Same Make, Same Model, New Director

Rating: 8/10 (7 August 2005)

The 2nd sequel to the original '84 sci-fi thriller and follow-up to the '91 sequel was a long time coming, perhaps a few years too long. That could be the main reason the Linda Hamilton character is missing. They managed to eke out a respectable big-budgeter still superior to most of the other action thrillers coming out in the nineties, and especially nowadays, but right off the bat it lacks some of the innovations in the previous sequel. Arnold just duplicates his cyborg character from 1991, perhaps even a bit less human in quality. The new TX super-villain, in female form, is just a bit more advanced than the T-1000, with fancy new weapons and an ability to control other machines (wow, who saw that coming?). The first few minutes essentially duplicate the beginning of the '91 film. The writers seem unable to come up with anything new at this point, even though they had a dozen years. I was dismayed to hear the TX utter one of her first lines and realize it copied one of best lines in "The Hidden"(87), which itself emulated the first Terminator film. Or, she's just copying the T-1000. Same difference.
Another big drawback is the central character of John Connor (Stahl). You get the sense that if he wasn't forced into his destiny as a military leader and messiah, he'd end up as a typical loser in a dead-end job, if not homeless. It's as if he's given up or something; where is the kid who could out-think most adults in the previous movie? I guess it's fashionable to create these loser-type characters in Hollywood's screen writing 101 classes who then do a miraculous turnaround, but it's also tiresome. Connor obviously feels something bad may still occur, otherwise he wouldn't be living 'off the grid.' Shouldn't he be using his brain and talents to keep track of developments in advanced computers which may pose a danger? This seems a motivation not thought out, as in the previous 2 pictures; does he think Judgement Day will happen at the start of the film or not? Of course, it's revealed his mom passed away not long ago, which may explain his despair, as Arnold calls it, but it's never delved into.
All that being said, Stahl does a pretty good job of conveying the world weariness associated with someone too young to have so much baggage. You warm up to his character very quickly and are following along through his eyes most of the time. Danes is surprisingly energetic in a role she nabbed in the last minute, I hear. And Loken as the new Terminatrix? She sure has the look; I suppose it's interesting to see a female figure with so much power. The FX are consistently impressive. Mostow is a very good director, and this film could be a case study of seeing the difference between a very good director and a great director (James Cameron). It's fascinating to wonder how much more, if anything, Cameron could have done with the existing material. As mentioned, this film lacks some of the surprises and suspense of the first two; for example, there's never any doubt as to who is the heroic cyborg and which is the nasty one. Mostow basically steered a straight course toward the one point where the audience is unclear of what may happen, the very conclusion. There is where you may find some surprises.