Rise of the Mostow/ Extremely brave piece of storytelling. (Spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (3 August 2003)

I don't know what I was expecting with this installment of the popular Terminator franchise. I really enjoyed Mostow's previous films 'Breakdown' and 'U-571'. But it was not the look or the direction of the film that worried me but the story. The early premise of the film seemed to be an exact replica of T-2 but less Linda Hamilton an older John Connor with love interest and a sexy, beautiful and more effective killing machine T-X. I imagined that once again Judgement Day was going to happen and once again Connor with protecting Terminator would save the day.
But the script with a wicked sense of humour was brave and original, well mostly. I loved the ending and I wasn't expecting it, I thought we were going to get a soapy ending. I was fascinated by the destiny of man and whether they can do anything to stop it even when the characters are clearly told it. It was also leaner, I thought that Cameron in the writing process may have spread out the idea of the Terminator having a split personality over his operating functions.
By the way Arnie looked the best he ever has in his leather threads. Claire Danes and Kristanna Loken are extremely sexy in differing ways and I felt Nick Stahl played John Connor very well as a neurotic young man with the burden of the fate of humanity on his shoulders.
There was maybe one major goof the two scribes made though, and I don't know if they were just treating the audience as idiots. But in the camper on the way to Robert Brewster the issue comes up that the Termiantor has been sent back not by Connor but by Brewster a future leading General in the Resistance. Why Brewster and not Connor because in 2032 Connor gives the order for the Terminator of Arnie's type to terminate him. Connor says something on the lines of 'who killed me' and the Terminator says 'I did'. Well so far during the film the Terminator has expressed on a number occasions how he has come of an assembly line and has nothing to do with the 'Uncle Bob' model sent back in 1992. The Termiantor in T-3 has no way to get back to the future and he surely knows his fate at the start of the mission and if he has nothing to with 'Uncle Bob' he will have nothing to do with the Termiantor that will do the deed. Arnie later says to Connor 'Thank you' for holding up the automative door and Arnie say 'We will meet again'. But maybe that is understandable because that Terminator though not sent back by Connor probably met him in the future.
Will there be another Termiantor film, well 'there is no fate except for what we make it'. So I suppose if everybody gets to the cinema and sees this film as many times as possible the better the chance of T-4. Would I like to see another Termiantor post 'Judgement Day' you better ya. The chances it would be a major turkey increases but if they get the brilliant Mostow and the same scribes it should be alright. But first I am looking forward to the remake of 'Westworld' with the Arnie and the T-3 scribes.