climactically embracing or kissing.  They provide great contrast with the terminators which are used more as one-note gimmicks to push the story along.   
          I find myself wanting to rewatch, not only the spectacular action sequences, but those little moments between explosions and crashes when John Connor is doubting his abilities or when Kate Brewster is mourning her fiancé.  They are scenes just as well-crafted and somewhat more important than any kind of innovation in special effects. 
           By the end of the movie, a lot of things from the series are tied up nicely as paradoxes are explained and philosophical ideas are laid out which are not often presented in science fiction these days.  Terminator 3 is a fast, action-packed, well-written and for the most part well-acted sequel.  It may not be entirely memorable, especially following its predecessors, but as entertainment, the movie is first-rate.

"Well Jordan Catalano has got nothing on you, I must say."