"T3" represents a clear drop in the series' quality standard, since, despite having good action sequences, it gets complicated whenever the script tries to develop the story

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 2020)

Twelve years after the release of the classic second film in the franchise, a new adaptation would continue with the main plot after a change in the rights to the franchise. In her divorce from James Cameron, Linda Hamilton asked for the rights to the "Terminator" franchise, which she then resold to Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna of the bankrupt Carolco. The duo's new company, C2 Pictures, financed this third film, causing confusion and at the same time expecting fans, as "The Final Judgment" was planned to end the story started in the first film. The story even ends with this idea, since Cyberdine (the company where Skynet would be developed) and all the evidence that could lead to new research to develop an intelligent and independent computer system had been exterminated. Curiosity was how the story would be conceived.
Directed by Jonathan Mostow and with only two actors returning, Schwarzenegger and Earl Boen - who makes a brief appearance as Dr. Silberman - the story of the third film takes place ten years after "The Final Judgment", with John Connor (Nick Stahl) living nomadically after his mother's death from leukemia, and two exterminators being sent to the past, one to protect John and his future wife Kate Brewster (Claire Danes) and the other to kill future members of human resistance.
Even with good ideas in the action part, the script by John Brancato and Michael Ferris manages to continue the plot of the second film, but it misses by discarding some pillars of the series and by bringing unforgivable holes that take the unit from the series as a whole. The temporal comings and goings always leave immense holes in the best of cinematic fiction scripts. In the case of "Terminator 3", there are striking discrepancies. One is especially in relation to the Schwarzenegger Exterminator. After transforming itself into a complex and moving figure in the previous film, the T-800 (now T-850) becomes a mere accessory in this third part, practically becoming an adjunct. There is no sign of chemistry and the dynamic relationship between the cyborg and his protÃ©gÃ©s here - but that is justified because it is a new model. However, the Exterminator acts in a contradictory way: at a certain moment, for example, he clarifies that it is not the same android seen previously, but just another example of the same line (something logical): however, he avoids killing humans and, in a certain scene, opens the hood of a car to look for the keys to the vehicle - two things he had learned in the second film.
In contrast, Kristanna Loken has little impact like Terminatrix: although she has far more resources than previous villains (being able to access the Internet, perform DNA tests and turn her arms into powerful weapons), the cyborg does not act with the same determination unforgiving of the T-1000. The beautiful actress just does what is expected for this type of character and never really threatens the lives of the heroes. Initially, the difference in the plot consists of the mission of T-X, which includes the murder of all the human resistance generals of the future. However, a casual encounter with Connor and Kate Brewster, his future wife, will cause her to pursue him for the duration of the tape.
However, the story of how John Connor has been living in recent years, especially after his mother's death, is an idea that works: traumatized and depressed, the boy is a fascinating character, since the weight of his destiny (and the glory associated with your future leadership) simply prevents you from enjoying the present. He must carry the weight of being someone he is not yet; he must live waiting for his destiny to come true, contenting himself with the mediocrity of anonymity while the future does not arrive. And what is most painful: in order to fulfill his glorious destiny, John must witness the end of the world, which is still a tragic irony of destiny. The subject is, in short, the anxious and sad veteran that his mother was in the previous film - and therein lies the main strength of this new chapter.
Jonathan Mostow is able to present a typical product for large audiences, with a lot of action, electrifying sequences and moments of adrenaline, which leave the viewer unable to breathe, highlighting the chase scenes involving a crane, a fire brigade truck and a car, in addition to the escape from the cemetery where Sarah Connor's tomb was located and, obviously, the entire final sequence inside the government facility where the rebellion of the machines commanded by Skynet against humanity would take place. Still, it is still unfortunate that the best sequence is the chase that takes place at the beginning of the story, since the rest of the projection can never match up in rhythm or tension.
The director manages to recreate this beaten universe with a correct development - there are repetitions within the film itself, such as the two car chases (the first had already become so good, what for a second?) - and good doses of humor (good to know how to laugh) of himself, with quotes and references to previous episodes, such as the T-800 glasses joke at the beginning of the film and the appearance of Dr. Silberman's character, who took care of Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: The Final Judgment (1992) and that makes a small participation this time trying to comfort the young lady), in addition to managing to develop a bold but controversial ending. In general, the script brought the addition of new information about the apocalyptic future of Earth is also welcome, opening up new possibilities for the future of the series, even if contrary to the ideas presented previously.
"Terminator 3" represents a clear drop in the series' quality standard, since, despite having good action sequences, it gets complicated whenever the script tries to develop the story. This time the T-800 played by Schwarzenegger must protect not only John Connor, but also a certain Katherine Brewster. The reason? She will be Connor's wife and the couple's children 'will be important'. Now, if the leader of humans in the future had already defeated machines, what importance ('historically' speaking) could their children have? And if he has not yet won the revolution, how can his descendants matter to the future if they are still only children? The answer is obvious: this was just an excuse found by the writers to involve Danes' character in the plot and present it as the hero's romantic interest.
So far, so good: despite being mediocre, the "revelation" does not compromise the logic of previous films. Unfortunately, however, T3 does not stop there and ends up introducing a series of new concepts regarding Skynet that radically contradict the main elements of the first two chapters - and this is inexcusable, since, in retrospect, it ends up harming its predecessors (for that we should care about the efforts made by Sarah, John and the Exterminator to destroy the Cyberdine building, in "The Terminator 2", if we now know that their actions are useless and wrong?). It is also regrettable to see the philosophy of the first two chapters ('There is no destiny - except what we do') being discarded in favor of a vision of "predestination", of the inevitability of events, as this, once again, takes us to see the actions of the brave Sarah Connor as a simple waste of sweat. And this is the biggest sin in the third film.