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Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (Widescreen Edition)

Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (Widescreen Edition)

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Plays like a pilot to a TV Terminator Spin-Off Series...
Review: Both of the previous (and only, in my opinion) Terminator films are self-contained epics that each in their own way provide viscerally involving, intelligent, masterfully crafted, emotionally dynamic and, in more ways than one, downright meaningful and relevant stories that deserved to be told... And were in both cases told extremely well.

They were as good a fusion of pessimistically prophetic science fiction, human drama and social awareness to have been a big box office success as any film of the last quarter century.
Oh, and on top of it all, they were kick-[tail] action flicks to boot.

Terminator 3 should have been a continuation of this. In the absence of the story's creator, those in charge of making the next Terminator film clearly must have acknowledged that they held a certain responsibility to the characters and story that had been told thus far, and they very clearly threw it everything beautiful and important about the Terminator franchise in favour of what they perceived in their narrow, bank-balance-oriented minds to be what 'the Terminator' is all about:
Explosions and trucks and one-liners.
Like I said, the film plays like a TV spin-off. It looks like one, it's crafted like one, it has the "Tune in next week, Folks!" mentality of an obnoxious TV Pilot, and finally it transfers only enough surface-level material from the previous films (the trucks, the explosions, the character's names, Arnie) to bear a passing reseblance to the Terminator films, but only remind you of how great the others were, at least in comparison, and what a cheap, misguided, misinformed, mistreated, disrespectfully and condescendingly poor excuse for a cash-grab this bad one-liner of a joke this film is.

What a shame.
What a damn shame.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Worst Terminator
Review: This is a dreadful movie, it's everything you've seen before and even more boring than T2. I love the original Terminator which is a true classic, T2 was a silly remake of the first movie without all the violence and chill factor. T3 is remake of T1 with all action stolen from T2 and with even more watered down action sequences and has a similar setting for the ending. I can't belive this movie is rate R it should be a PG.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: T3 the terminator of Arnold's career
Review: I saw the movie over the weekend and I am a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie did have great stunts, special effects and explosions. But the movie did not have much of a story line to go with it. The poor plot of the movie did not link well with what the original movie and T2 set as the foundation for the series. Arnold has not made much of an impact at the movies lately and this T3 basically looks like a career-ending move for him.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Unworthy to be titled "Terminator"
Review: The very fact that James Cameron didn't work behind the scenes should have been enough hint for me not bother wasting money on this movie. It wasn't, because like so many other Terminator fans I gave the film a chance.

And wasted 2 hours of my life.

Nothing original appears in film; every action scene and most dialog between the actors are recycled information from the first two movies. Nothing happens that's remotely exciting or even intense--the action is the same action from T2. Basically, nothing happens that even the youngest of moviegoers can't predict. Even the ending was cliche -- yes, of COURSE the attack happens else AI wouldn't exist to bother the Connors in the first place. And, of course, there's no central computer! Should that have been surprising? Where does everyone think the 'Net exists? In their microwave? Give me a freakin' break.

I have no problem with the female terminator - it's not truly female anyway so why call it "Terminatrix?" - but she did the exact same things the T-1000 did and, of course, failed. The "good" terminator was way out of character, which wasn't cool at all. Down right frustrating at times. One would think, after the last two attempts on Jon's life, that Jon's future self (or whoever) would place some modifications on the newly re-programmed good terminator, but I guess us measly humans aren't as practical as AI.

This wasn't a terminator movie; it was a bad attempt to make one.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Rise of the plot holes
Review: Why didn't the T1000 in Terminator 2 simply go back in time to the day before Sarah Conner met Reese and Arnold from the first movie? Why wait "ten" years? Surely his advanced design would have been no match for Reese and the then unprepared Sarah Conner. It's always bothered me. Same here with T3. We're told John Conner is "living off the grid," so SkyNet can't find him. But guess what? SkyNet has a time machine, so who cares if he can be found in 2003? It can send a Terminator after him at any point in time (come on SkyNet...think three-dimensionally!) If SkyNet is so damn adamant about killing John Conner, all it needs to do is send one Terminator after another to the same day in time until the job is done. Better yet, go back in time and kill Sarah Conner when she's a kid, or kill her great-grandfather. All time travel movies have ridiculous plot holes of similar lines, but for some reason I'm less able to suspend belief with the Terminator series. I love the action, Arnold is as cool as always, and you can't go wrong with Clare Danes. But SkyNet is a pretty stupid super-computer.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: T3 Rise of the Machines - Better than I expected!
Review: Given that James Cameron wasn't involved in the making of this film and that "The Terminator" is his baby, his creation, one would've expected his involvement. Take that and the fact that "T2 Judgment Day" seemed to put an end to Skynet and the horrible future created for this outstanding series and one might've expected the plot to be thin but that simply isn't the case. This film does an outstanding job of extending the "Terminator" mythos and series as a whole!

The premise:

As we all learned in "T2 Judgment Day," seemingly all possibilities for Skynet to come into existence and launch its war against humanity are supposedly eliminated by that films Terminator, and Sarah and John Connor. That isn't the case though as it seems that Skynet is an inescapable factor, leading to its taking control of every computer on the planet and waging its war against humanity. Hence, we have the "purpose" for this film and the purpose for the Terminatrix to be sent back in order to once again chase down John Connor who is now in his early twenties. Now we also have the purpose for Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator to make his trip through time to protect John Connor and others... What follows is a well done film that is extreme in the action sequences and a fairly well laid out plot. The Terminatrix is definitely a thrilling villain against Arnold's Terminator.

I'd say that my first impression of the film after this first viewing is that yes, it's a good film to go to the theater to watch and yes, even though one might think they couldn't extend the story after T2, it does. In the final analysis though, when one compares the depth of the stories told in the first two films, one can definitely see that the series creator, James Cameron, either wasn't involved at all or at the least he wasn't involved much! Which is pretty much why I can only give this film four stars!

Would I recommend that you go see this film, yes it is worth it! Would I buy the DVD when it's released, yes! {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

Hey kido's this is a theatrical release, the only special features that you get to enjoy on this film at this point is the kid fidgeting and yammering away in the seat next to you, the infant wailing away several seats down from but so loud they seem to be right next to you and oh yeah, the couple three seats down from you that seem to think that the cell phone their yakking on is more important than the movie they paid to see. Enjoy!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Surprisingly Good
Review: I already despised this film before I even went to go see it. How on earth can you have a Terminator film without Cameron or at least 2 of the 3 key actors? Well, they did just that and it was actually enjoyable. This film is loaded with humor, not the self-contained kind from T2 but rather a sort of homage to the previous two films. Sure this is the easy way to do it in a trilogy, but it also has a familiar warmth about it. And the homages don't just stop at the humor but encompass many aspects of the film. This does give you the sense that they're running out of ideas, but I highly doubt that. Most of this was on purpose, though it certainly does cost the film somewhat in the depth department to take this route.

There are two aspects of this film that truly make it shine. First, Claire Danes is an absolutely wonderful actress. If she hadn't been cast in this role the project would have been doomed. She brings depth and humanity to a movie that already has us trying to empathize with a robot and another actor filling in someone else's role. Second, we get a nice take on the other films' mantra of "There's no future but what we make for ourselves." Now, imagine John Conner is a bit of an optimist who simply will not accept the laws of temporal mechanics. That it'd take his pragmatic wife to make the tough decision to ensure their survival at all costs is a heck of a great idea. The lengths we learn she is (will be) willing to go through, including allowing the T-101 to lie to her, is a wonderful development on the part of the writers. The only people who could conceivably have a problem with this is the hardcore Terminator 2 fan, who believes that mantra defines the first two films and throwing it out would simply make a mockery of the series. But since that's not me, it becomes a plus in my book.

I do have some problems with this film, though. I know the actor who played John Conner before isn't exactly considered very reliable anymore, but getting someone else is at least as bad as being stuck with the other guy. This other actor is definitely talented, but it's an unavoidable emotional leap and, resultantly, a drawback for the audience. It feels at times like a soap opera, a franchise that can't be shut down...kind of like ER nowadays. The actors become interchangable, and that's a shame.

Next, there's a scene in an Air Force hanger that is atrocious in almost every way. Without any sort of earlier set up, we suddenly learn that Danes' character was taught how to fly in the very trainer they're running towards. All the writers had to do was have her reminisce about her dad teaching her how to fly at some earlier point in the film, and there were plenty of opportunities for this when John and she are just talking.

Then we have the T-101's hokey melt down in that same hanger. The concept of this occurring is perfectly fine, but it's executed in a less than satisfying manner. Even worse, as John's heading back to the plane he explains (!!!) exactly what we just saw for us with that special oh-so-succinct insight that poorly written "informative" dialog tends to have. Simply put, the hanger scene needed major revision and reshooting.

Finally, the climax of the film at the blast door doesn't feel very climatic. When we got there and the intensity suddenly revs back up, I had to think to myself "Oh, this must be the climax." That's never a good sign. The film actually felt like we had a ways more to go, as the intensity had not properly been built up during the preceding scenes to justify the emotional catharsis of the climax. This might sound a little intellectual, but it's precisely because it was not quite instinctively and emotionally satisfying during this scene that I'm forced to use the left side of my brain to discuss it.

Even with this said, the resolution of the film is satisfying, so all is not lost. As you can tell I liked the film and am not holding it up to a higher standard than would be justified. The film is entertaining. Danes is great. The humor and homages made me chuckle. The chase scenes are good. Sure a lot of the CGI has that soft Star Trek Nemesis look, but the attention to little details like the sand turning into glass from the heat of the time portal made me sit up in my seat. And last but not least, we get to find out how Skynet was going to be developed whether the original terminator had been sent back or not. It's not a great film, but considering how low my expectations were I'd say it was definitely worth seeing. Maybe now they can immediately make a sequel where we see the initial coping with the holocaust and the rise of the resistance up to the climatic sending of the first terminator. Michael Biehn could certainly be recast for his role, entering the film in the second half. I'd pay money to see that T4.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Third time's a charm!
Review: Wow, what can I say? T3 is easily my favorite movie of the summer. It is full of non-stop action. The movie picks up with John Connor(Nick Stahl) in his mid-twenties. He lives "off the grid" as he puts it. No phone, no address, nothing to allow him to be tracked my Skynet. The T-X(Kristanna Loken) is sent to destroy him and all his future lieutenants. Once again, a T-800(Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent to protect John, who by chance meets up with an old aquaintance, Kate Brewster (Claire Daines). All the expected action follows. Throughout the movie we find out more about Judgement Day, Skynet, and, most importantly, the connection between the characters. This is really all I can say without revealing too much, because if you like surprise endings, this one will blow you away! All in all, this is a DEFINITE must-see for all fans of the previous two Terminator movies, and certainly one of the best films of the summer!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nowhere near as good as the first two but still summer fun
Review: No Linda Hamilton nor any direction from James Cameron, a different actor playing a grown-up John Connor and very little of the classic Terminator 2 music. Still Terminator 3 has its fair share of funny Arnold one-liners, high-adrenaline action scenes, and lethal kills. This movie though didn't discuss the aspects of machines trying to understand humans like the second, nor a new character- Kathy Brewster, trying to fathom a merciless killing machine, as in the first one. I didn't like how the characters didn't get developed enough. The whole crisis with Skynet taking over wasn't covered enough in detail. I thought their could have been more explanation about how the government found out about Cyberdine Systems revolutionary technology after Dysler (I think that was his name) died in T2. Still, nothing is better than watching thousands of bullets hit Schwartzenegger as if they were paper clips, and those multi-million $$ truck chase scenes are worth the price. The TX was a dumb blonde killing machine, not impressive for something more sophisticated than the intelligent T-1000. Still, I couldnt stop laughing during the two terminators battle in the bathroom or the end double helicopter crash scene. Also, look for an outrageous cameo by the never-getting it Dr. Silberman.
And a definite sequel in a few years.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: He's back.....She's back.....Terminator's back!
Review: Come July 2nd a whole new chapter in the Terminator Series will be revealed to movie screens all around the world. Of course seeing as the movie hasn't been released yet, this review will simply be going over some aspects of the Terminator Trilogy and will be edited when the movie is released.

When James Cameron was sick in Rome he had a vision. A vision of a cyborg machine arising from the flames. Terminator and movie history was born. The Terminator series has made its mark on filmmakers and audiences everywhere. Before Matrix was even devised, James Cameron made the story of Man Vs Machine into a blockbuster hit. The rise of technology shows no bounds as Cameron taps into the rise of machines and even comments how they could be the next step in the Evolutionary chain.

Arnold Schwarzenegger can warrant most of his fame and fortune to James Cameron's 'Terminator'. And even James Cameron can warrant most of his success as a director to his Terminator movies.

Terminator made its mark on the film industry with its use of Computer generated images. It evolved the bounds that many people thought that computers could do and is now used in pretty much every Hollywood film. With help from CGI, Terminator 2: Judgement Day even surpassed the original Terminator. Although the plot had would of contributed to that success as well.

The 'Terminator' story started off with a Terminator sent back to kill Sarah Connor as she was the mother of John Connor, the future leader of the Rebels against the Machines. A human, named Kyle, was also sent back by the future John Connor to protect his mother. What John Connor didn't realise when sending back Kyle was the he and Sarah Connor would fall in love and Kyle would actually be his father. Both the Terminator and Reese died ending the first chapter in the Terminator series.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day, picks up with John Connor as a foster rebel child with his mother in an insane asylum. A Terminator is sent back through time again... although the human rebels reprogrammed an older terminator model to protect John Connor. An upgraded Terminator, T-1000, is sent back also to destroy John Connor. Skynet, the mysterious corporation that was the brains and rise of the machines needs to be destroyed as it has got parts of the first terminator sent back through time which makes them excel their research and production of machines. The parts are found and destroyed along with both terminators. Ending the apocalyptic war of Man Vs Machine in the future.

So is everything has been taken care of, then what can we expect from the 3rd installment of the Terminator Series?

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. A decade has passed since John Connor (NICK STAHL) helped prevent Judgment Day and save mankind from mass destruction. Now 22, Connor lives "off the grid" - no home, no credit cards, no cell phone and no job. No record of his existence. No way he can be traced by Skynet - the highly developed network of machines that once tried to kill him and wage war on humanity. Until...

...out of the shadows of the future steps the T-X (KRISTANNA LOKEN), Skynet's most sophisticated cyborg killing machine yet. Sent back through time to complete the job left unfinished by her predecessor, the T-1000, this machine is as relentless as her human guise is beautiful.

Now Connor's only hope for survival is the Terminator (ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER), his mysterious former assassin. Together, they must triumph over the technologically superior T-X and forestall the looming threat of Judgment Day...or face the apocalypse and the fall of civilization as we know it.

One big downfall to the third film so far is that James Cameron and Linda Hamilton are not scheduled to be apart of this blockbuster hit. Jonathon Mostow has been signed to direct this successful series. To be honest, I don't know much about Mostow's work so I can't comment on whether he'll be a pro or a con to this movie smash.

I, personally, would of preferred to see the movie set in the future with the battle between Man Vs Machine in full throttle. Instead the plot is set exactly like it was in T2, except with a newly upgraded terminator. The great aspects of the first 2 movies was that the storyline took leaps forward while this movie seems to be just an upgraded Cat and Mouse chase.

I can only hope that this movie can continue the tradition of surpassing its Terminator predecessors. The CGI looks state of the art, the action scenes look intense and the hype is off the page. 12 years has passed since the last Terminator movie and only time will tell if it's worth its stay in the Terminator series.

But you better believe Arnold when he say's he'll be back, cause he's back on July 2nd.


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