DVD Review: Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (C+)

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Directed by Jonathan Mostow
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, Kristanna Loken
MPAA: R
Grade: C+

Review by Scott Standish

Dusting off the Terminator franchise after a seven year hiatus, Arnold does his best to make this sci-fi thriller entertaining. There are the prerequisite inside jokes for fans of the first two films, and lots of action. However, T3: Rise of the Machines just doesn't have the power of the second film or the originality of the first and it ultimately disappoints.

The plot line is simple: an advanced evil Terminatrix (Loken) is sent back in time to kill the young John Connor (Stahl) before he can lead a resistance to the impending war on humans. Machines are taking over and Connor and his future girlfriend (Danes) must be kept alive to ensure the survival of the human race. Enter Arnold. He's a good old fashioned Terminator without all the bells and whistles of the Terminatrix, but hey, at least he's got a sense of humor: at one point, after the Terminatrix is driven away, he looks into the camera and says "She'll be back". Sure, it's a play on his famous catch phrases from the past, and that's about the best thing in T3, it's self-deprecating humor.

Director Jonathan Mostow does a good job of keeping the film moving along and poking some subtle jabs at itself. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is not a bad movie, it's just not that great, especially when compared to the first two films. It has some nice action sequences however and some subtle humor to keep it afloat. Rent it, but don't buy this one (unless you are absolutely set on completely your Terminator collection).

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