John Connor (Nick Stahl) is a survivor who has for most of his life been able eluded those who are out to kill him. In the voice-over narration at the beginning of this sci-fi actioner, he explains how he lives “off the grid” without a phone, an Internet connection, or a regular address. John feels the future is bearing down on him. He’s having nightmares and is filled with nothing but dread — like many in our post-September 11 world who are fearful despite the millions being spent on technology that is supposed to make us safer. John has been told that someday he will save the human race from being attacked and destroyed by machines. Like the hero in The Matrix Reloaded, he doesn’t know whether he has it in him to fulfill this destiny.
John realizes the challenge is upon him when he finds himself running from a deadly cyborg, T-X (Kristanna Loken), a state-of-the-art technological assassin who can assume the shape of anyone she touches. She has a list of 22 American targets who stand in the way of Judgment Day when the machines take over the Earth. Her prosthetic arm is a mega gun and the tracking devices of her computerized brain are quite sophisticated. But her mission is disrupted by another cyborg, the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who emerges from the desert just as she is about to catch up with John Connor and his old classmate, Kate Brewster (Clare Danes). The Terminator has been programmed to protect these two, as well as Kate’s father (David Andrews), an Air Force general in charge of a sophisticated artificial intelligence network designed to provide security to the U.S.
Jonathan Mostow directs this sc-fi extravaganza, which is filled with the kind of razzle-dazzle action sequences that have become staples in detective and cop flicks. Only this film raises the bar on violence and destruction. In one scene, Connor and Kate are in a truck being chased by T-X in a over-sized vehicle that has a 100-ton crane attached to it; she really plows through the scenery! In the obligatory confined space brawl, the merciless T-X takes on the Terminator in a bathroom, creating the ultimate smash and bash sequence. Throughout all these encounters, just when you think the good robot has destroyed the terrible killing machine, she gets up and reconstitutes itself. Naturally, our sympathies lie with the Terminator whose curt humor and steely determination make him a likeable protector. If you want someone to watch over you, this is the model to order.
Two things can be said in this movie’s favor. Clare Danes delivers a strong performance as a young woman who rises to the top of her powers as she fights for her life. Second, it’s quite intriguing to see how the machines plan to destroy humankind — by using America’s nuclear arsenal. While the Terminator, John, and Kate fight off T-X and her fellow machine terrorists, the biggest threat to their survival are the weapons of mass destruction stockpiled all over the country. What a surprise to see this piece of realpolitik in a science fiction thriller. You’ll certainly never hear it mentioned in any presidential debate!
