He warned us didn't he??!!!

Rating: 6/10 (19 November 2003)

Movie legacies are a funny thing. Some work because of the structure of the subject matter, some work because of the profit opportunities. But only a few have been able to pull off lasting success. The one's that have not you can usually spot from the phrase `haven't they got anything better to do' upon release of the sixteenth film. The Terminator falls into that category, and although it as seemingly concluded, it's back for a third time. Money talks as they say.
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns in one of cinema's most illustrious characters, once again trying to save the world from certain destruction. Judgment Day, the rise of machines, was merely postponed, and now, ten years on, the machines will try again. This time, they have sent there most advanced creation, the T-X (Loken), sexy, sleek and highly affective, to destroy a now adult John Connor (Stahl), and his future wife, Katherine Brewster (Danes). However, the resistance was able to send a lone warrior back through time, the T-101 (Schwarzenegger) to ensure the survival of our young saviours.
For a decade, fans were well aware that the Terminator's `father', James Cameron, was not returning. Without him, T3 was never going to be easy. Nevertheless, T3 is, thankfully and surprisingly, damn good. Maintaining the intelligence, compassion, action and multi-layered premise of the first two genre-defining films was always going to be near impossible, but the filmmakers, to their credit, intelligently leave Cameron's oeuvre aside, opting instead for simplicity, which is where the films strength lies. They create a film that keeps the core and shape of the saga, and add enough human emotion, and self-discovery to keep the undertones of the trilogy pulsing, leaving enough room for $170 million worth of SFX, extraordinary chase sequences sci-fi babble, explosions and other action-packed hullabaloo.
That's not a bad thing mind you, far from it. The film is a class above your average action flick, and Mostow proves himself quite a deft hand when it comes to action, as well keeping the emotion and drama of the film integral to the film, which he does with trademark poise or flair. As Mostow excels, his cast are something of a mixed bag: on the plus side, Schwarzenegger is again superb, delivering a performance, which is both chilling and extremely tongue in cheek, and newcomer Loken is also impressive as the destructive yet alluring T-X, proving a great foil for Arnie in all departments, and adds a welcome dimension to the trilogy. One the negative side, however, are the young actors: Stahl is badly disjointed, his nice guy persona out of place in the aggressive and loutish role of Connor, and Claire Danes, though at times commendable, is restricted to a clichéd `damsel' role, running around screaming her lungs out and panting loudly.
Nevertheless, loud panting noises and nit-picking aside, T3 is really is a treat. Action-packed, funny, beautifully orchestrated, and made with an intelligence sorely lacking from the modern day blockbuster, it's the must see film of the year. And if you don't like it, I think you need your hard drive thoroughly virus checked. ****