Movie Review: TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES Starring Arnlod Schwarzenegger

I saw this one during the festive period so you can imagine the TV is pretty crammed with movies, most of which aren’t any good but you don’t care as it’s Christmas your off work and all you need to do is sit back and relax whilst enjoying what the digital channels have to offer, this night it was Terminator 3, a movie I have seen before didn’t think to much of and really just didn’t get round to writing about it.

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Kristanna Loken and Claire Danes

The Plot

This movie is set 10 years after Terminator 2, John Connor (Nick Stahl) is now in his 20’s and living as a drifter off the grid so that Terminators from the future have no way of finding him.  Unfortunately for John Skynet do send another one back to search for him and his future wife Kate Brewster (Claire Danes), this one is the T-X a far more advanced (and hotter) Terminator than even the T-1000.  John and Kate must convince her father a U.S Air Force General that uploading Skynet’s computer system is not a good idea.  John Connor is afforded the usual protection of a less superior Terminator, a CSM-101 who is
always played by Schwarzenegger who did say he’d be back.

The Verdict

I have seen this a few times now and yeah it’s not as good as Terminator 2, but anything would take some chalking up to that. Terminator 3 offers plenty in entertainment explosions, people getting shot, Terminators chasing people but the story is pretty much what we have come to expect from the series, they send back an totally cool
sophisticated Terminator to kill John Connor, who ultimately fails to beat the relentless battle put up by the less superior Terminator sent back to protect him.

Is the film a must?  Well if you’re a Terminator fan then I would say yes, and since it was released in 2003 I would suspect that you have seen it already along with the newer version Terminator: Salvation, I haven’t seen that one yet.  Ok, this is not a great film but the enjoyment factor is definitely there just remember not to expect quite as much as last time around.

This is the first of the Terminator movie which wasn’t directed by James Cameron, although he did write it (well co-wrote), I also don’t know why they went for Nick Stahl to play John Connor, what was wrong with Edward Furlong?  He was great in T2, and I’ve seen him in American History X where he also done a great job, he is still acting maybe not at the same heights but I hadn’t heard of Nick Stahl first time this was released nor have I heard of him since, John Connor is a bit of a wimp in this movie too, in the second he was a pretty hard ass teenager, streetwise and not really afraid of his task, not the case in Terminator 3.

Lot’s of references where made to the first two Terminator movies and few jokes where made along the way and I have to be honest they do make you laugh but, this is supposed to be a serious action movies and could do without all the T1 and T2 nods, I’m sure you have seen those movies plenty times before.  The brand new Terminator (Kristianna
Locken) was nice though, you have to admit that.  I wouldn’t go hitting on her mind you she’ll probably kill you.  What was I just saying about making jokes?

Anyway to cap things off this is a pretty good action movie, it’s the type I always say you can watch without paying to much attention and not worry about missing to much important story line, I’m yet to see Terminator: Salvation like I said above but I will be sure to get on it as Terminator 5 is now in development and I see rumours of Vin
Diesel to play the Terminator.

Would I watch it again?

I would have to say I probably would, I have seen it maybe three to four times now so, yeah I probably will.

Rating: MM