As a participant in multiple discussions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the third film in the “Terminator” franchise, I felt it was time to critically review the material and put to rest the belief that “Terminator 3” was a poor entry in an otherwise strong franchise. A writer at the movie-website Rotten Tomatoes decided to pick a fight with the bloggers by attacking the merits of “Rise of the Machines.”

I will prove the merit of “Terminator 3” with the following 5 points:

1. Terminator 3 didn’t chicken out on the ending

“Terminator 3” could have followed the format set by James Cameron in the first two movies and allow the actions of John Connor and his protector to save the world and forestall Judgement Day. But the director, Jonathan Mostow, and his writers decided to move the story forward and herald the end of the world. The Terminator franchise could have easily fallen into a rote storytelling framework but Mostow broke the mold and allowed the machines to finally take over. The twist ending must have gotten most viewers, as we expected to find Skynet and have a chance to destroy it. Instead, Kate’s military father sent them to an underground bunker to simply survive. For them to briefly consider killing themselves before taking on the more difficult task of surviving and fighting the machines is realistic yet somber. A brave choice for a summer action movie to end on a downer; it kind of reminds me of another downer action epic called “The Dark Knight.”

1. The return of series regular Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold was the star of the first two Terminator films but certainly did not have to come back for a third film. The fact that Mostow could persuade the body-builder turned mega-star into not only returning for another film but to get his 50-something year-old body back into great shape to appear naked in the opening, was a marvel. It shows Arnold’s commitment to a character he created and a franchise he felt still had merit. Arnold’s character had an interesting new angle: he was sent back in time by Connor’s widow as a protector after that exact model killed her husband. The creepy but intriguing angle of having the assassin of humanity’s last hope act as the new protector of John and Kate was inspired storytelling. The new T-800 was not the cold-killer as portrayed in the first film but neither was he the father-figure of the second film. This new Terminator played by Arnold was detached like a machine but committed to completing his mission. This commitment made him a compelling anti-hero.

1. The new actor playing John Connor got the performance right

Nick Stahl had a respectable acting resume (including the Oscar-nominated “In the Bedroom”) before taking on the role of humanity’s savior, John Connor. Mostow obviously wanted a real actor in the main character role, not some pretty boy. Connor, at this point in his life, was homeless, dirty, self-doubting, and without focus. Judgement Day had been averted in “Terminator 2” and his mother, Sarah, lived long enough to see the original date of destruction come and go. Connor didn’t know for certain whether his “raison d’etre” would ever come to pass. He, therefore, had to live “off the grid” just in case the machines took over, so he could lead humanity back from the brink. Imagine having the point of your life require the near wiping out of the world and how you’d feel day-to-day waiting for something like that to maybe happen, maybe not. Viewers can complain that Connor was too whiny in Terminator 3 (nowhere near as whiny as Anakin was in “Star Wars: AOTC) but not that his performance or actions were not realistic. Psychologically, Mostow and Stahl get the Connor performance right in Terminator 3, as he waits to “become.”

1. The action scenes were exciting and believable

At its heart, the Terminator franchise is an action movie with science fiction elements. “Terminator 3” continues this tradition by giving audiences exciting action that is believably related to the plot. When the new Terminator (the TX female model) comes back in time and starts killing Connor’s generals (who are only children), it gives audiences the exact same bone-chilling feel as when Arnold was stalking Sarah in number one. The TX model is a natural improvement on the T-1000, having a metal exoskeleton with all kinds of weapons installed along with a liquid metal outside (allowing her to take the form of other people). She was created to destroy other Terminators; Skynet learning the Resistance was re-programming the machines to fight alongside them. The TX’s battle scenes with Arnold are exciting and believably portrayed, reminiscent of Arnold’s battles in T2. The street-side car chase is intense and ends with Arnold outwitting the more advanced TX. When the two meet again, the TX wins the knock-down drag out fight. It’s only Connor’s quick wits that cause the TX-reprogrammed Arnold to shut down and reboot because of the contradiction between killing John and performing his mission to protect him. And the scene where Arnold defeats the TX by destroying himself, thereby allowing John and Kate to escape still gives me shivers. The ultimate in self-sacrifice, from a machine.

1. Terminator 3 is important to the series mythology

Without “Terminator 3” there could be no “Terminator Salvation.” Fans have been wanting a post-Judgment Day future war film but only by the writers and Mostow’s decision to nuke the planet at the end of part 3, could the way be paved for McG’s film. Mostow introduces several new story elements in T3 including the T1 robot (what the giant robot tanks look like in the future), the Kate Brewster wife storyline, the ultimate fate of John Connor and the T-800, and John’s use of the radio to get his message of survival across. McG could have ignored these story elements in “Terminator Salvation” but he understood the importance of consistency and building on what came before. None of these new elements are cheesy but instead create a deeper understanding of the mythos and keeps fan excited about what’s to come. Naysayers claiming they will skip T3 while having their Terminator fests prior to viewing “Terminator Salvation” is a disservice to themselves and the series’ internal continuity. Philosophically, the future war has to happen for John’s father Kyle Reese to go back in time and be with his mother, Sarah. Anything less is ultimately a cop out and doesn’t make sense. Mostow saw this and made the tough choice.



Conclusion: Mostow’s film received generally positive reviews when it was released in 2003, according to Rotten Tomatoes own meter. However, fanboys and critics now believe Terminator 3 was a travesty and unworthy of the title Terminator. Judging T3 by the standards of the first two Terminator films, which are lauded as among the best science fiction and action films of all-time is an unfair comparison. Instead, the standard should be whether T3 worked within the context of the Terminator storyline and was an enjoyable action movie in its own right. “Terminator 3” meets this lower standard quite well. Nit-picking a few moments of comic relief or an underwhelming supporting performance should not take away from the overall success that T3 was for the franchise. It proved people still wanted more Terminator films. If the majority comes away from something wanting more, how can this be seen as a failure?



Check out my review of “Terminator Salvation” at [color=#800080][font=Times New Roman][u]www.thereelguy.com[/u][/font][/color], under Featured Review.