The background and some philosophy :
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After a failed attempt to go to Lonavala on Saturday, courtesy of spoilsport colleagues, my friend and I decided not to sit at home and sulk. We decided to chill out and have fun. We did the most predictable thing that one does in such situations and decided to go watch a movie !! The venue in the form of Imax added to the fun. It's vastness also made us feel a bit closer to Lonavala :-)
Always make plans with people who are lively, enthusiastic and ready to chill out at the drop of a hat. Boring people (like my colleagues) should be kept in to fill the remaining seats in case the picnic bus is empty :-)
The Choices :
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The options were T3 and Jhankaar Beats. One was a 5 week old movie, which was funny and whacky !! The other one too had the word 'beat' associated with it, albeit a bit differently :-) We decided to go in for the former. And so Arnie it was who was the chosen one to enliven our mood for the day.
The Improvement :
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A noticeable change was that, the National Anthem was played soon and then some ads and promos were shown. This helped in enduring the 'Forced show of respect' and the promos helped build up the mood to enjoy the movie. Also noticed that some people were busy chatting whilst standing during the anthem. If something as important as the Anthem is played at the drop of a hat, it is bound to lose its respect. Another reason why it must go.
The Expectation :
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Being an avid Terminator fan, I must admit that my expectations from this movie were high. I expect it to be packed with more special effects, more action, better background score....in a nutshell, this movie must better its predecessor, T2 !!
The Cast : 3/5
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TX is a beautiful mean machine in the form of Kristanna Loken. Unlike the Terminator in T2, she can not only take the form of anything she touches, she can also turn her hands into deadly arsenal. Her other abilities include inflation of her Err...frontal enlargements #. Oh !! Forgot to mention, she can also take control of other machines and manipulate them to her own advantage [how very feline .. :-) $]
Arnie is his usual self, Obsolete in design, but with a commanding presence, nevertheless. Hate to say this, but he was not as commanding as in T2.
John Connor is played by Nick Stahl. He disappoints.
His aide is Kathrine Brewster played by Claire Danes. She disappoints too !!
The Overview and Plot : 3/5
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The start of the movie was nice. But no surprises there.
This time Arnie fails to arrive first and TX (the killer machine) beats him in the race to the past. As TX is a lady, she appropriately arrives in a boutique. Isn't that very convenient :-) Poor Arnie has to make do with a field as his landing site :-)
TX's mission this time is to eliminate not only John Connor but also his aides (or lieutenants as they are called in the movie) who will help him fight against the resistance.
As the TX wrecks real-life havoc while trying to eliminate John Connor, A virtual havoc is also underway. A sinister virus that has blocked all networks and has affected computers plagues the entire world. The military systems also get affected in due course of time and the key weapons systems are no longer in control of the Military. Left with no choice the Military hands over control to 'SkyNet', which is an AI software that has capability to eliminate the virus and help the Military regain control of the weapons systems.
Will SkyNet succeed in eliminating the Virus and regain control of the weapons for the Military ? Will the obsolete T-1000 succeed in protecting John Connor from the clutches of the faster, sleeker, deadlier and smarter TX ? Will the world be saved ... yet again ?
The Action and SFX : 3.5/5
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Short of Special Effects, this film provides a lot of real action. Bikes, Cars, Trucks, Semis...heck, even Fire-Engines and Cranes [not the bird you Dodo :-) ] !! T3 has it all !! Unlike T2 the special effects are same and do not meet the expectations (hence one mark deducted). At the same time, the
action does not disappoint. The scene involving the Crane is the highlight of the film !! Absolutely fantastic !!
Background Score : 1/5
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Where is the slick background score that lent a nice atmosphere to the movie ? Where is the electronic guitar and those drums ?? I missed those drums throughout the movie. The crashes are earth-shattering, but no music to help the movie sail thru !!
The Verdict : 3/5
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The movie's end reminded me of the Matrix and the machines inside the Military facility reminded me of Star Wars.
Unlike T2, which was very slick and had an aura of believability and awe around it, T3 falls flat on its face. The movie does not have the depth of T2 and appears to be more of a rush job. It is also a bit short in length.
The film is T2 reloaded sans the slickness and extra-ordinary SFX!! Unlike T2, one does not feel awed after watching this film. Very mediocre. Someone please get James Cameron back if there is a sequel !!
The movie is a black-face moment for the sensibilities of die-hard Terminator fans. Why? Do read the comments for the list of goof-ups !!
Only to be watched for its action !!
Lighter Moments :
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~When Arnie tells Kathrine that Conner is gonna be her husband, She looks at him and says ''You are a mess !!'' (even I felt that he was a mess in the entire film, lol) He retorts ''Well, you are not my type either !!'' He reminded me of Matthew Perry (Friends) who would have done more justice to that scene in the van :-)
~There is a scene when Arnie asks Kathrine is she is ok. When she starts complaining, he just slams the cab window shut and says ''I do not comprehend''. I wonder if Arnie is able to do that in real life to his wife !! :-) Lol !!
~ Arnie sports STAR shaped glasses !! That was a riot !! :-)
Afterthought :
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SkyNet is touted as a AI software that is hell bent on destroying humans and giving power to the machines. As we were waiting for our transportation back, I commented to my friend
''Does this mean that now this SkyNet will take over and force humans into captivation ? But then that would mean that we are heading towards Matrix - part 1 where humans are controlled by a AI software and are used to generate power for the machines. Which means that now instead of Arnie, Neo will have to save the world. And since we already have seen 2 parts of the Matrix series it would mean that the final movie will have to be an amalgamation of Matrix and Terminator. How about calling it 'The Matrix .... Terminated'.
My friend thought that it would be grand to see Morpheus battle Kristanna and Neo take Arnie in the ultimate sequel !! Let me know what you think about my plot and the revu in the comments section :-) Thanks for reading. Do take a look at the Loopholes noticed in the film in the comments section :-)
# Special thanks to Spooks [spookaay (MS id)] for providing this politically correct definition in one of his comments :-)
$ The reference to Feline here is inspired by CrazeeBiddee (MS id)
