Rise Of The Machines=Lots Of Action

Rating: 7/10 (4 October 2003)

The third installment in the Terminator series is the weakest, but still entertaining. It's very difficult for the second movie in a series to be as good as the first one, much less the third movie. Alien 3 is an example, as well as Alien Resurrection. Both were far weaker than Alien and Aliens, and so it is with this movie. Schwarzenegger is back as the protective robot, facing a female terminatrix: Kristanna Loken. Neither part requires great acting, other than maintaining the same dementia-like affect throughout the film. Schwarzenegger is satisfactory in his role; this time around he becomes a source of most of the film's humor, spouting a succession of tag-lines, each one funnier than the previous one. Some of them poke fun at his lines from the previous movies. However, the "talk to the hand" bit seems way out of character, and seems designed to break up the target demographic more than anything else. Loken is one of many young hottie actresses that are displaying high octane girl power these days. However, she is not nearly as compelling as Robert Patrick was in T2. The reason has more to do with the script than anything else. The movie consists of one action sequence and/or long chase scene after another. The bridging story line scenes verbalize the character relationships rather than allowing them to develop. Nick Stahl and Claire Danes add little in their roles and they could have been played by any other actors with little difference. The ending offers a significant twist, and the hope for yet another sequel. The highlights of the movie are the action scenes, which are ferocious. The best scene involves a chase with an overhead crane vehicle, driven by Loken, pursuing Stahl and Danes in a pickup truck, with Schwarzenegger trying to intervene. A bathroom fight scene, between Schwarzenegger and Loken, is a close second. If the story and supporting characters were stronger, this would be on par with the first two movies. However, there are many movies that consist of weak stories and characters overloaded with great action that are still entertaining enough; this is one such movie. *** of 4 stars.