TERMINATOR 3
US, 2003, 108 minutes, Colour.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, David Andrews, Kristan Lokan.
Directed by Jonathan Mostow.
According to Arnold Schwarzenegger, he has been frequently asked when he was going to bring back his famous cyborg to the screen. Finally, he has done it. The gap between Terminator 2 and 3 is twelve years, quite a long time between sequels in a sequel-ridden age. However, the fans were right. The Terminator is a very popular character and has been welcomed with open box-office arms. James Cameron, responsible for the first two films, declined to take over directing reins. Direction has been entrusted to Jonathan Mostow who made the successful road thriller, Breakdown, and the submarine epic, U 571. He has followed in Cameron's footsteps and brought the same kind of flair to the action and some of the deadpan repartee.
This is the role that suits Schwarzenegger so well. The body-building machine with limited acting ability but who has learned to parody himself and not be worried about getting a laugh out of his screen presence has become the action hero. It is interesting that most of his dialogue consists on average of four words per sentence in not so many sentences. But he delivers them deadpan, the most effective way. This time (as last), he is the good cyborg, sent to protect the future saviour of the post-nuclear-holocaust world, John Connor. Since Robert Patrick as the bad terminator was demolished in Judgment Day, a sleek and ultra-efficient new cyborg is sent to the past to destroy. She is TX and portrayed by glamorous and athletic, Kristanna Loken just as relentlessly as her predecessors.
Nick Stahl takes over the role of John Connor, on the run since the death of his mother and trying to conceal himself from the Terminators. By chance (?), he clashes with a young vet, Katherine Brewster who, it is revealed, will become his wife and lieutenant in the apocalyptic times ahead. Most of the film is the pursuit (and extraordinarily destructive car chase through Los Angeles, the bill for which would outweigh the cost of rebuilding Bagdad) across country to stop Judgment Day when the humanly-engineered machines who have taken over the world by virus contamination of computer systems will set off the nuclear warheads. Given the dramatic ending, the next installment could bring us back to the future and John Connor's attempt to save the world.
1. The Terminator as an icon of American cinema from the 80s to the 90s? At the beginning of the 21st century? Arnold Schwarzenegger identifying with this icon? Character, appearance, language?
2. The basic story of all the films: the battle in the future, John Connor as leader, machines being sent back to kill him in the past so that he would not be leader? The nature of the future after the holocaust? John Connor as hero, Judgment Day? The plausibility of time travel?
3. The Los Angeles and California settings, the city streets, the desert, the mountains? The technical aspects of US military, computers, nuclear capability? Fallout shelters?
4. The structure of the film as confrontation, chase, battle? The appearances of each of the robots in Los Angeles? The computer-generated effects?
5. The title, the connection with The Matrix and its themes of humans and machines? The humans creating powerful machines who in turn turn on the humans and destroy them?
6. John Connor, the voice-over, the initial explosion being the end of the film, his reflections on what had happened? The past, the impact of his mother, his being a hero, T2 coming to save him? Averting Judgment Day? His mother's death, the passing of the years, John and his drifting, not wanting any identification so that the machines could kill him? Work, travel, the crash, going to the vet, taking the pills, the encounter with Kate, his pleading with her, her putting him in the cage?
7. TX and her appearance, in the street, taking the woman's car, clothes? The machine and her capabilities of knowledge and understanding? Her mission to kill, the targets, her ruthlessness? Going to the vet, killing the wrong woman? The pursuit, the clash with T2, the smashing chase through the Los Angeles streets, the truck, the police cars without drivers under her control, destroying cars? Going to Scott, taking him over, talking to the police through him, going to the cemetery, the confrontation? Going to the plant, her various disguises, killing? Her killing Brewster? The battle with T2, the escape, the helicopters, the final confrontation in the mountains?
8. T2 and his appearance in the street, going to the ladies' night, getting the leather clothes? His mission, to save John Connor and Kate Brewster? His laconic remarks, explanations? At the vet's, with Kate, abducting her, explaining? The chase, saving them, his own injuries and recovery, the fights with TX, the malfunction, his putting his head back on but his being changed? Finally getting right, the helicopter, saving John and Kate?
9. John and Kate, their past at school, their future as married, their children, Kate being the second lieutenant after John's death? The experiences in the vet's, the woman with her cat and her being killed, the abduction? The danger of the drive, the explanations? Kate and her disbelief? The police, seeing Scott at the cemetery? The smoke inhalation, the escape? Going to her father, the initial phone talk with him, her relationship with Scott, the wedding? Her father and the truth about his job, his trying to stop the virus, Skynet? The pursuit by TX, use of the magnetism to destroy her? Flying the plane, at the shelter, the nuclear disaster - but voiced from survivors?
10. American technology, computer viruses, machines and their control, nuclear explosions?
11. Issues of the future, humanity, the role of machines, their domination, violence and guns (and the Terminator not using guns to kill people)? The action sequences, the smashes, especially in Los Angeles? An expensive visual comic strip?
