Nowhere near as good as the first two but still watchable enough in it's own right.

Rating: 7/10 (1 June 2009)

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines starts in Beverley Hills as a morphing killing machine named the T-X (Kristanna Loken) is transported back from the future, meanwhile in a desert not fat away another killer android named the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) also arrives from the future. They are both in search of future resistance leader & the saviour of mankind John Connor (Nick Stahl), the T-X has orders to kill him while the T-800 has orders to protect him. John himself breaks into a vet's clinic to steal drugs & is found by Kate Brewster (Claire Danes), the two become the center of a battle between the Terminator's as one wants them dead & the other not. Then John learns that the threat of Skynet has not been stopped, merely postponed & with the new Judgement Day fast approaching he decides to try & prevent it, again.
This American, German & British co-production was directed by Jonathan Mostow (apparently with the likes of Ang Lee, Ridley Scott & James Cameron being asked but turning it down) & is obviously the second sequel to James Cameron's superb sci-fi action hit The Terminator (1984), Cameron himself also wrote & directed the sequel Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) which is quite simply one of the greatest films ever, period. So with two such illustrious predecessors that quite rightly consider solid gold classics how does Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines hold up? Well the script takes the basic concept from Terminator 2: Judgement Day & goes with that, two Terminators sent back from the future, one to protect Connor the other to kill him, Connor trying to destroy Skynet & prevent Judgement Day from ever happening & a parade of big budget set-piece action scenes. Compared to the first two terminator film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines isn't as good but I still found it enjoyable in it's own right & competing against two of the best films of all time is pretty difficult to do anyway. The makers seem to have changed the character of John Connor & what he was about, from a rebellious & resourceful youngster to a bit of a bland loser, the two Terminator's aren't played as emotionless androids either with both spouting various one-liners & making faces which is alright but doesn't seem right & while the story is fine it's nothing more than a rehash of ideas from the first two & doesn't take the franchise forward at all & by comparison to Cameron's films this is a little soulless. Having said that Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines entertained me no end, I loved the new female Terminator (even though she feels like a gimmick), it moves along like a rocket & there are some terrific action set-pieces including an amazing car chase involving a huge crane. There are loads of explosions, fights, shoot-outs, car chases, pure wanton destruction & cool effects to keep me happy anyway. Sure Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines isn't the greatest film ever plot wise but there's enough going on elsewhere to enjoy to make this well worth a watch in my opinion.
The CGI computer effects are good & there are some terrific action sequences which is where Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines excels. The crane chase is a real stand-out moment & one of my all time favourite car chases featuring lots of explosions, outrageous stunts & general vehicular mayhem on a grand scale. Despite an 'R' rating in the US this got away with a '12' here in the UK & it does feel a little bit family friendly with the absolute minimum of violence shown which may not be a problem to most but I am a bit of a violence junkie & I missed it since we got violence in spades in the first two. While not as menacing as either Scwarzenegger from the first or Robert Partick from the second film Kristanna Locken is hot & looks totally gorgeous in her red leather catsuit, OK so I'm a shallow male what can I say? I loved any scene she was in & she has a real sexy & dangerous femininity about her although her special powers aren't that much of a step forward from those seen in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. There are nods & gags to the original two films that seem a little forced but are quite fun from Arnie's sunglasses to an amusing cameo by Earl Bohen reprising his role as Dr. Silberman.
With a supposed budget of $170,000,000 you can see where the money went with virtual non stop action & flashy CGI effects, you certainly get your money's worth here. The film is well made but doesn't have Cameron's cold & stylish look & I really missed Brad Fiedel's stirring music that has been replaced by a much more forgettable & generic sounding soundtrack. The acting is alright, Schwarzenegger is OK, Stahl is bland, Danes is alright after having replaced Sophia Bush at short notice after a few days filming while Kristanna Locken was cast for her looks & excels in that department at least.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was never going to exceed it's predecessors which in my (& many other's) humble opinion are two of the greatest films ever made but for what it is I really enjoyed it. So sue me. The telly series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008 - 2009) totally ignores the events of this while a fourth film Terminator Salvation (2009) has just opened.