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Terminator 3: The Rise Of The Machines
pub: Columbia Tristar CVR 34144. Price: £12.99 (UK)
- this varies so shop around for the best deal) stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and Kristanna Loken.
check out website: www.terminator3-themovie.co.uk
and www.che.co.uk
A
third Terminator film without creator/director Jim Cameron's involvement
was always going to be a touchy subject. I mean, how many cyborgs
can you send back from the future to stop Skynet bringing mankind
to the brink of extinction?
As I reviewed the novelisation of this film several months back,
I have to confess that I was ticking off various areas that I wish
had been included here. In many respects, if you are confused or
need more detail, then I would recommend the novelisation as a must
read to fill in the gaps.
As
it is, the film is very much a roller-coaster ride of action and
special effects as one female Terminator takes on another older
Terminator model as it proceeds to remove John Connor's lieutenants
before they grow old enough to be recruited after Judgement Day.
You aren't really given much time to think about what is happening
here until the crunch at the end. Mankind has lost its fight and
Skynet has won. Does that give away the ending? I'm not entirely
convinced.
If anything, it's given me a lot to think about and that always
causes trouble. Expect an article any time now. As the late Sarah
Connor was prone to remark and para-phrasing here, 'the future is
not set.' Judgement Day hasn't happened on the date it was set in
the original film nor was Skynet part of the satellite programme
in this film. Every Terminator travelling into the past has changed
something of the future, mostly in Skynet's favour but also explains
why it was allowed to happen and that the AI wasn't totally stupid
in letting the resistance sending cyborgs into the past.
Indeed, it might have contributed to its knowledge in developing
more advanced Terminators - a sort of retrospective time loop development.
Whatever happened, Skynet's future was assured. All it was doing
was ensuring it had its own advantages. The possibilities for a
fourth 'Terminator' film have to be discussed at this point.
With the Governor of California not available one would have to
wonder if the finance or fan demand would want to see the world
prior to the Terminator-800 or T-1000 model comes into existence.
We've seen much of it through Kyle Reece's eyes in the first film
to know that there is going to be a lot of robot action going on
and we might well see the early developments of the more organic
cyborgs being readied for the future...and if I keep going like
this I might as well submit my plot to the producers. Let's return
to the present film.
Has anyone noticed how actress Claire Danes (Kate Brewster) looks
remarkably like a young Jamie Lee Curtis? That'll get you re-watching
the video. With films like this, all the cast are basically ciphers
to the plot. They serve their purpose most of the time and any emotional
impact is reserved for them rather than anyone who gets in their
way.
Everywhere the two humans and the Terminator go is barely introduced
before it's trashed. If anything, the four writers, Tedi Sarafian
John Brancato Michael Ferris and John D. Brancato with director
Jonathan Mostow are using recognisable icons from a military base
to a US bunker as things people should instantly recognise without
having to worry too much about adding any more information than
you really need to what is shown.
It brings some lovely speculation as to what was edited out to
bring such a fine-tuning as this and one can only hope there's a
longer Director's Cut waiting to be released in the future. If you
like roller-coaster excitement films, then I think you'll love this
film.
Vote Skynet for governor before it trashes you.
GF Willmetts
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