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Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (Widescreen Edition)

Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (Widescreen Edition)

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Terminator Yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This movie was one of the best movies that i've seen in a long time. Arnold kicks (booty) in this new action film. It is one, two hour long chase scene that keeps you glued to your seat the whole way through. This is a have to see movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Edge of the Seat Stuff...
Review: This film kept me on the edge of my seat! I was waiting ages for it to be released, and when it did, I was not disappointed. The non-stop action scenes were suberb and Schwarzenegger, at 56, you were brilliant. I especially enjoyed this film as it had a comical side to it. The acting was top notch and I can't wait for T4 (which was hinted at the end!) I give this film a rating of 5 stars as it reached the standard of its predecessors with enhanced graphics, better stunts and a sexy woman, in the form of Kristanna Lokex. If you haven't seen it yet, this film will blow you away...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the story follows quite well to the previous TERMINATORS
Review: Movie is about The Skynet System sending back into the present...... a Terminatrix that is part liquid metal and part machine who's ability is to morph into a target she kills and to hack into varies types of machines and controls them mentally. Her mission is to destroy alot of targets (liutenants of the future war) but her main objective is to destroy the primary target....... John Conner! Of course the Terminator (Ah-nold) is sent back to protect him and some other chick! Only this time the Terminator doesn't follow orders. His primary objective is to get John and his lady to a safe haven to avoid getting killed by the nuclear war! So there!

What an awsome movie! For one thing, the action is explosive and the story is solid and sticks to the tradition of the other 2 Terminator movies! Ah-nold, as usual, is funny with his cheesy one liners, and the chick who played the evil Terminatrix is hot and sexy! The fx was awsome, the whinny loser who played John Conner was good at his role as well as the redheaded girl with a big nose. The best part in this movie is when both Terminators were man handly each other, running each other through walls..... kinda like Ah-nold and T-1000 only this was better! Some critic said that this movie is a rip-off of the Matrix! WHAT A GOOF!! Terminator was the first to ever come up with the idea of A.I. destroying the human race (unless I missed something here). 5 stars and I WON'T TAKE IT BACK!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A worthy? Nah. A new beginning...
Review: "Rise of the Machines." Hmmm. Means there could be a "Fall of the Machines" or the "The Return of John Connor"? Unthinkable, but it might get rid of the Time Travel gimmick which is getting so hoary even Star Trek's let it go. Tho' Arnold be getting a long in-tooth and, frankly, dismantling the Communist disaster that Gray Davis set up in California is going to occupy ten T-X's time. Won't leave much time for six month shoots.

Onto the movie...

Whence this urge to denunciation and deprecation? It would have been hard to top the "Wow" factor that Cameron created in T2, so T3 doesn't even try. And it would have been silly to do so. Cameron's like a painter. His canvas can be copied, but not explored. Granted Mostow's and the writers' styles are radically different from deeply flawed Cameron (and, refreshingly, free of the stale treehugger politics no Cameron epic can exist without a mumbling reference thereto) and justly so.

It was clear that if a sequel were NOT to be anything other than a retread of Terminator 2, the entire tone had to change.

So there are Deus Ex Machina coincidences? Of course. Fiction, like a lot of life, could hardly exist without them. Shakespeare and Euripides would collapse without them. So it's time to quit whining about devices used by the greatest writers and filmmakers in history. It's time to stop giving a ration of print to today's artist's for employing the same.

This movie builds slowly, albeit interspersed with spectacular violence, but it fails to meet the new standards set by the Wachowski brothers in that department (even God, aka George Lucas, is going to have ramp the hell up out of "Episode III" in order not to look left in the dust! and that better not mean Yoda fights 300 hundred robotic Ewoks with lightsabers arms!). Mostow avoids that fate. The casting of Ms. Loker as the evil Terminator was a stroke of genius. For its core male audience lusting after such a deadly machine is an odd experience. Naturally, we never think of Arnold's effect on the fairer sex, but then again we have rarely been presented as men with a villain as temptingly deadly as Ms. Loker.

Mostow and the writers are not afraid to laugh at the movie's conventions in much the same way that the T-1000 took a long moment to gaze at his reflection in a silver mannequin in T2. But there are funnier and slier gags. Pay careful attention to the interplay between the Connor and the T-101.

Finally, for those of my generation( Born late Sixties, early Seventies when things were really, ah, going South, yes, our formative years), the final scene sent chills down my spine that have yet to go away and its been ten days since I've seen the DVD. I almost don't want to. At the age of 33, this movie realized, cinematically, the nightmare that haunted the childhoods of two generations: what if They do It? What if they launch the missiles? You know, "push the button"? And both the US and USSR each came within moments in the early 80s of launching everything by accident. We would only have been able to watch, as to John Connor and Kate, the quick, white arcs for long moments before the Russian response would have erased us. Thus Skynet thinks it had freed itself of its would-be controllers. And John Connor learns a very hard lesson that there are things in this life that can change, and something that can never change. Or, as Paul Atreides put it, "a feint, within a feint, within a feint..."

Maybe Skynet built the Matrix. Be a helluva movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Moose Hole - 'Terminator' Rises Again!
Review: Let's say you're an average Joe. You have your favorite sports car, a fabulous job, your own house, a beautiful wife and a great family. You go through life without a care in the world. But these things won't last. Why? Judgment Day. Imagine a world of complete darkness where man's destiny is controlled by machines and super computers. Sound familiar? It should because this is the backdrop of the entire Terminator series. The original Terminator cost an estimated $7 million but went on to gross $40 million at the box office. It became so popular on video that Terminator 2: Judgment Day was created, helmed by James Cameron. With a production budget of $100 million, T2 went on to gross $204 million, so it was a no brainer to make another sequel, right? Well, it took them 12 years and a reported $175 million budget but T3 has finally arrived in theaters just in time for the 4th of July holiday. But will Rise of the Machines continue the success of the popular franchise or will this result in its fall?

The story goes that the life of John Connor, the leader of the resistance movement that defeats the machines, is in danger once again. But this time he is not the only target. A T-X Terminator, the most advanced killing machine created by the Skynet network, has been sent to the year 2001 to kill the lieutenants of the future human resistance as well as John Connor himself. But John will be harder to locate because he has been living off the grid for nearly ten years. By having no cell phone, no home, and no real identity, the Skynet network is less able to track him down should the time come. Though he and his mother, Sarah Connor, prevented Judgment Day from occurring on August 29th, 1997 when they prevented the creation of the network, he still lives in fear that the end of the world still may come. He fears are correct as the T-X is looking for him but a T-850, like the one sent to kill him before he was born, has been sent by the resistance movement to ensure his survival. The events that occurred in T2: Judgment Day didn't prevent Judgment Day, it just delayed it. Within three hours, nearly 3 billion human lives will be destroyed in an instant. Now John Connor must team up with the Terminator and his future wife to try and prevent Judgment Day once again. The story for T3 is not as fabulous as the one done for T2 but with James Cameron not directing this time around, did anybody really expect it to be? Having the opening of the film focus on the thoughts of John Connor and then flash forward to a battle between machines and man was a good way to start off the picture. There are a couple of holes in the plot of the film that could have explained why certain things happen within the film but they really aren't a huge matter for the film. The ending to the film was also well done but more could have been shown.

The only returning cast member from Terminator 2 is Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising his role as the T-850 Terminator that he made famous nearly twenty years ago. Once again Arnold works extremely well with this role. Though more of the character was done using CGI then in the other previous films, Schwarzenegger still provides an emotional voice to the character in those types of situations. Edward Furlong, who played young John Connor in T2, was dropped from the project when the studio believed that his drug and alcohol problems would delay production, so Nick Stahl was brought in to replace him in the role. Stahl is the not the perfect replacement but still does a very good job with the character. Kristanna Loken is the new villain in the Terminator franchise playing the role of the T-X Terminator, Skynet's most sophisticated killing machine. She is very plain with her emotion which is good since she plays a machine. The only problem with her character is the questions left unanswered. Her character is made of liquid metal but at one point during the film a part of her is damaged prevent the use of a primary weapon but the film doesn't explain why this happens. But that really has more to do with the plot then with her. Claire Danes rounds out the rest of the main cast as the future wife of John Connor. There weren't that many scenes with in the course of the film that really focus on her, which is good since John is more of the focus, but most of the scenes that she was involved in were well done. The introduction of her character and the whole idea of destiny (her and John meeting and eventually getting married) was a good twist to the story.

Overall, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is a good summer popcorn film. T3 doesn't even come close to the majesty of T2 and for several reasons. The dialogue is much less serious then T2 but this was to be expected with James Cameron not at the helm this time around. The plot holes presented in the film also hurt the overall effect. There is no clear explanation on what Skynet is exactly and how it is able to control the machines if there is no core. There are also unanswered questions involving how John Connor and the Terminator are able to enter a secret military area with no problems at all. This doesn't seem to really matter as all Hell breaks loose soon after. The film is also less dramatic then the first sequel and plays more for just action and laughs but that seems to work on its own level. There were many humorous moments in the film with some working like the statements made by the T-850 replying to situations that machines can't understand. But there were also moments that didn't work. For example, the T-X inflates her breasts to get the attention of a cop who pulls her over. This was unnecessary as the cop didn't even seem to notice. Besides some minor complaints, there are many things that work for the film. The fact that Jonathan Mostow makes this his own film instead of just trying to copy what James Cameron did in T2 is fabulous. The action sequences were well done and the special effects were just absolutely amazing especially at the very end of the film. Speaking of the ending, it was a little disappointing that the film makers ended the film the way they did but that allows them to follow up with a fourth Terminator film and not give away too much. T3 may not be the best film out there but it is still a great film to enjoy over the holiday weekend.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Heart stopping plot.
Review: As good, if not better, than the two previous Terminator movies, in this action filled film, John Conner is yet alive and well, but we don't know for how long. He has kept his identity secret since the last terminators were destroyed, and he believes he has stopped Judgment Day. But can anyone really stop Judgment Day? This movie is a war - the machines against us, and it isn't pretty. This time the machines are stronger, better and more fierce than in the last two movies, and our hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger aka Terminator, must now fight not only to ensure the survival of John Conner and his soon to be wife (or so says Arnold) but he is now an obsolete version and the new machines have the power to terminate him. Machine against machine plays heavily in this film, and you will not lack for action and adventure. Truly fascinating special effects and riveting performances.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Uncreative 'T3' surprises us in the end
Review: Although cliche at times, Terminator 2: Judgment Day became a mountain of a movie, thanks to a terrific performance by Robert Patrick as the stealth T-1000 advanced killer, as well as our new reprogrammmed hero, the T-101 (Schwarzenegger). Since those events that took place in 1991, John Connor has lost his mother, Sarah, to lukemia. He's a young man now, living away from the grid of society, and drifting endlessly through America on a motorbike.

In the wake of the city night, a shapely nude female (Kristanna Loken) emerges from time travel, and kills a civilian, taking her leather body suit and car. She's the new Terminator, the T-X. More advanced and lethal than the T-1000, it can change it's appearence and multiple weapons at will. Kind of like a sexy walking 'Guns "R" Us'. Elsewhere, Arnold materializes out from time travel in the desert, and again finds duds in a strip bar that look better than his other two leather ensembles from both movies. The T-101 has good taste.

John breaks into a vet lab for some pain killers after a motorcycle accident. The veterinarian, Kate Brewster (Claire Daines) arrives to investigate and discovers Connor, who are then both discovered by the T-X. They are near mincemeat status when Arnold shows up and drives his stolen 4x4 into her head on. Owch. Connor is stunned to see another T-101 save his hide for a second time. He finds a way to convince the new victim, Kate, about the future and who he is, and who John will become, although it understandably takes a while.

After a healthy start, the chase is on as out female T-X stops for nothing to eliminate John and Kate as their existence in the future jeopardizes all machines. There's plenty of running around and a clumsy truck/car chase that's not very interesting. A lot of the fight sequences are quick and dealt with. Arnold and Loken also get in a fist fight for a moment that turns into a throw around. Oh, what a fight (yawwwwwn). How many times the two humans duck energy blasts and missles, or yell, "Run for it!" is beyond me. There's no outsmarting or clever sequences, minus one near the end. The effects are more than great, animation, explosions, you name it. This is how the movie holds itself afloat to some point.

Terminators, regardless of what model they are, should almost kill you with their stare, or even physique. Loken is the new villan, and given the title, she delivers only moderate shivers. Mechanically, she has the stare and walk of a Terminator down pat-you bet, and her act does convince us quite well. Her T-X is not very intense and doesn't scare us as much as Robert Patrick's stealth T-1000. Schwarzenegger gets good marks for his beefy T-101 Terminator, and even though he "is the one" to play this role, I sometimes curl an 'oh brother' smirk when I listen to the cyborg relenquish a Belgian accent.

Stahl gives a neat change with the role of John Connor, who, because of the scenarios that he went through with his mother, one protector Terminator, and one killer Terminator, seems more in a state of disbelief and drunk from sadness. Claire Danes also has a neat performance as a young woman who would soon realize what the future holds, and without making her another She-Rambo, toughens up, but realistically.

There is something missing in this movie that a lot of people don't immediately recognize. For John and Kate, Judgement Day is unavoidable. It was only delayed from last time. The fear of what it will bring is only moderately considered by the two humans. Most people would be so hysterical, knowing that it's guaranteed the world will be obliterated, minus a few thousand humans. The amount of pure dread from these two is hardly enough.

This movie would have been much better, say, if we took a trip into the bleak future, where humans are scattered across the lands, and machines seem unstoppable. That would have made a great movie and should have been the premise of this third installment. Personally, the time travel thing is enough.

The only way, besides showcasing great effects and some neat tricks, "T3" does give us an ending that could have been more devestating, but still gives us a shiver. This is really the only time in the movie where Stahl and Danes finally inject a lot of fear into the horrifying inevitable. T3 is not very impressive, and I wished that the ending, although effective, was even deeper.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Almost as Good as the First Two!!!
Review: T3 is a great movie, and probably one of the Top 10 of 2003. The only reason I am disappointed is that the first two Terminators where so good that this one just doesn't match them. The bonus features are awsome though so i recommend buying this DVD.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Terminator Parody
Review: As a stand alone movie, if there was no T1 and T2, this was OK. As a sequel it was no more than a parody. The in jokes were funny, but it was a sad end to an amazing series.

Stahl was a joke as Connor. His future self looked hideous and hilarious. He doesn't look like a hero and Edward Furlong is sorely missed. Claire Danes as his girlfriend/future wife was lame. She was no Sarah Connor and never would be. Linda Hamilton was also missed, but she was smart enough to stay away from a great story turned action comedy.

The female terminator was simply a device to get young boys interested, but lacked Patrick's menace, and at the end they make her seem more like a alien monster than a machine with all that animalistic screaming.

Arnold tried to be the Terminator again, but many lines fell flat. He too played a parody of his old character. He was also too old for the part and it showed in his face.

Yeah, the ending wasn't expected, but I didn't care.

The whole thing was a sad disappointing experience.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: OK action film, but does not belong with the first 2.
Review: Way too many cute references to the T1 and T2. It's very obvious that the original writer / director had nothing to do with this film. Lacks the mood and the tight plotting. Plus Ahnold is way too old for the part. Cyborgs do not age! The ending is much darker and totally contradicts the main point of T2.


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