Though Cool, Still Loses Cameron's Grit and Suspense

Rating: Null/10 (16 July 2003)

There's a scene in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines where the `good terminator,' played vitally low-key by Arnold Schwarzeneggar, carries the man he is protecting in a coffin through a cemetery as he is ambushed by the police. This scene is undoubtedly the most important in depicting the nature of the runty third installment in The Terminator saga: The future `Judgement Day' that has been manifested throughout these films is soon to come.	That known, it is easy to understand this film's plot. The end is near and John Connor (Played by Nick Stahl, but previously Edward Furlong in 1991's T2: Judgement Day), the man who is to lead the revolt against the machines that will take over humanity, is found by a futuristic killing machine sent to protect him. What this terminator is up against is a new breed of Terminator: a femme fatale who matches brawn with beauty as she seductively kills her way to John Connor and his future spouse and co-leader Kate Brewster (Claire Danes). Her mission: to terminate John, his spouse, and their future military force team.	This certainly is a summer for movie sequels, including X2: X-Men United, Matrix Reloaded, and Tomb Raider: Cradle Of Life. So far I have not been let down, nor am I growing tired of seeing sequels. T3, although disappointing, is exciting as it is true to the previous films. It gives lots of interesting explanation to the events that were discussed and feared.	This film does suffer, however, from a general tameness. One problem with this movie is the character of John Connor. Although given a suitable performance by Stahl, the character does not seem like a matured version of the irritable thirteen year-old we last saw in T2. He seems to lose his delinquent edge as he leads an `off-the-grid' life to evade any terminators. Personally, I was looking forward to seeing maturity in his testy side as well. I think it is necessary for the character. Another reason this movie does not live up to its predecessors is that it does not have the dark and creepy vision. This is, obviously, because of the switch in direction. This film, directed by Jonathan Mostow (U-571), is much more surface with its scares. We do not see the trademark build-up of tension that the director of the first two, James Cameron, masterfully delivers in some now-classic scenes. An example of this is in the first film. John's mother Sarah (Linda Hamilton) hides from Arnold Schwarzeneggar's `bad Terminator' under a desk. It is a scene that lets us put ourselves under that desk and `feel' the terror of an unstoppable force coming looking for us. Rise of the Machines relies on immediate action for thrills, which truly is less exciting for the audience.	Arnold does another great job as the robot with a slight hint of humor, and something struck me as I was watching T3: how close to home the story is for him. Arnold truly has something in common with his Terminator character in this one: they have both become obsolete in a way. Arnold is no longer on top of the action scene as films like The Matrix are outdoing his popularity. He needs to reclaim his status as a top action hero. The terminator he plays in T3 needs to prove he can still take on the modernization of new and advanced robots that pose a serious threat. Coincidence? This summer's newest sequel is exciting as we are taken into a world that is hours away from a foretold apocalypse, but is nonetheless tame in comparison to the vision of the originals.