Rating: 
Summary: Why sequels are not always a good idea
Review: There is a line in this movie in which the Arnie Terminator says "It is time." I so wish that someone would have told the writers and director that BEFORE this movie came out. That is to say, it would have been nice if they had been notified that the TERMINATOR story had run its course.Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and T3 was made. This movie should be used as "Exhibit A" as to what happens when a good idea is recycled one too many times. Instead of continuing w/the excellent story of 1 & 2, this one comes off as generic, tired and rather silly. One of the problems lies in the fact that the T-1000 from T2 didn't give the writers anywhere to "go" to make the Terminator in this one even more impressive. So, what they come up with are some absurdly far-fetched powers that don't coincide very well with logic. The lone bright spot of this movie is Kristanna Loken. She is most assuredly cast perfectly as the new Terminator. She is drop-dead gorgeous, has a fantastic athletic body and she also has that "don't mess with me" look. Seeing her come thru the time portal naked might just be worth the price of renting this movie - but the storyline certainly isn't. It is sad that this movie was so bad, as T1 was a classic and T2 was even better. All T3 does is throw in a lot of ad hoc details that un-do everything that T2 did. Apparently the film-makers thought that the ending was going to be a big "surprise." Anyone who half paid attention to the movie could predict what would happen 1/3 of the way in. Sadly, the theme of the movie is nearly as predictable as how bad it looked like it was going to be. For all TERMINATOR fans out there, I would admonish you to watch T1 & T2 over and over again, but skip this one entirely.
Rating: 
Summary: Edge of Your Seat Action!!!!
Review: "Terminator 3" is a great, action packed sequel to "Terminator 2". The terminator that is sent back in time to kill John Connor in this movie is called the TX and she is much more advanced than the terminator sent back to kill John in the second movie. There are many ironic and funny lines through out the movie that give a nice break between the action scenes.
The TX is more advanced than the terminator in the second movie in many ways. One way would be that the TX can turn her arm into a variety of guns, including a machine gun and a fire shooter. TX is also able to turn her fingers into keys that can start cars or connect to the car's computer and she can run it be the remote in her head. Like the other terminator TX can also take the form of the people she kills but she does not use that ability as much as the other terminator did.
There were many lines in the movie that I found to be funny and ironic but the first was said by Kate Brewster. She was in a furniture store with her fiancé, Scott. The marking gun she was using to pick things out for their registry was being faulty and Kate responded in frustration, "I hate machines." I found this to be ironic because she really doesn't know how much she is going to hate machines in her future when they take over her world.
During the first action scene the TX is chasing John and Kate in a huge truck that has a crane to it. The terminator played that was sent back to protect John and Katie catches up to the TX and is being swung around on the crane. Suddenly a fire truck comes down the road and smashes into him, tearing him off of the crane and down the road. I found that sudden smash to the terminator to be really funny because no one sow it coming, especially the terminator. It let you take a breath and laugh before the action got too intense.
In the end "Terminator 3" turns out to be a very funny movie, packed with intense fighting scenes and terminators more advanced, with more "toys" than the first two movies. I would recommend this move to anyone that enjoyed the first two "Terminators", and enjoys edge of your seat action.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Bad For What It Is
Review: * At the beginning of TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES, we once
again meet John Connor (Nick Stahl), now a young man who stays on the
move with barely a roof over his head, lest some killer robot from the
future hunt him down once more. In fact, such a killer robot has been
dispatched through time again (model Kristinna Loken), in the form of
an advanced Terminator that combines features of earlier Terminators.
Connor finds himself trying to stay one step ahead of this cybernetic
Grim Reaper, accompanied by an old classmate, Katherine Brewster
(Claire Danes), and aided by a familiar Terminator face (Arnold
Schwarzenegger of course). The obvious fact about T3 is that it is a sequel following a sequel,
and so by definition it has to cover fairly familiar ground. The only
question is how well it can pull itself off within such a constraint.
The answer in the case of T3 is: Pretty well! Director Jonathan
Mostow delivers a neatly produced action-adventure flic that snaps
along very nicely with spectacular special effects, and the actors do
a conscientious job. Ms. Loken projects a sullen sort of menace with
her too-perfect fashion-mannequin looks and determined lack of
expression, and Arnold is in good form, popping off equally deadpan
cyborg one-liners. I do have to point out that T3 does drop here and there into
comic-book cheesiness in term of some of its props (despite the fact
that little expense was spared for the production) and in terms of
some of the dialogue and scripting. I think purists might find T3
disappointing and I will admit it is not great cinema, but were
other TERMINATOR flics anything but craftsmanlike action flics?
From that point of view, I find choosing between the three not all
that useful an exercise. This is a two-disc DVD, incidentally, with a whole disc devoted to
interesting special effects explanations, a puff piece on making the
film, a gag / bloopers video, a weblike reference file, and so on.
This is all fine and dandy, but I will have to suggest that the DVD
menu does tend to put style above utility -- the text is needlessly
hard to read, and navigation between the disc entries is clumsy. It
would seem that a hierarchical Windows-style "tree" would be a simple
and obvious tool to help keep everything straight. That's nitpicking
of course, but since it's the kind of thing that the builders could
have figured out with just a little user feedback testing, it's a bit
irritating. Still, I've seen worse. Now that Arnold has become the "Governator", T3 may also effectively
represent his movie swan song. I actually hope so, since it
provides an ending on a relatively high note for Arnold's movie
career, which otherwise seemed doomed to gradually decline into
oblivion. For this reason alone I'm hoping he has a successful
career in politics.
Rating:
Summary: Good but flawed
Review: I'm such a huge Schwarzenegger fan and a fan of the first two Teminator movies that I was so looking forward to this. My expectations were not high at all going in basically because this already didn't feel like a Terminator movie (no Cameron, no Hamilton, no Furlong etc). Sure Arnie was back but I was actually amazed at how little screen time he got in this movie. Nick Stahl is a good actor but he just didn't make me believe that he was John Connor. I'm not to big on actors being replaced in films like this (it would kinda suck if Arnie was replaced with someone supposed to be him). Clarie Danes character was ok but got annoying at times. She made you miss Linda Hamilton that much more. The T-X was pretty cool though no where near as cool as the T-1000. It was nice to see characters like this back after a 11 year abscene but sadly it wasn't the same. It was like showing up to a reunion but someone was standing in for the people you went to school with. I did like the ending of this movie and hope that if they do make a 4th (and it looks like they might)it will be set in the future. Arnie wouldn't be needed thing (and it looks like he might not have the time to make a 4th one now)but a 4th Terminator without any of the actors from any of the other films would be really odd to watch. Maybe someday soon James Cameron will return and make one final Terminator movie (i'd much rather have that than True Lies 2).
Rating: 
Summary: Wow, Governor Schwarzenegger used to be an actor?!
Review: A visual stunner to rival any ever produced, "Terminator 3" may also be the best movie of the series so far. Bigger and badder than the original, and smarter than the first sequel, "T3" ups the ante in every area: action, plotting, and above all, special effects. There a ton of scenes in this movie that you just have to see to believe, none more so than an early car chase that is easily among the most gripping action sequences ever conceived. Fistfights and shootouts are just the beginning: everything is more intense here, with even fewer reprieves interspersed to give the viewer some time to breathe. Even the villain is a lot cooler: this time around, Arnold's T-101 has to protect the luckless John Connor from the Terminatrix (Kristanna Loken), which is an even tougher nut to crack than the T-1000 from "Terminator 2." It's made of the same liquid metal, it can control other machines, and its arms form all kinds of destructive weaponry, including a flamethrower, a machine gun, and some other weapon that I can't quite identify but it looks freakin' great. She slices, she dices, and she even puts her fist through one poor guy's stomach in one of those "I didn't just see that, did I?" scenes. Plus, I can't help but be amused at the idea of an merciless, futuristic killing machine taking the form of a hot blond chick in a quasi-dominatrix outfit. "Alien vs. Predator?" Ha! The Terminatrix is scarier than both of them, and makes for much better scenery as well. The plot is a bit of a reach, but hey, the plot of every "Terminator" movie could probably make you bang your head against a wall of you thought about it too hard. The initial judgement day of 1994 has been averted, but those pesky machines aren't giving up so easily, as they send the Terminatrix back after John Connor for yet another shot at the future leader of the human resistance. Unfortunately, the humans don't have quite the technology that the machines do, so they have to send back another Arnold-resembling T-101 to serve as John's protection. There's a catch as well, in the form of John's future wife Kate (the ever-cute Claire Danes), who it turns out is as important to the future war effort as John is. In one of John's rare strokes of luck it turns out they're fated to get together, although Kate has to first endure the sight of what she thinks is her fiance morphing into the Terminatrix before her very eyes in a genuinely creepy moment. However, while the plot of the movie is definitely commendable, it's not exactly integral. What's more important is that "T3" manages to keep the series fresh with a sense of humor that the first two installments definitely could have used. Arnold's deadpan expression and wooden line-reading actually turn out to be assets here, imbuing such potentially cringe-inducing lines as "Talk to the hand," "My database does not encompass the dynamics of human pair bonding," and "I'm back!" (wink wink) with wit and irony. And there's a throwaway scene involving a pair of sunglasses that's brutally hilarious to anyone who's seen the first two movies. Another highlight is Earl Boen's return as the hapless Dr. Silberman, in a cameo that pushes the concept of self-referential humor to Simpsonian lengths. While "T3" was almost certainly intended to be a cash cow (which it very much was), it still feels like a logical progression from its predecessors, and not just because it had such a bigger budget. With its undertones of fate and its foreboding of an apocalyptic war zone of a future, the "Terminator" franchise is simultaneously more compelling than the "Alien" series and less hokey than "The Matrix." Part of me hopes there are no more sequels, because if "T3" is the end it's a very good one. This may not be best movie of the year, but it's up there.
Rating:
Summary: AS GOOD AS COULD HAVE BEEN EXPECTED
Review: This movie really beat the odds. It had the obvious handicap that digital, liquid metal, effects are no longer as surprising/exciting as they were in 1991, when T2 came out. Still, from a technological point of view, you can appreciate quiet a lot of progress between the two films, specially during the public bathroom fight (wow !!!!). The movie comes to show not just anybody with a computer can make CGI effects these days(see Charlie's Angels, The Hulk, etc.).
I'm glad the film stuck to the T1 & T2 mold, I don't think it would have been very exciting to see the Terminators fighting in Alaska, negotiating a peace truce or whatever. The formula still works even though it's hard to expect it to be as fresh a in the first two films. Like a James Bond film, there are some things you just expect to see.
The movie looks and sounds great on DVD and is sure to give your equipment a run for its money. The extra features could have been a little better though. There is some behind the camera footage on the film stunts but it hardly covers all we would like to see (what about the cemetery scenes ? the hearse going under the truck ? the mentioned public bathroom fight ?). The Indiana Jones DVD documentaries seemed to be a lot more thorough even though they are so much older.
Still, there is not much to complain. I seriously doubt a fourth movie about a post-apocalyptic world with John Connor in charge will be as appealling as the the first three ones with Terminators-out-of-their-own-time theme, specially with Governor Arnold out of the picture, anyway, who knows ?!?
Rating:
Summary: BIG, LOUD, FAST & FUN
Review: Ten years have passed, can a now inferior Terminator still save John Connor and prevent the apocalypse? Governor Schwarzenegger's unstoppable cyborg in TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES (Warner) worked the box office like his political campaign: despite criticism, a big unexpected win. The digital version of the once bad but now good robot from the future has lots of extras including a sometimes eyebrow raising commentary from Arnold. The dangerous action sequences are big and loud and beautifully staged (the budget was reputed to be north of $170 million) and the story satisfies (unlike the two dreadful Matrix sequels). A fun, fast ride. So rare that a sequel delivers with fresh material that satisfies.
Rating:
Summary: Great Film
Review: As a fan of this series, the people who cirtized this movie are far being way too judgemental. I went into this movie not expecting a whole lot, James Cameron was not directing (the creator and writer for the first 2), Linda Hamilton was gone and there was a whole new cast with the exception of Arnold. Let alone if Cameron had left the real ending of T2 in and didn't cut it we wouldn't even have a T3. (The scene where an old Sarah Conner is refelecting in the future how Judgement day never happened).
I was real surprised with the result, there was no stop action as like the first 2 movies and storyline flowed well. The acting was great and Kristina Loken was just as cold faced as Robert Patrick was. The fufillment of the prophecy was the only way to go for this movie and Mostow did well in telling how the Machines would finally become self awared. I would have loved to see Linda Hamilton back in this one and she was sorly missed, but other than that this movie doesn't miss on anything else at all. The Graphics was great and the fight scene between Loken and Arnold while the machines were taking over was something to see. I recommend seeing this the way it should be on a large screen with plenty of surround sound, it will blow you away.
Rating:
Summary: Good effects, same plot
Review: Firstly let me say I loved the first 2 movies and the special effects are wonderful. The problem is the plot seems to be to take T2 make the bad terminator a she instead of a he. Throw in a few good special effects, and some very very bad jokes, which should of been cut on final editing and call yourself T3. It never seems to reach the drama of T2, the jokes are old and the plot recycled. I gave it 4 stars because of the special effects and that I love the other movies in the series.
Rating:
Summary: A Worthy Addition To The Series
Review: The first two in the series are exceptional science fiction films. The third in the series is quite possibly the best. The reason I say this (although I miss Linda Hamilton)is because pacing, effects and story wise this film is indeed the strongest. There is not a slow point in this film and that is to always be commended in my book. I was also pleasantly surprised at how well Nick Stahl slipped into the role of John Connor. I only really knew him as an actor from one of my favorite indie films "Eye Of God." Claire Danes is really strong in this. Jonathan Mostow did an excellent job directing this film. Surprisingly he lived up to Cameron's skills in telling this story. I haven't quite decided how i feel about the ending though. Its not bad but...I don't know. Not sure. I guess I'll just have to watch it again.--Just watched it again. I take back what I said about it being the best of the series. T2 still reigns supreme.
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