Entertaining but Soulless

Rating: 5/10 (15 March 2014)

When it comes to sequels, third's not always the charm. In fact, it rarely is. For some reason, Hollywood can SOMETIMES get #2 in a series right but rarely #3. And Terminator 3 is, considered by a lot of people, not to be an exception to that rule. Fans seem to generally hate this one, calling it the first nail in the coffin for the franchise with Terminator Salvation being the next. But is it really as bad as people have claimed? Let's take a look and find out!
The plot takes place seven years after the second film where Sarah Connor has died of leukemia and John now lives off the grid, like a homeless bum. Even though they destroyed Cyberdyne Systems and supposedly stopped Judgment Day, John still feels unsafe and paranoid that it'll eventually come and he'll have to fight for the fate of mankind. It turns out that Judgment Day was never stopped, only postponed as two Terminators come back in time, one to assassinate John, and one to protect him.
I remember reading somewhere that Linda Hamilton was offered to reprise her role as Sarah Connor in this film but declined and called the script "soulless" and that pretty much sums up the entire film for me. While it's not as bad as a lot of sequels out there, or even that bad of a film in general, it just feels soulless and empty. Terminator 2 was really the finale of the franchise. They destroyed Cyberdyne and basically prevented Judgment Day from ever happening so there really was no need for a sequel at all.
Speaking of T2, this film is also severely lacking in creativity. It basically rehashes all the same plot points of T2 except without Sarah Connor, and contradicting the message in that film(more on this later). Now, you could argue that since T2 borrowed a lot from the first Terminator as well, it's not that big of a problem but the thing is, T2 developed the characters further, it expanded the universe, and it explored the themes of the first film deeper. This film doesn't do any of that, it just uses all the same concepts and ideas except now, the message of the second film about how humanity isn't doomed by fate and how we can change it, is now replaced with "it's destiny". It could have been an interesting concept to explore, about how humanity is destined to destroy itself someday, but it just feels like an excuse to continue the franchise and make more money in this case.
Okay, so I just basically tore up the film in the two last paragraphs but why don't I hate this film? Well, plain and simply, it's entertaining. While it's certainly not as thought-provoking as James Cameron's films, it still works as an action movie. The fights between the Terminators are brutal, fast-paced, and intense. There's a scene where they fight in a bathroom and they smash literally EVERYTHING in that room. It's so over-the-top, it actually becomes sort of funny at points. The pacing was fairly quick, never leaving the audience bored much and there's some decent suspense throughout(nothing compared to the first two, though). The film also LOOKS quite good. The cinematographer, Don Burgess, did a good job recreating a similar look to T2 and while the CGI isn't quite photo-realistic, it was used REASONABLY and there was a good use of both practical stunts and animatronics as well so I won't fault it too much for that.
The cast is just sorta hit-and-miss here. Arnold is more emotionless this time around, no longer the caring father figure to John and it works since John is no longer a kid. Nick Stahl oddly plays John whinier as an adult than Edward Furlong did as a child but nonetheless, Stahl does a good job playing a man trying to escape his own destiny. Claire Danes does OKAY as Kate Brewster, but her character was just sort of bland and uninteresting throughout to the point where her performance was ultimately forgettable. Kristanna Loken is again, sorta bland and forgettable, which is a shame considering that she's the main villain of the film. She just lacks any sort of menace and isn't in anyway intimidating throughout the entire film and it really feels like she only got cast for the sake of sex appeal.
Director Jonathan Mostow seems capable but he lacks the attention to detail James Cameron has and he doesn't seem to put the same level of nuance in his film. He just seems more interested in getting us to the next action scene and less interested in the human elements that made the first two films so fantastic. But the thing he seems to struggle with the most is humor. This film just goes way too far at times to the point where it feels like downright parody. Do I even HAVE to mention the part where Arnold gets his clothes from a male strip club? Thankfully, the humor gradually died down and became more subtle as the film went on.
Overall, if you just want a fun, brainless popcorn flick that just happens to be a Terminator film, you'll enjoy it. But if you really want something meatier and more intelligent, than you should probably look somewhere else. This is just another Hollywood cash-grab sequel. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm gonna give it a 5/10.