Terminator 3 "Ouch-What Happened?"

Rating: Null/10 (1 July 2003)

This review does not contain any spoilers, please don't worry about my ruining the film for you. The Film itself is a spoiler!
I grew up loving the first and second films, high quality writing made up for the first film's lack of a budget, and with the second film the original author's came back and did themselves proud, by keeping it up. They knew the film would be a spectacular hit and decided to go for broke, on not just the effects, but they kept up the quality of the exposition. In 1991 we all went to the theater in our town and sat back for what was truly an enjoyable evening of Sci-Fi smash bang Fun. It truly was just that. James Cameron and William Wisher actually cared about keeping up the level of storytelling that the first film started. They are to be commended for this. The third (and by extension) the fourth installments are quite obviously the result of focus groups and Corporate decision making, they squeezed out the truly creative people behind the first films (except Arnold & Stan Winston) and what is left on the screen is truly sad, rehash rehash and more rehash. Once I had heard the news that Cameron and Wisher would not be involved, I started having doubts, but never the less I went to the theater with and open mind. It was less than an hour into the screening (Sneak Preview) 7-1-03 that I found myself looking at my watch to see how long the film had been so far. This is not a good sign. We all know that a good and inte resting "Movie" draws you in and makes you forget you are watching a film. Terminator 3 rise of the Machines fails to do that. This films constant reliance on humor and big budget effects don't make up for the fact that the writers wrote a scrictly formula flick here. I'm genuinly surprised that Arnold did not refuse to do this film without good creative support, but a 30 million dollar paycheck is hard to turn down. That brings up another question the studios were willing to spring for Arnold, so why not all of the other fine actors that should have been a part of this. Paramount made the same mistakes with its 5th (and worse) of the Star Trek flicks ("If you slap it together-They will come) Put a Big Name Star in front of us and we will mindlessly fork over our hard earned cash to see it. Hollywood needs to learn this lesson again folks, a true fan of the Terminator films will know what I'm talking about. If I bother to see the next Film, it will be when it gets broadcast on television, the commercials will probably be more entertaining. I was looking forward to this film just like the rest of you. My heavens what a shame.