Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (2-Disc Widescreen Edition) (2003)

The movie is sharp, with a very definitive, high-tech look and feel about it. Unlike its predecessors, T3 does not have a lot of character development in it, save for a somewhat disarrayed and poorly developed relationship between John Connor (played by Nich Stahl) and Kate Brewster (played by Claire Daines). The duo, thrown together in a moment of peril, at once loathe one another, only later to discover that they have feelings towards each other. According to the Terminator (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger), Brewster will eventually become Connor's wife, (presumably this will be seen in Terminator 4). The development of these characters are probably the one notable weakness in this film.

What makes this movie work are the intense action sequences, as well as the comedic timing of many of Schwarzenegger's lines and situations. In the opening sequence, the Terminator appears just outside a strip club hosting an all-male exotic dancer review. Schwarzenegger's character walks in naked, upon which women begin throwing themselve at him. Upon approaching a male stripper, whose physique is a match to his own, he commands that the stripper gives him his clothes, to which the stripper raises an outstretched palm and stammers "talk to the hand." It is probably one of the funniest moments of the film, and works well to give a moment of liteness to the overall darkness and theme of the story.

This movie is definitely a big-budget science fiction/action film with many high budget effects. The new Terminator (played dominently by Kristianna Loken)looks slick and sensual, clad in tight, red leather, combining the sexual appeal of a woman with the lethal force of a killing machine with a single purpose, to hunt down the future leader of a resistance that will rise against the machines and ultimately defeat them. Loken is completely convincing as the T-X, a prototype Terminator with the ability to change shape and create complex weapons.

The opening and closing sequences are probably the most haunting. Judgement day has arrived, and the movie closes with the first wave of the attack that will end society as it is presently known. The imagery is haunting, and leaves the viewer with a reminder of the potential threat we all face in the onset of new and better technologies. Not that this was the intent of the filmmaker, but to their credit, it works well in this film.

For anyone who is a fan of this series, T3: Rise of the Machines is a great film. For those that haven't seen the earlier two, there is enough exposition in this film to allow even an uninitiated Terminator fan to follow the course of events that unfold in this story. I hesitate to give this movie 5 stars, only because there are some minor weaknesses which, in some ways, makes this a slightly inferior movie to the earlier Terminator films. However, it is a great film and a worthy successor to Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

The DVD edition of this film contains many extras, from storyboards to the development of some of the films incredible special effects. It also features many interactive extras which are quite enjoyable.

Scott Kolecki