Rise of the Forgotten Hero

Rating: 6/10 (26 July 2003)

Where will they go next?
At the time of writing, T3 has more than made up for its mammoth budget - eclipsing even the record-setting part 2, thanks largely to a reported 30M salary for its leading man - with a considerable box office. It won't be long before the vultures pull at the carcass and find enough sustenance for a part 4, 5 and beyond... But back to 3.
The Austrian Oak was in dire need of a hit in the early Naughties, and for many, reviving this particular franchise - if two films constitute a franchise that is - smelled of desperation: haven't we mined this story's potential to the core already? And what of creator James Cameron's complete lack of interest? When your main champion prefers to go deep-sea diving than having anything to do with you, you must have done something wrong...
Terminator 3 raised many questions, first of which was: is this even necessary? The truth is: now that it is here, imperfect beast that it is, it is essential. For one, it cleans up narrative issues raised in part two's time travel paradoxes (if you pay attention, Skynet created itself). It also asks interesting questions about choice vs fate, and ends in what is possibly the series most arresting visual moment. It also embraces its throwback nature, not just in accepting its aging star's limitations but in incorporating them to the story, but in its brutal, real action choreography, chiefly a nasty crane-equipped car chase that puts even the computer wizardry of Matrix Reloaded to shame.
At the same time, T3 allows itself to partly spoof the original, a point of contention for many, but a refreshingly sober thing for a sequel to do in this day when follow-ups, for some reason, always have to aim for darker (see Matrix and Pirates of the Caribbean).
Of course, not all is perfect: after Edward Furlong, Nick Stahl is a somewhat uninspiring John Connor, and Claire Danes is given surprisingly little to do. The worst let-down, though there is interesting conceptual work at play there, is the new antagonist, dubbed the Terminatrix by a mocking audience. There is no doubt that after Robert Patrick's glacial T1000, this is a disappointment, and something more chilling, such as a worrying fusing of human and machine, would been not just more interesting, but frighteningly prophetic, a key trait of the saga as a whole. But when Arnold appears on-screen again, a lot is forgotten and more is forgiven.
The first two Terminator films are solid 10s, so by that measure this can't compare, and yet, after the disappointing Hulk and the over-hyped and overindulgent Matrix Reloaded, Terminator 3 may also well be the most entertaining blockbuster you see this Summer.
Nowhere near as good or as clever as its predecessors, but good fun nonetheless.