15 Things That Almost Ruined The Terminator Franchise
4. The Gags In Terminator 3
Its just a shame that they all leer toward obvious humour. Dont be mistaken, T2 had its fair share of amusing moments, but they didnt detract from the film overall. Just because the T-800 could learn hip catchphrases John didnt mean anyone doubted its ability to wipe out a room in two seconds flat.
In Mostows third entry, theres simply too much slapstick that it practically undermines the menace of the Terminators. The now-obligatory clothes acquisition sequence for the T-850 (Schwarzenegger) sees the naked robot enter a roadside bar on ladies night. Cue: cheering and hollering. And the donning of star-shaped sunglasses. If that visual wasnt bad enough, the series time stamps itself (an issue it had avoided up until that point) when the Terminator literally talks to the hand after the oily stripper onstage tells him to do just that. The whole point of these cybernetic killers is that we, the audience, are supposed to be terrified of them. Not laughing at them.
One good thing T3 had to offer was its commitment to gender visibility, with the T-X (Kristanna Loken)! In a blatant attempt to sexualise the first female cyborg moments after she first appears onscreen, she inflates her breasts to wangle favour with a cop. Theres just so many things at fault with this scene. Its not just sexist, but its mired in a botched attempt at being funny. Hahahaha - inflata-boobs!
Cameron would never have let that fly.