Yes naysayers, it IS better than T2!!!

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2003)

They said it couldn't be done. No James Cameron. No Linda Hamilton. No Edward Furlong. Arnold well past his prime, both physically, and as a box-office powerhouse. All the early buzz indicated a disaster. But I knew, I felt it in my bones, that this film would be great. Why? Because too many people said it couldn't be done. It's always the way it works. When hype builds a movie up, and everyone is expecting too much (ala Matrix Reloaded), everyone is bound for a letdown. When all hope seems lost, and everyone's expectations are at their lowest, are we then surprised. So thank you all you T3 bashers, you have made me look like prophet! Terminator 3 is not only the best movie so far this summer, it stands head and shoulders above Terminator 2! It actually benefits from Cameron, Hamilton, and Furlong being absent. Camerson has become a Titanic-hugging hacked that peaked years ago. Terminator 1, Aliens, and The Abyss are all masterpieces. He's been on a downhill slide ever since. Sorry Motion Picture Academy, but Titanic sucked the big one. Someone tell me what Linda Hamilton has done besides the Terminator films that is worth watching......I'm waiting.....Thought so. She may have morphed from a whiny waitress, to a female Rambo, but there was nothing else for that character to do. Besides, for all her toughness in T2, she was a much more interesting character in the original. Finally, don't get me started on Edward Furlong. In T2, he was a whiny little bitch that I wished would get killed. He tried to come across as tough, but Furlong is such a bad actor, that he was laughable. T2 also relied too heavily on it's "ooh" and "aahh" fx. Yes they were spectacular and innovative, but it was too cool to be threatening. Now this is not to say that I didn't like T2. I did. Just not nearly as much as the first. Now comes T3 and the series has been given an incredible kick start. Kudos to the director, Jonathan Mostow. It is my opinion that Mr. Mostow is one of the hottest directors working today. His previous films, Breakdown and U-571, both breathed new life into their respective genres, and T3 is no exception. Mostow does not attempt to be Cameron, and the movie is all the better for it. Mostow brings his own style to the table, and the results are spectacular. The cinematography, editing, and pacing are all top notch. And the action sequences? Incredible! There is a vehicle chase at the beginning of this movie (I hesitate to say "car chase" because cars don't really factor into it, unless they are getting demolished) that is awe inspiring. This is what the chase in Matrix Reloaded WANTED to be. It ranks as one of the best chase scenes in movie history. Right up there with The French Connection and The Road Warrior. There is also a brawl between the T-101 and T-X in a public restroom that goes all out. Great stuff. Now what would this movie be without characters? Nick Stahl is PERFECT as John Connor. Now a tortured soul, too torn up by the past to be hopeful of the future, Stahl let's it all hang out. He let's you feel everything Connor does. Hoping for the best, but all the while you feel that fate is going to catch up with you sooner or later. Claire Danes, who I have never been a big fan of, also shines. She is in full Linda Hamilton mode, but better. She is a caring person, but proves that she's tough as nails when the chips are down. Bravo, Ms. Danes. Arnold. What can I say about the man? He may have been away from the character for 10 years, but you'd never know it. Arnold is the Terminator. Now doubts about it. Welcome back Mr. Schwarzenegger, you've been gone too long. Now as for Arnold's nemesis, we have Kristanna Loken as the T-X. Quite simply she, with the exception of Mostow, had the most work cut out for her in this movie. Everyone know what to expect from Arnold. But it is a rule of action movies that they are only as good as their villian. Robert Patrick had the benefit of brand-new CG technology to back him up. While his performance was good, (Especially how he NEVER blinks his eyes while firing a gun. I'd like to see you try that. If you've never noticed, watch T2 and check it out) as I said before, the effects made him more cool than threatening. Now we have Ms. Loken. People scoffed at the idea of a female Terminator to begin with. SO the deck was really stacked against her. Well have no fear, the T-X is here, and she is as bad-ass as they come. Not only can she go toe-to-toe with Arnie, not only can she morph like the T-1000, but she has more than a few tricks up her sleeve. She can reprogram machines, manufature weapons from her arm, and remote control vehicles to really give you a run for your money. She is also one of the most INCREDIBLY beautiul women you will ever see. That adds to her manace, because she has the power of a woman's seductivness on her side, and believe me she uses it. Her beaufiul, icy stare is at once mesmerizing, and terrifying when you realize what is behind those eyes. Way to go Kristanna. Everyone gives their all. The director, actors, and the FX department. But unlike T2, they don't overuse the CG effects. They utilize many styles. GC, miniature work, makeup fx, mechanical effects, and good old-fashioned stunt work. As I said earlier, the chase scene is incredible. Even more so when you realize how much of it was done for real. Simply spectacular. What this movie also has, unlike T2, is the tension of the original film. In T2, you simply dont care about the people. They are only backdrop to the action and fx. Not so here. The makers realized that the characters needed to be as flushed out as the action. That brings the tension level up ten fold. Just like the original. So is it as good as the original? No. But then it couldn't be. So it doesn't try to be. BUT it is a damn great movie, and a big improvement over T2. The best praise I can give it is....BRING ON TERMINATOR 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!