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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: 2 stars
Summary: I wonder what James Cameron thought of it
Review: I'm amazed by all the positive reviews for this films, especially assuming most of these people watched T1 and T2.

Terminator 3 was a ca$h in waiting to happen. I saw this film based on my admiration for the previous two movies, and I'm sure it was the same for most people. So hey, never mind the fact the second film basically precluded any further development of the plot, here comes Jonathan Mostow and some other businessmen.

Terminator 3's plot is really a pathetic self-justifying web, but that is not the main problem. The direction and acting are just poor. Kristanna Loken is not frightening in the slightest, neither can she act (even as a robot). So many of the elements are tried-and-tested ones rehashed from terminator 2. The director has absolutely no concept of suspense. It is full of over-the-top action scenes which are not really beleivable, even for a sci-fi. Nick Dahl is a pathetic actor as John Connor, and the dialogue is generally very weak.

All in all a lowest common denominator cash in which uses old Hollywood formulas of gratuitous action scenes, humour, cheese and special effects. It gets 2 stars because it wasn't boring, the sfx were good, and Arnold still somehow makes the one-liners sound funny.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Stay Here! A Sequel Is Back!
Review: Footnote: Official Actual Rating: **** (Four star rating).

In a misty cloud battered haze of physical violation, chemical indoctrination, and personal emotional dissociation, a beleaguered embittered surrogate adult emboldened to despair through an entire encompassing childhood chock-filled with apocalyptic prognostications that long ago whittled away at the isles of innocence of his past before they had any remote chance to take roost, John Connor (Nick Stahl) rounds the charred battered interior corner of Catherine Brewster's (Claire Danes) veterinary clinic only to uncover and beholden the perspiration lacking resolve of an unnatural athletic paragon of physicality, who known simply as the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), wearing only the color black and marching glumly forward towards the potential future human leader of the post-nuclear war resistance and blankly croaks mechanistically "John Connor...., it is time." This ominous introduction is the central narrative beginning of the inevitable arrival of the first non-James Cameron related cinematic voyage down the silvery paths of those adored mythical technologically horrific dreamscapes that had permanently laid waste and irrevocably attached themselves to the public psyche for these last twenty years. In the immortal action science-fiction masterworks that are Cameron's The Terminator (1984) and the peerless box-office behemoth standard Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Cameron authored a melancholic private canvas of personalized metaphorical sacrifice that absorbed the inhumanity of personal indifference and its ultimate manifestation technology in a beseeching melodic lamenting wail that embraced the unnerving subliminal undercurrent of contemporary angst that remained smolderingly relevant in the decade of the 1980's and lent it an audibly smoldering permanent voice that blisteringly echoes ever-increasingly in the decades since. One only has to mumble "Hasta La Vista Baby" to immediately mentally time travel anew back to the early nineties when one first encountered that immortal film line and the emotional underpinnings that led to that ultimate masculine moment being said in the first place.

In these pure cathartic strangely dignified magnum opuses of rhythmically culminated completeness, Cameron's first two Terminator films will always maintain an indefinite hold of the literate action mantle (what little there is of one) for many inconceivable immeasurable years to come. The Terminator franchise became an international institution of blatant originality defiantly visible internationality and boldly exclaiming the arrival of a new poet laureate of the silver screen in the form of Cameron himself. Yet like some dreams, they ultimately have to come to the end of one visionary and enter the sometimes alarming new view of another. Jonathon Malstow's third essentially inevitable 172 million dollar budgeted continuation of the James Cameron saga was under such a firing range of mixed divisiveness on all sides it was very difficult to see the final product away from the immense conflictive disagreement that resonated from all sides of the cinema going aisle. Both purists and brand new fans alike could not authoritatively come to any sort of (unsurprisingly) coherent consensus over what conclusively was still only a movie after all things were said and done and will always remain one for as long as video stores still have the (loud crackling voice echoes from the heavens) "all-impressive", "all seeing", and "all knowing" $0.50 rack still there to enlighten us illiterate cretins out there in TV land with the light of day.

As for the film itself running a brisk formidably pressing Hollywood running time of only 110 minutes (ten of which are invested in the richly-deserved specials effects specific ending credits), Malstow's Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines, is actually an surprisingly effective, atmospherically chilling, disarmingly action abounding, and unqualifiedly monumentally sublime savvy repackaging of the Terminator myth. With as many captivating passages, spontaneously enrapturing action sequences, a droll superlatively macabre Schwarzenegger, two singularly unrivaled optimally unbelievable earthly leading performances by Nick Stahl and Claire Danes, a perturbing undefeatable notable heavy in the nimbly stupefying and viperously irreproachable Terminator T-X (Kristanna Loken), an incessantly untold quotable entourage of glib one-liners ("Talk to the hand", "She'll be back", "Your levity is Good"), an hysterically intense schizoid cameo appearance from our old favorite cerebral dunce Dr. Peter Silberman (matchlessly played by Earl Boen in his third consecutive appearance in the series), dauntlessly vivacious first-class photo-realistic special effects by Industrial Light and Magic ,and as many stirring ambiguous chronological essential mysteries as you have come to expect from the Terminator universe, T3 continuously ignited. Warts of new helmsmanship and all, this is a very commendably smooth-sailing ride of ideal action articulated accuracy. No one that ferries any ill-conceived slanderous notions of perfection, blasphemous torrents of acute betrayal, or grandiose anticipations of the second coming of Judgment Day should have any forcefully sound worrisome disagreements with the final supremely delectable terminal aftermath. Providing your mind is as inordinately open as Arnold's T-800 defender unit was in Terminator 2.

As for the Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines DVD two disc special edition, it includes a stunningly defined 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation, a clarified Dolby Digital 5.1 English audio track, two audio commentary tracks: a charitably forward cast and director commentary track including Jonathan Malstow, Claire Danes, Nick Stahl, Kristanna Loken, and (for a awestruck dramatic first time on DVD audio tracks) Arnold Schwarzenegger himself and an authoritative director commentary by Malstow, several tantalizing special effect supplements, the inclusion of a deleted scene entitled Sgt. Candy, a flippantly uproarious deleted scene excluded from the theatrical release of the film which embellishes upon the T-800's origins (Worth the price of the DVD alone), and numerous other textual inclusions that the round out the entire package.

P.S. Depending on how you discern it, this could essentially be a valiantly superior final capper for a richly multi-faceted well beloved film trilogy than the Matrix Revolutions. No offense meant Wachowski Brothers.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not the best terminator performance
Review: This movie overall had good action to it, and a plot that could have used some extra tweaking. The DVD does have some good extra features selection, actually a whole extra disk which could keep you entertained even after you've finished watching the movie. This movie, the third in the series of terminator movies comes in at number three on my list. The plot in the first movie well topped this movie's and the second well out did it when it came to the action+plot. We are sure to see more terminator movies, considering this movie left sequals wide open with the ending. All and all, good movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Get Ready to pack your bags for nonstop action.
Review: This Delightful tale of a man who must come to terms with his destiny is Americas Answer to a great film. The pulse pounding action is enough to send any person to the ER. I would have been nice if Sarah Connor could have been in it too, but i'm not one to complain.
The special features are on two discs. I think that this is a movie of epic porportions that will knock your top off.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Lacking off on storyline, but the effects more than make up
Review: What I don't like is the moral of t1 and t2 was "No fate, but what we make for ourselves." While t3's messege was "no escaping our destiny." Although, the effects were eqivelnt to t2 the storyline wZs not t1 material. More like CRUMMY matrix crap.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: No soul
Review: I've been a fan of Terminator for a long time. I saw this flick and was TERMINAlly disappointed. I felt it lacked heart and soul.

It would seem as though the producer's budget was limited. Our heros (John Conner and his future wife - Kate) are running for their lives with Arnold "The Friendly Terminator". A Terminatrix (Dominatrix from hell) is hot on the heels of John trying her best to kill him with the mega arsenal built into her. Both the T-100 and the Terminatrix are laying waste to towns, all the while where the heck are the cops? John and Kate make a run for the Crystal mountain in attempt to shut down SkyNet. On entry to this bunker - where were the Soldiers gaurding this installation?
Not your realistic type flick like T2.

Hello. If you want a great Terminator flick, use a better director like James Cameron.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Lots of action, forgettable storyline.
Review: Okay, so we all know what's really going to happen here. Can the future be changed? If we take all the other time-travel related films and analyze, the answer is "absolutely not." So, what are we left with for the third installment of the incredibly popular "Terminator" films. Well, let's load up on the action, have some self-depreciating humor targeting that buff icon known as "Ah-nold," and let's just have some fun. The special effects are surprisingly noteworthy as well. I was pleasantly shocked at how much I enjoyed this movie. I seriously doubt I would enjoy this as much after a second viewing, the plot taking a backseat to the action and CGI, the characters not particularly likeable (except Governor Schwarzenegger), but it was a solid rental and I have been recommending that to all my friends. Consider yourself included.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Big budget thrills doesn¿t disappoint
Review: Leaving the theatre after the end of the first showing of T3 everyone was looking at each other sort of grimly. Don't want to spoil it, but don't expect a happy, fluffy, thumbs up as the t101 goes into the molten metal. Picking up where the second left off, the machines are trying to kill John Conner again, and while they're at it, eliminate some of his cabinet members from the future. The new evil Terminatrix is the logical progression from the amorphous T1000 prototype from the second film. I thought the actress playing the TX did a nice job walking the line between tough as nails ice queen and sexy in spite of herself-robotness. I remember reading once after T2 that they compared Arnold to the T1000 as a tank to a Porsche, the comparison holds true here as well. With her hair pulled back, she is sleek and dangerous in the same way Patrick was.. I actually liked this one more than T2, it wasn't as self-referentially funny. There are moments of comedy, but they are tempered by the ominous situation facing the heroes, more than the second film. Could also be that we don't have to deal with the whining preen of Edward Furlong from back then. The action and chase scenes are impressive and seem less CG-ish than the freeway chase in Matrix II [although that sequence still is unsurpassed in my opinion]. Overall, there is really is no down time lull that doesn't work, the quiet moments are handled well with Conner and soon to be more Claire Danes [sp] ]. Arnold was Arnold, some of the new quips had us laughing, 'Talk to da hand'. The DVD contains numerous extras but notably hilarious section on principals of the Terminator universe where they don't use the original actors from T1, T2 and have them running out of focus or Photoshop art effected. There are two audio commentaries, one done with the three actors, and then one by the directory. Upon repeated viewings I think it held up well as the third member of the franchise. Recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Brilliance has its degrees. There is four year old finger painting brilliance. Then there is Arnold brilliance. That's all you need to know. Third installment in a worn franchise, right? Missed it in the theater? Holy cow, my friend. What a mistake that was!

This movie was clearly written by a 12 year old when fun was fun. There aren't any ninjas kindly waiting their turn in this movie. It is non-stop unbelievable action. You will premanently press your silouette into your leather sofa, it's that good. I couldn't recover from scene to scene. It's just unbelievable action in the all out story-telling of a kid who doesn't consider if the scene is practical. "Wouldn't it be cool if..." "Yeah yeah, and then, while the car is sliding..." "And the crane will be..." Someone in Hollywood finally found scripting talent for action movies.

Sure, it's a stupid premise. "Spot the plot hole" is for idiots in this flick. I'm sure some wickedly smart person has already disproven that skin can't survive without an intricate circulatory system, yet the terminator clearly doesn't have a heart. But to this friend, I say, go get a life or go watch Wizard of Oz with your mom!

This is Arnold! This guy is governor. And I voted for him! Man, just seeing him stand next to Gray Davis makes me chuckle. I wonder if Gray is like "Whoa. I look like a cocktail shrimp!"

Ah anyway, seriously, this movie has a lot of the action grit of the first one. Some scenes are campy. Others are comic book like as the trend has gone in the past decade. It's not to be missed if you are a fan of the franchise. I would rank it the best of the three.

The ONLY negative (besides California in general) is that the DVD doesn't have more Kristanna Loken on it. She gave a terrific performance, much better than Nick Stahl's detached acting and Kate Brewster's girly overacting. I wonder if Arnold tried to grab anyone's butt. Ah, anyway, in the true American way, ignoring anything west of the Pacific, east of the Atlantic, south of the border, and those weird nobodies up north, one of the true great evils of the world is that Loken got perhaps fifth billing. She is a cutie. She got almost no time in the DVD extras.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Only Arnold could have returned to his best role.
Review: After 12 years, Arnold worked out to hit the same body mass and weight he was in T3. He also broke a few bones(collarbone, etc) during production also. Sure he made $30 million, but he did his best for the fans. No matter if T3 wasn't directed by Cameron, Mostow does an excellent job while paying due respect to the film's predecessors and he also brings his own style and brilliance to the film. As the character of John Connor, Stahl doesn't portray a leader of the future we'd expect but in the timeline of the overall arc he's still a drifter only reaching the most crucial point in his life at the end of this installment. The best action/sci-fi movie since the first Matrix.
Don't miss it.


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