There is no fate but what we make for ourselves
Rating: 8/10
Running Time: 108 minutes
UK Certificate: 12A
Its about time travel, its about war, its about bravery, and its about saving the human race. But, more than any of that, Terminator 3 is about blowing stuff up. This is the grunting, snorting, metal-clanking, car-crashing explosion-fest that action movie fanatics have been starved of for years. So its only fitting that Arnold Schwarzenegger should be the man in the middle of it all.
Its a decade since the young John Connor (here played by Nick Stahl, a vast improvement on Edward Furlong from T2) was assisted by his mum in preventing Skynet from developing the technology that would inadvertently lead to Judgement Day. At least, thats what they thought.
With the rise of the machines only postponed rather than avoided, its once again time for a cyborg to be sent back in time to get down to some serious terminating. This time, its the T-X or Terminatrix thats here to do the deed and, more importantly, its a lady (Kristinna Loken). Thankfully, help is once again at hand in the shape of Mr Ill be back himself, Arnie. Let the action commence.
T3 doesnt quite live up to its legendary predecessors. The level of character development insisted on by James Cameron is deemed surplus to requirements by new kid Jonathan Mostow. Some of the attempts at comic relief dont sit particularly comfortably with the overall tone, and Brad Fiedels heart-pumping theme tune is for some inexplicable reason left out until the very end credits (an absolute crime).
Despite all of that, this is as good a blockbuster as youll see this year, and will keep you enthralled until the very end. Mostow deserves a huge amount of credit for shunning the modern trend for showering us with bland CGI, instead providing us with some tremendous stunts and the best real action sequences Ive seen in a long, long time. Whats more, the present-day heightened awareness of those ever-elusive weapons of mass destruction makes this movies timing spot-on rather than overly-belated. Theres a real fear of war on show here, and thats something audiences will instantly be able to relate to.
So, will The Terminator be back again? Will we be seeing a T4? If I were a betting man Id say almost definitely. Of course, whether or not thats a good thing is another matter entirely.
It's Got: Explosions. Lots of them.
It Needs: To make better use of one of the most memorable musical scores in movie history.
Summary
At last, a proper action movie that isnt bogged down by CGI effects. Though not as good as the first two, this is a chapter worthy of carrying the Terminator name. Dont miss this one.