compact, exciting, perfectly executed

Rating: 8/10 (1 July 2004)

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is a rare occurrence. It's a third entry to a universally revered and critically acclaimed blockbuster action film series. And yet, it's far more taut and far less ambitious than its prequels. Too many big-budget sequels try to outdo the masterpiece(s) that preceded them by being bigger, badder, longer. In the end, such sequels often underwhelm or fail. Star Wars, the Matrix, the list continues (Lord of the Rings is an exception; ALL THREE films comprising the series are huge and ambitious).
Terminator 2: Judgment Day was a huge, ambitious, ground-breaking sequel to a small, well done, highly-successful production. But in its ambition and scale it succeeded brilliantly, making probably the greatest action film of all time.
T3 doesn't try to be another T2. Its running time is about 90 minutes (compare that with 2.5 hours for the previous entry). Much of the cast is gone, and James Cameron is replaced by some outside screenwriters and Jonathan Mostow directing. Thoughtful ruminations on the nature of man are cut down to some intense, less sweeping in scope, much more personal conversations. The action is almost non-stop, and the sense of urgency is there in every single frame. The result is quite a sight to behold, for any action fan. It's as if the makers of T3 decided to take what made T2 so unusual and throw it away, somehow making this fact a strength. T2 was a great film, but it could be slow in parts (especially the director's cut) and was tough to digest. T3 isn't a great film, but it is excellent, nonetheless, and the pacing is its greatest strength.
T3 is set "today." John Connor (now played by Nick Stahl) is in his early 20s, and the date that was to be Judgment Day (nuclear World War III) has passed. His mother is now dead from natural causes, but to her dying day she knew that the machines must not get to her son. The usual time-travel paradox rears its ugly head here, but we'll ignore that. John, who never wanted to be savior of mankind, nevertheless "lives off the grid" so that there is no computerized way to get to him.
Ostensibly, there is no Judgment Day, there is no SkyNet, and there should be no machine menace. And yet, a female-looking terminator (the T-X) is sent through time. She starts methodically clipping teenagers (for what reason, we don't know).
The trusty T800 (Arnold, again) also reappears. Clearly he's there to protect John, but his other motives aren't quite known. In any case, soon John Connor, T800, and a seemingly random female veterinarian (Claire Danes) are on the run from from T-X, the law, and who knows what else.
I don't want to give away any more of the strong plot, which is revealed primarily through terse conversations with the good terminator. I'll just say that the plot is well done -- especially considering the hole the T2 ending put the writers into -- and the ending is outstanding.
The plot's fine, but it's the pacing and action that are the true strength of the film. You see (this isn't much of a spoiler, since it was all over the trailers), Judgment Day is *today*. That means our friends have 2-3 hours to do something about it, or else.... The action starts immediately and doesn't really stop. (Case in point: Watch for the VERY FIRST TIME T800 and T-X meet in a scene. The directness of the T800's approach is quite amusing.) There are multiple car chases and many fights. In particular, one of each stands out. First, there's a scene where a mobile crane, with T800 on top, is driven THROUGH several city blocks. It's really something to behold. That is, it's impressive until the finishing stunt, which is simply staggering (even if it could, in principle, be CGI). The other standout action sequence is the T800-T-X hand-to-hand combat scene. You'll see T-X (an attractive, slender female) throw T800 (a hulking body-builder) through several walls in ONE throw. Then you'll see said bodybuilder break a urinal on said model's head. Of course, it wouldn't be a Terminator movie without a SWAT team trying to stop Arnold with bullets, which is always fun due to its futility.
The actionless moments, while few, carry plenty of dramatic weight. John is a reluctant hero, played to perfection by Stahl. Danes is amusing as an action heroine, but her good moments are while she's still just a vet. Arnold is perfect as the Terminator -- in fact, better than ever (and, while he's got a few lines on his face, he's perfectly buff, just like in 1992). He delivers his lines, whether serious or humorous (and there is lot of, perhaps too much, humor) in a perfect dead-pan style. The script, thankfully, doesn't give him anything sentimental (human) to say (correcting one of T2's greatest weaknesses), so he doesn't struggle at any point. The emotional connection between John (or whoever) and T800 is never really explored in depth, avoiding that aspect of the previous film (again, a good move).
The rating I give to this film is 8/10. Anything under 7 would be ridiculous, as anyone claiming this isn't at least a GOOD action film (it is sure as hell better than all the comic movies that get high scores) needs their head examined. I give it another point because what it does attempt to do it accomplishes so easily and perfectly. (For reference, I gave T2 a ten.) Any true weakness it has is simply that it's just an action movie, and that's it. It's hard to say anything bad (other than nitpicks) about the film itself.
P.S. Some of the later comments on this movie really leave me speechless. You'll get no argument from me: T3 is certainly not T2. But it's not trying to be T2. I know, you don't care what it's trying to be, you just want to be entertained. Well, that's what the film delivers. Any serious comparison (where one wishes T3 was more like T2) to the 2nd Cameron opus is misguided, and only serves to confuse oneself. I wish I could recommend you not to watch T2 before watching this film, to give you a clean slate. But I cannot, since T3 clearly assumes knowledge of both of its two prequels, at least plotwise.