CtJester
03 Jul 2003, 10:14 PM
Cheese doodles and jelllllly, cheese doodles and jelllllly.......
Break it down now..... uh....... uh-huh, dats right....... hoo ha.....
Yep, it's cheese doodling time again. After seeing the debacle that was Swirling Ass: Full Throttle, I decided to go the way of the tried and true (especially since Pirates o' the Carribean isn't here yet). I plunked down my $8 bucks and walked into Schwartzeneghearrrr's (I think that's how you spell it) latest biopic 'T3: I Can't Get A Rise In My Pants', or something like that.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines - 3.5 out of 5 cheese doodles.
Well, I guess the big question people might have before seeing this is 'Does it stack up to the other films in the series?'. Well the answer is mostly yes, and minutely no. It does a wonderful job of continuing the series, yet it loses a step without Cameron at the helm.
This Terminator movie feels just like a Terminator movie without Cameron would, that is, it's pull-no-punches without the 'artistic' side of the production. Even when Cameron makes a big budget action movie, it always feels slightly 'artsy'. Without him, it's a lot more of a bang for the buck popcorn muncher.
In this film, Jonathon Marstow (director) decides to go the adrenaline route, and boy does he ever. This film has what the other 'T' movies had: big action, and a layered story, but it takes no time to smell the roses. Instead it tramples them underfoot.
In a couple of parts, there are some nifty chase scenes. There is one with a crane and emergency vehicles that was worth a matinee admission alone. And the best part? It was almost entirely done without the use of a computer. Yep, for a movie about machines, this one makes terrific use of CGI because it's used so sparingly. Most of the effects are either real chases or make-up or puppetry, vith very little CGI (TX excluded).
The film is made to be a thriller, but somehow they actually blend the plot in and *gasp* advance it. (I'd be willing to bet the farm on T4 after the ending in this one, and I'd welcome it.) The plot itself is mostly boy, girl, boy meets girl, boy and girl meet terminators, boy and girl run from terminators, boy and girl survive (or do they?). It seems basic, but if you know the past story, it all makes sense and the ending isn't a let down.
If I had one qualm about the movie, it's that in some ways it looks a little cheap compared to Cameron's work. That's not to say it's any worse for it. Actually this movie reminded me of the first film, and that's a GOOD thing. It's not all flash, but it's not lacking in any way either.
The actors in the film are all ok. Even Nick Stahl, whom I wasn't crazy about, but he somewhat grew on me. Arnie is Arnie no matter how you slice him. He's still spot on in the role though. I guess the real treats here are the women. Claire Danes is pretty darn good in the Linda Hamilton-esque role. She's more like LH in the first film though, not the second. Then there is the TX, played by Kristanna Loken, who while not as menacing as Robert Patrick was in the last one, is still pretty darn mean.
All-in-all, T3 is a nice piece of entertainment that I would see in the cineplex. It's got action, pretty good one liners, and still manages to advance the story in the wake of Cameron's departure. Plus, I will never look at 'Talk to the hand.' the same way again....
-ct 'It's not a too-mah, it's vi-a-grah.' jester
Break it down now..... uh....... uh-huh, dats right....... hoo ha.....
Yep, it's cheese doodling time again. After seeing the debacle that was Swirling Ass: Full Throttle, I decided to go the way of the tried and true (especially since Pirates o' the Carribean isn't here yet). I plunked down my $8 bucks and walked into Schwartzeneghearrrr's (I think that's how you spell it) latest biopic 'T3: I Can't Get A Rise In My Pants', or something like that.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines - 3.5 out of 5 cheese doodles.
Well, I guess the big question people might have before seeing this is 'Does it stack up to the other films in the series?'. Well the answer is mostly yes, and minutely no. It does a wonderful job of continuing the series, yet it loses a step without Cameron at the helm.
This Terminator movie feels just like a Terminator movie without Cameron would, that is, it's pull-no-punches without the 'artistic' side of the production. Even when Cameron makes a big budget action movie, it always feels slightly 'artsy'. Without him, it's a lot more of a bang for the buck popcorn muncher.
In this film, Jonathon Marstow (director) decides to go the adrenaline route, and boy does he ever. This film has what the other 'T' movies had: big action, and a layered story, but it takes no time to smell the roses. Instead it tramples them underfoot.
In a couple of parts, there are some nifty chase scenes. There is one with a crane and emergency vehicles that was worth a matinee admission alone. And the best part? It was almost entirely done without the use of a computer. Yep, for a movie about machines, this one makes terrific use of CGI because it's used so sparingly. Most of the effects are either real chases or make-up or puppetry, vith very little CGI (TX excluded).
The film is made to be a thriller, but somehow they actually blend the plot in and *gasp* advance it. (I'd be willing to bet the farm on T4 after the ending in this one, and I'd welcome it.) The plot itself is mostly boy, girl, boy meets girl, boy and girl meet terminators, boy and girl run from terminators, boy and girl survive (or do they?). It seems basic, but if you know the past story, it all makes sense and the ending isn't a let down.
If I had one qualm about the movie, it's that in some ways it looks a little cheap compared to Cameron's work. That's not to say it's any worse for it. Actually this movie reminded me of the first film, and that's a GOOD thing. It's not all flash, but it's not lacking in any way either.
The actors in the film are all ok. Even Nick Stahl, whom I wasn't crazy about, but he somewhat grew on me. Arnie is Arnie no matter how you slice him. He's still spot on in the role though. I guess the real treats here are the women. Claire Danes is pretty darn good in the Linda Hamilton-esque role. She's more like LH in the first film though, not the second. Then there is the TX, played by Kristanna Loken, who while not as menacing as Robert Patrick was in the last one, is still pretty darn mean.
All-in-all, T3 is a nice piece of entertainment that I would see in the cineplex. It's got action, pretty good one liners, and still manages to advance the story in the wake of Cameron's departure. Plus, I will never look at 'Talk to the hand.' the same way again....
-ct 'It's not a too-mah, it's vi-a-grah.' jester