Product Description

Arnold SchwarzeneggerDirectors: Jonathan Mostow

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2903 in DVD
• Brand: Blu-ray Action & Adventure
• Released on: 2003-11-28
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Dutch, Hindi
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 104 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines starts in high gear and never slows down. The apocalyptic "Judgment Day" of T2 was never prevented, only postponed: John Connor (Nick Stahl, replacing T2's Edward Furlong), now 22 and disconnected from society, is being pursued yet again, this time by the advanced T-X, a sleek "Terminatrix" (coldly expressionless Kristanna Loken) programmed to stop Connor from becoming the saviour of humankind. Originally programmed as an assassin, a disadvantaged T-101 cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger, bidding fond farewell to his signature role) arrives from the future to join Connor and future wife Kate (Claire Danes) in thwarting the T-X's relentless pursuit. The plot presents a logical fulfilment of T2's prophecy, disposing of Connor's mother (Linda Hamilton is sorely missed) while computer-driven machines assume control, launching a nuclear nightmare that Connor must survive.

With Breakdown and U-571 serving as rehearsals for this cautionary epic of mass destruction, director Jonathan Mostow wisely avoids any stylistic connection to James Cameron's classics; instead he's crafted a fun, exciting popcorn thriller, humorous and yet still effectively nihilistic, and comparable to Jurassic Park III in returning the Terminator franchise to its potent B-movie roots. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVD: Terminator 3 two-disc set has only one deleted scene, but it's first-class. The "Sgt Candy Scene" is a must-see and, unfortunately, the best thing on the second disc. The rushed HBO documentary shows us far more flash than substance. Better is the Visual Effects Lab that goes more in-depth with four sequences, although you need to wade through a weak interface for each segment. Making your "own" effects isn't that much fun; you can only choose a few effects that change in two scenes. Anyone looking to get the complicated backstory of the trilogy figured out should dig into the "Sky Net Database" and an intricate timeline.

Disc 1 has a 30-second intro from the Governator himself, plus two commentary tracks: director Jonathan Mostow goes into great detail on how the little things (from lighting street scenes to tricks for destroying buildings) count; the second track is pieced together from the actors recorded separately--here Mostow appears with actress Claire Danes doing her first commentary track. The anamorphic 2.40:1 widescreen picture and thunderous DTS 5.1 or Dolby Digital 5.1 sound options deliver everything you would expect. --Doug Thomas

DVD Description
A decade has passed since John Connor (Nick Stahl) helped prevent Judgement Day and save mankind from mass destruction. Now 22, Connor lives "off the grid" – no home, no credit cards, no cell phone and no job. No record of his existence. No way can he be traced by Skynet – the highly developed network of machines that once tried to kill him and wage war on humanity. Until out of the shadows of the future steps the T-X (Kristanna Loken), Skynet’s most sophisticated cyborg killing machine yet. Sent back through time to complete the job left unfinished by her predecessor, the T-1000, this machine is as relentless as her human guise is beautiful.

Now Connor’s only hope for survival is the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), his mysterious former assassin. Together, they must triumph over the technologically superior T-X and forestall the looming threat.

Special Features

• Audio commentaries
  
• Outtakes
  
• Deleted scenes
  
• Visual Effects Lab.

Customer Reviews

Lacks the Cameron touch
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is not all that bad though. While the first half is nothing more than a B-movie filled with cheap gags and too much action, the second half is where the movie really begins. At this point, it gets into a good pace where action shares the scene (no pun intended) with a slower, more dramatic feel. That's why the movie is so weak, it is unbalanced. T2: Judgment Day kept the ball rolling and took the time to tell a story. It's not normal that anyone should wait over 40-45 Minutes to find out what happened to the second most important character of all the Terminator films, Sarah Connor. Instead of filling the beginning with their entire arsenal of special effects, they should have dispersed them throughout the film, in between the scenes that occupies the second half, a second half where characters like John Connor (Nick Stahl) and Kate Brewster (Claire Danes) finally have a chance to evolve. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger is unable to give 3 dimensions to his character. If the character is supposed to be another version of the one seen in T2: Judgment Day, it instead ressembles more the one portrayed in the first Terminator film, a killer on a mission. Never once is there a chance for the viewer to believe in this Terminator character. In the end, he appears just as cold and uninteresting, very much like the steel it was built on.

Would've T3: Rise of the Machines been a better movie with James Cameron on board... probably. James Cameron, besides being a good director, knew the characters like no one else. For sure, the film would have been shot based on a better structure and filmed more evenly. As mentionned earlier, the movie is about going into the past to make the future better. That's something they should've paid more attention to, taking more notice of the franchise past to make a better future or in this case, delivering a better present. In the end, Terminator falls into the stereotype of all the other action films it follows. Not the type of movie that really drives you to watch the first two if you're new to the franchise.

A good Saturday afternoon flick....hang on - this is a Terminator film!?!
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the Terminator in the third part of the series. This time a female robot called the T-X has been sent to the past to kill John Connor and his future officers.

The first two Terminator movies are two of the best movies of all time in my opinion and T3 really doesn't live up to their standards at all. For a start the script seems to be aimed more for younger views and steers away from the scary, menacing terminator of the original (which used to terrify me when I first saw it) and goes more for a humorous approach which I felt really didn't work. The T-X is also ridiculous with her hands that turn into powerful guns which made the balance in the fights between the terminators seem extremely unfair and if Arnie's model was supposed to be the same as the one in the first films, then he wouldn't have lasted five minutes against her, but he does.

The action is very good though with plenty of excitement and high-speed chases and punch-ups. The special effects are great with some (if under-used) very impressive futuristic scenes that make me look forward to Terminator 4 next year, which is supposed to all take place in the war.

I saw this film in the cinema back when it was first released and wasn't all that impressed with it and only really bought the Blu Ray edition to finish of the trilogy collection and watching it again now for the first time in 5 years, I did actually enjoy it a lot more, even if it didn't feel like a proper Terminator film when compared to the other two. It does feel a bit like a high budget TV movie but is still a fairly decent action film all the same. Why they didn't ramp up the violence and give it a higher certificate is beyond me, as this could easily be shown on a Saturday afternoon!

The picture and sound on this is actually very good with a very sharp and crisp display throughout. In fact, out of the three Terminator Blu Rays, the quality of T3 is probably the best.

Film - 2/5
Blu Ray Quality - 5/5
Overall - 2.5/5

just aint frightening
The core problem with T3 is Kristanna Loken's hopeless miscasting as the new Terminator. The whole point of a killing machine is that not only is it supposed to be a killing machine, it's also supposed to look like one. Both Arnie's original in T1 and Robert Patrick's liquid freak in T2 made you want to run a mile just by catching sight of them. T3 just makes you go weak at the knees. Call me old fashioned, but someone who looks like they should be on the cover of FHM does not make for a scary cyborg killer.
As a result of this blunder, T3 lacks the sense of dread that made the first two movies such compelling viewing. Instead we are treated to a series of ludicrously over the top car chases, explosions and smash 'em ups, in order to paper over the cracks in the plot. In fact the special effects are in my opinion inferior to T2. The new Terminator is hardly revolutionary either. I would put money on that the T-1000 from T2 could wipe the floor with this dolly. The acting is terrible as well. To be fair to Loken, she at least looks like she's trying to put some effort into her role. Stahl and Danes just look bored with the whole thing. Even Arnie seems more concerned with his pay cheque than breathing life into proceedings.

It's not that T3 couldn't have been a good movie. With a decent script and better acting there's no reason why it shouldn't have been on a par with the earlier films. But as it is it's just one big yawn from beginning to end. Hopefully T4 will put the fear and suspense back into the series. Just forget T3 ever existed.