Introducing the T-X.

Rating: 8/10 (3 December 2007)

Schwarzeneggar is back (he said he would be) as another T-1000 cyborg sent through time to protect the now grown up John Connor (Nick Stahl), and his future wife, Kate (Claire Danes), who are being stalked by the T-X (Kristanna Loken), the latest in murderous machines hellbent on destroying the human race.
Rise Of The Machines might not be the (near) perfect juggernaut of an action sequel that was Cameron's Judgement Day, but as far as edge-of-the-seat, sci-fi fun goes, it's still bloody good! Director Jonathan Mostow certainly makes the most of his mega-budget, and delivers plenty of jaw-dropping mayhem along with loads of impressive special effects. And Schwarzenneggar does what he does best: blowing things up, shooting huge weapons, and delivering cheesy one-liners.
The (mostly) smart script follows on nicely from The Terminator and T2, further developing the character of John Connor, neatly explaining away the absence of Linda Hamilton in a not-too-disappointing way, and brilliantly bringing the whole affair to a satisfying, and not altogether happy, conclusion. There is blistering action (a set piece involving a massive crane causing untold damage to umpteen cars and buildings is absolutely incredible), some nice touches of humour, and a bit of quite gruesome violence (for a DVD that is rated 12!).
Sure, T3 isn't quite as good as its predecessors, but how many films are? Both the original The Terminator and T2 are extremely tough acts to follow. I think Rise Of The Machines does a pretty good job and deserves a lot more praise than it gets.