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At a staggering budget north of $187 million, this Jonathan Mostow science fiction action
film was the most expensive movie ever green-lit, when it was released in July of 2003. Fortunately
for Warner Bros., it made around $250 million in profit. The R-rated plot once again focuses
on a cybernetic warrior from a post-apocalyptic future who is sent back in time to protect
a disillusioned drifter and a veterinarian from a robotic assassin. After a twelve year
hiatus between installments, Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the title character - in what would
be his final role before assuming office as Governor of California for the remainder of
the decade. A bit older, he's still as strong and amusing than before - dishing out quips
and punches effortlessly. Nick Stahl and Claire Danes co-star as the weak humans that need
protecting, and despite their best efforts - they're just not terribly likable. Trying
to motivate Stahl before battle, Schwarzenegger advises, "Anger is more useful than despair".
Although the picture gets points for including a fun cameo from the "Dr. Silberman" character,
the decision to kill-off Linda Hamilton's iconic role with a throwaway piece of exposition
is just insulting. She was the heart of this franchise, and if the script wasn't strong
enough to convince her to sign-on, then maybe that's a sign it needed a re-write. Kristanna
Loken has almost no dialogue as the new T-X villain, a sexy anti-terminator dominatrix-like
femme fatale who can control electronics remotely, and morph into any shape. She's the strongest
and most versatile enemy our heroes have faced yet... but for some reason, perhaps her performance,
or the clunky writing - she just isn't particularly menacing or frightening. Although, stabbing
a guy through the guy from the backseat of a cop-car, and then proceeding to steer while
he remains impaled was pretty damn cool. But far too much of "Rise Of The Machines" plays
out like an expensive cartoon... with gratuitous levels of destruction including a ridiculously
over-the-top car chase that sees a massive crane truck wiping out an office building,
or a wall-destroying fist fight inside a bathroom. While there's some fun in this mindless action,
the real draw of this 109-minute feature is the continued mythos of this fascinating sci-fi
universe. Although some reworking of canon is required, showing the immediate events
that cause Judgment Day itself is rather interesting. Rife with callbacks and one-liners, the movie's
occasional use of humor works pretty well too, like an early clothing-acquisition scene
that parallels part two. Unlike the groundbreaking work of that film though, the visual effects
here attempt to do much. The work is competent enough, but it just isn't convincing to carry
entire scenes, like the aforementioned shot where Arnold dangles from a crane as it crashes
through a building - it looks more like rag-doll physics from a video game. Brad Fiedel's re-used
themes are incorporated decently well into Marco Beltrami's new score, which remain appropriate
without ever being memorable. It's nowhere near the quality of the earlier pictures,
but a really fantastic and well-written final scene saves this movie from being a complete
cash-grab. "Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines" is fast-paced fun that never truly disappoints.
Here now are some of your reviews.
It's hard to believe anything could live up to the bar set by "Judgment Day", but that
still doesn't excuse many of this film's flaws. You rated it a GOOD... I'll be a touch more
forgiving - if only because Schwarzenegger is so great - and give this a SEVEN.