Money-grabbing rubbish

Rating: 1/10 (17 January 2014)

Wasn't the entire point of Terminator 2 that 'there is no fate but what we make for ourselves'? It was a good message, as humans have always had the tendency to deal with their anxieties by attributing inevitability or some sort of cosmic plan to future events. While this may be true, I find it most prudent to subscribe to the view that the future is not set and that it is in our hands. It allows you to live your life to the fullest and to die knowing you spent your life trying to make a difference.
I loved the ending of T2. The sacrifices made by the protagonists have proved that future CAN be changed.
Unfortunately, when a sequel promises a safe way to earn lots of money, it does become inevitable.
So what is the message this time around? That future is inevitable anyhow, and no matter what you do the universe has conspired to entrap you and make you a helpless pawn in a grand scheme where life, death, even love are pre-determined. This is a rejection of everything the previous two (excellent) films have stood for.
Having rejected the essence of the previous films, T3 goes on to reference more marginal elements from them, because that's what the audience wants, right? Give us Arnold as the Terminator, give us those beloved references. Let us re-live some of that past awesomeness! But it's a pale copy. The film does not feel genuine in any way, and it is less competently written and directed than the previous installments. The antagonist is a useless bimbo that is in no way menacing, and the protagonists are made to say stupid lines and either sit in the back of a van or run around aimlessly.
So what is good about this film? Well, Arnold, of course. He is the reason we are watching this. The rest is just nonsense we have to endure so we can see Arnie do his stuff. And he delivers, although he can't do anything to fix a poorly written script.
Going back to the script, now we learn that Connor's wife is suddenly a major player in the resistance, which was never even hinted at in the previous films. Moreover, their children too are important. You can just tell they are making up stuff just so they can squeeze in new characters and make it possible to extend this franchise forever. And the original myth about John Connor? Who cares. If we think we can make another sequel by inventing Connor's relatives, ex-wives, cousins, children, grandchildren, math teacher, pet dog, etc. we will shove these characters into the plot.
As we have seen, T4 further distanced itself from the original film and now anything goes. As long as there is a robot that looks like a human skeleton in it, you can call it a 'terminator' movie and start making money.
The bottom line is that T2 was the end of this story. It was nicely wrapped up by the creator of the original film and there was no need for a sequel, or a prequel, or a reboot. It's time for filmmakers and studios to start creating original stories and characters and stop cynically exploiting the original work done by true filmmakers decades ago. We need to start voting with our feet and avoid movie theaters in protest. Get yourself a blu-ray of the original film and watch it at home with your friends or family.