If you have ever watched Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and found yourself at odds with the movie’s use of comedy – something which can justifiably be described as verging on parody – you’re not alone.
Of the comedic aspects of the third film; be that the Elton John-esque sunglasses, the ‘ladies night’ stripper or the ‘Dat Funky Man‘ track (the song was also written by Mr. Mostow), the director of T3 has previously explained the humor as a means of ingratiating himself with the audience, and fanbase, at large.
Jonathan Mostow said:
“I thought that if I could make them laugh, they would unfold their arms a little bit“
Jonathan Mostow told THN
The Terminator 3 director sat down with Vulture to discuss a new 4K re-release of his movie Breakdown starring Kurt Russell, when, you guessed it, the topic of the third (?) Terminator movie came up, bringing with it the subject of T3’s ‘shticky’ humor (something most Terminator Fans have vocalised as being a hard pill to swallow).
The director stated:
“I felt that I had to disarm those people. So that’s why we made the choice to use humor, which is front-loaded earlier in the movie. Some of it’s too shticky, some of it has not aged well with time, I’ll be the first to confess. But if you went to the theater at the time, it worked with the audience.”
Jonathan Mostow told Vulture
Did that humor really land the first time around?
The use of comedy within the Terminator franchise has become an anathema to Terminator Fans, as studios, writers and directors seek to dilute the use of violence and action – which are intrinsic to the series – with misplaced humor.
Yes, there is a place for balance in movies which contain blood and gore and which carry a darker tone, but Terminator 3 failed to understand exactly how to strike that balance, instead hitting a string of bum-notes which only served to leave a bad impression upon viewing (even more so in retrospect).
The Terminator franchise needs to leave its clown shoes at the door.
Did Dat Funky Man get you up and dancing? Have you spent years searching Amazon for the perfect replica Elton John sunglasses? Let us know in the comments below…