Definitely Worth Watching

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2003)

I saw Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines on July 2, the night it premiered and I was blown away by it. I was expecting it to not be all that great because James Cameron didn't direct this one but Arnold Schwarzenegger was in it and that was worth it enough to go see it. He reprises his role as the T-800 Terminator in terrific fashion and once again proves that he is the reason for these movies. One element missing that I wish Terminator 3 had was Sarah Conner. I'm glad we got an explanation of why she wasn't in this one but I think it would've been more interesting in some areas if she was in it. I was sketchy about how a third Terminator film could even take place with T2 almost virtually eliminating any plot for a third one but it is explained very well as to how a third one can take place. The Terminator (Arnold) explains that the events of T2 only postponed judgment day but that it was inevitable. Nick Stahl did a fine job as John Conner. Kristanna Loken was the perfect fit for the T-X and she was very nice to look at as well. Claire Danes did scream a little too much and was kind of annoying in her role as Conner's future wife Kate Brewster and I didn't see much chemistry develop between her and Stahl in the film. I thought it was clever to put in some sexual innuendos between the male and female terminator during their fight scenes (e.g. the T-X reverse wrapping her legs around the Terminator's waist, grabbing his you know what area and picking him up). The ending was a shocker but it was a great ending nonetheless. I was pleasantly happy with Terminator 3 and Jonathan Mostow deserves some credit for the way he directed this film. It's not easy to fill Cameron's shoes especially for the Terminator franchise. If you loved the first two films, you must see the third one. It is worth it and I plan on seeing it again in the theater I liked it so much. I'm not as picky as some people are when it comes to movies but I highly recommend watching this if you're a fan of the Terminator movies.