Plot: What’s it about?
With the amazing success of the first films in the “Terminator” series, we knew that a third installment would be inevitable. As it turns out, we knew that it was in the works for the past few years, but we didn’t know who would star, direct or both. Would Arnold be in? If so, then would James Cameron? How about Linda Hamilton? To use a film anachronism, only one of those would make the “final cut”. Arnold, true to his word, is back. He’s back in the role that made him famous (or perhaps that would be “Conan the Barbarian”) and one that he’ll most likely reprise after he finishes his stint as Governor of California. While speaking of that, it’s hard not to try and laugh or cringe when we see that a good majority of the cast of “Predator” is or has been in the office of Governor. It’s rather scary and maybe more a telling of an apocalypse as opposed to what were led to believe in the “Terminator” movies. James Cameron is out, in fact he hasn’t really done much in the way of film since he walked away with a few Oscars for “Titanic”, which has been over five years ago. Mr. Cameron, if you’re out there, we’d really appreciate it if you could take the helm of the “Terminator” movies again! Ok? Thanks…Onto the issue at hand, though. Aside from the salary that Arnold got paid, no one really knew what to expect of the new movie. It had been over ten years since “Judgment Day” and seven years before that since the series first graced the silver screen. We now have Jonathan Mostow (“U-571”, “Breakdown”) at the helm and a female Terminator. Oh my. In this installment, we find the role of John Connor played by Nick Stahl. Now I’ll go into one of my many arguments with the cast and get to the plot holes later. Edward Furlong played a great John Conner in the second Terminator movie, the same amount of time has passed in “our” time as in theirs, yet he’s played by a different actor. Nothing against Stahl, but casting Furlong would make more sense (then again, maybe he’s somewhere with Cameron and Hamilton).
It’s now the present, Judgment Day has been averted…again and we find John Conner living “Off the Grid”. Quite simply, this means that he has no ID, cell phone, credit cards, money, records, etc. He’s doing what he can so that he’ll be as hard as possible to find should he become the target of the Terminator’s again. Well, guess what…he is. You’d figure that if he really wanted to hide, he’d go to a different city in the United States or even the world; but he’s just miles away from where he and his mother have been hunted – twice. He meets up with an old friend of his, Kate Brewster (Claire Danes) who recognizes him after she’s found him passed out in the Veterinary Clinic that she works in. What are the odds? About this time, we see a new Terminator appear in a store window who’s out to not only get John, but his commanding officers as well. The T-X (Kristanna Loken) is what she’s known by and though she’s attractive – looks can kill! The reliable T-100 in the form of Arnold Schwarzenegger then shows up and in a scene almost out of “T2”, dons the same wardrobe that he’s been seen in throughout all three movies. No big surprises here, but diversity is the spice of life, I think. Now this is where the movie becomes an essential clone of the other two, no pun intended. The T-X starts hunting down the unsuspecting future leaders of the resistance (who are all teenagers working at Fast Food restaurants). And this is where the movie gets a bit odd when you start to think about it (then again, a lot can be said about movies that make you think). We learn fairly fast that the T-X can taste blood and determine if who she killed was correct. So why, then, does she ask who it is that she’s about to kill if they’re “so and so”? She’s a terminator! She terminates! What does she care if she killed an innocent, she does throughout the movie, anyway. So why not shoot first and ask questions later? It’s something that struck me as being odd, but I suppose there are times for logic. We’re then dragged through the obligatory chase sequences in which the T-100 finds Kate and John only to rescue them in the nick of time. Who will win in the end?
The film wasn’t nearly as bad as I have panned out. After all, it’s still part of the “Terminator” line of movies, so that should give it some depth. Granted, the right people aren’t in front of or behind the camera, expect Arnold. What the movie felt like to me was just an excuse to make money. What the second Terminator, and the first for that matter, gave us what something we’ve never seen before. Cameron’s use of digital effects that are so commonplace today, were unprecedented at the time. It really was an experience to see the movie and wonder “How’d they do that”? Naturally, CGI has come a long way in the time since T2, but many of the same scenes are almost literally repeated here. The sequence in which the T-100 gets his leather gear is almost identical (yet inferior) to the opening scene in T2. Though somewhat of a twisted ending is present here, it leaves the door wide open to yet another sequel. Though with Arnold as Governor of California, it’ll be at least four years before we see another one. With all of the plot holes dealing with time and so on, I felt that this was being shoved down our throats. The casting of Claire Danes as an action star didn’t really seem to make sense to me, either. With all of that being said, the movie does have it’s high points, it does deliver the thrills (albeit not nearly as many or of the caliber of its predecessors) that we’ve come to expect. The legions of fans may be kept wanting more and my advice is this: watch the first two if you’re looking for a good “Terminator” movie.
Video: How does it look?
As expected, the 2.35:1 anamorphic image is very good. The movie is new to DVD and the sparkling transfer gives this movie something to be proud of on the home video front. I was surprised at the level of detail that existed. Then again, we’ve become so used to watching “The Terminator” and “T2” that are over ten years old, we don’t know what to expect with a “new” Terminator transfer. For the most part there is little or no edge enhancement and no signs of artifacting. The visual effects are clear as day and though the film itself suffers, the transfer does not. All in all, a fine effort from Warner.
Audio: How does it sound?
While “Terminator 2” has had more soundtracks than can be counted, this is just a simple, yet solid, Dolby Digital 5.1 effort from Warner. The soundstage is very active, particularity in the front channels. As one might imagine, the subwoofer gets quite a workout as well. The dialogue is very clean, not that we expect it wouldn’t be and though the surrounds aren’t as active as I thought they would be, they still add plenty of depth to the movie. There’s nothing really to complain about, but it’s not something that leaves a lasting impression, either. Ironic, like the movie, we might think that this would be one of the best-sounding tracks out there, yet it doesn’t seem to satisfy.
Supplements: What are the extras?
“Terminator 3” arrives as a two-disc Special Edition, and it’s no surprise as that budget had to go to making some supplements for the DVD, right? On the first disc we get a trailer and two commentary tracks. The first is with Arnold, Claire Danes, Nick Stahl and Director Jonathan Mostow. The track seems a bit cluttered, yet surprisingly informative. Arnold, being the “veteran” of the movies, takes command from time to time, but on the whole it’s not a bad track. The second is with Mostow alone, who seems to say all the things he wanted to say on the first one. A lot of technical talk might distract from what point it is he’s trying to get across, but still, it’s not a dull track either. A preview for the video game is also included on this disc.
The second disc contains the rest of the supplements. A brief introduction by Arnold is included followed by a deleted scene entitled “Sgt. Candy” which was, thankfully, cut from the film. There’s an HBO First Look featurette, aptly titled “The Making of Terminator 3” which lasts nearly fifteen minutes. Like the other featurettes on other discs (and this one as well), it’s essentially EPK fluff that lacks any real depth. Next up is the “Visual Effects Lab” which is actually pretty interesting. It allows the watcher to build the visual effects for two different scenes from the movie. Visual effects are a big part of the film and this is where the supplement shines. “Skynet Database” and “Dressed to Kill” are about the history of Skynet and personnel and the production design respectively. A somewhat interesting, yet flawed, feature is “Terminator Timeline” which puts the three movies into one big timeline so that you’re not lost. Granted, this is how it was in the movies, not how logic would dictate that it should be. Yes, there is a difference. A preview for the T3 action figures (yes, really) is also included as are some DVD-ROM links. All in all, T3 delivers, but not to the extent that we would like. Recommended, but only for hard-core fans of the series.
