The Terminator movies have varied massively in of quality - from the heights of Judgment Day to the despairs of Genisys - but they can almost always be relied upon for solid action. Creator James Cameron pushes the boundaries of technology to their very edge with the first two movies, and even the underwhelming likes of Salvation have a couple of great setpieces.
Still, it can't be denied that the post-Terminator model unit protecting John Connor (Nick Stahl) from a prototype cyborg. The sequel is weighted down by misfiring comedy and a paper-thin story, but it still delivers on the action front.
The Terminator vs. T-X In Rise Of The Machines Is A Great Action Sequence
Terminator 3's bathroom battle is flush with great moments
Whatever complaints can be leveled against Terminator 3, it does boast some well-executed setpieces. Easily the most expensive (and the sequence the sequel was sold on) is an easy chase scene where the T-X (Kristanna Loken) pursues John Connor and the T-850 in a crane truck. This truck seemingly destroys half the city during its pursuit, and while the sequence is assisted by occasional CGI, much of it is practical. The standout battle, however, is between the dueling Terminator units near the end, where the T-X and T-850 have a vicious brawl that spills over to an abandoned restroom.
Bringing new meaning to "bathroom break," the two chunky cyborgs throw each other through walls, mirrors and stalls while delivering blows that would kill mere mortals in one punch. This Terminator fight is a little undermined by comedy sound effects, but for a fight sequence between what amounts to two walking tanks, it's a lot of fun.
Before Kristanna Loken was cast as Terminator 3's T-X unit, other casting possibilities included Chyna, The Matrix star Carrie-Ann Moss and Famke Janssen.
Rise of the Machines helmer Jonathan Mostow may have struggled to grasp the tone of the series, but he was always a steady hand with action. From Kurt Russell's underrated Breakdown to submarine thriller U-571, Mostow has a gift for staging visceral setpieces, with Terminator 3 feeling like a combination of all he had learned up to that point. Of course, cool action doesn't mean Rise of the Machines' faults should be overlooked, but the film at least delivers on its blockbuster promise.
This Bathroom Fight Is The Best Action Scene Outside The First Two Movies
The T-X vs T-850 fight was worth the price of ission
Cameron's original Terminators are in a league of their own, so there was little chance a third movie was ever going to top them. It feels like Rise of the Machines intentionally (and possibly wisely) shrank away from that responsibility. It focused on delivering action and humor without being especially innovative. It's Terminator 2: Reheated, but at least it put its large budget on the screen. It may not beat any of the Cameron movies in of action, but the bathroom fight is the best setpiece any of the sequels came up with.
... the bathroom brawl is a worthy entry on any best-of list of Terminator action sequences.
That may sound like damning with faint praise, considering the other follow-ups struggled to deliver any particularly involving setpieces. Still, the bathroom brawl is a worthy entry on any best-of list of Terminator action sequences. It's crunchy, impactful and gives both cyborg assassins little flashes of personality in between slamming their opponent's faces into a wall. The moment the T-X grips the T-850 by the groin before lifting and walking him through walls is pretty silly, but it works because Arnie's bemused expression sells it.
Had Cameron himself shot this bathroom fight, it no doubt would have been taken more seriously and gone on way longer. Regardless, it's still Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines highlight, and the bout that much of the sequel has been building towards. It may have been inevitable that the far superior T-X would emerge victorious, but Arnie's T-850 still goes down swinging.
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Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
- Release Date
- July 2, 2003
- Runtime
- 109 minutes
- Director
- Jonathan Mostow
- Writers
- John Brancato, Michael Ferris, Gale Anne Hurd, James Cameron, Tedi Sarafian
- Producers
- Andrew G. Vajna, Dieter Nobbe, Gale Anne Hurd, Guy East, Hal Lieberman, Joel B. Michaels, Mario Kassar, Matthias Deyle, Moritz Borman, Nigel Sinclair, Volker Schauz, Aslan Nadery
Cast
The Terminator
Nick StahlJohn Connor
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines sees John Connor living off the grid ten years after averting Judgment Day. The film introduces the T-X, a new robotic assassin, which forces Connor to forces once again with his former adversary, the Terminator, to combat the looming Skynet threat.
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- Movie(s)
- The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation (2009), Terminator Genisys (2015), Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
- Created by
- James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd
- First Film
- The Terminator
- Latest Film
- Terminator: Dark Fate
- First TV Show
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
- Latest TV Show
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The Terminator franchise, launched by James Cameron in 1984, explores a dystopian future where intelligent machines wage war against humanity. The relentless pursuit of key human figures by time-traveling cyborg assassins known as Terminators is central to the narrative. John Connor, the future leader of the human resistance, is the core target of the malicious machines.
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