"Talk to the Hand."

Rating: Null/10 (5 July 2003)

The third installment of the Terminator saga, is awesome on it's own merit. Even though James Cameron wasn't on board for this one, it works well as the third film in the series. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the Terminator sent back in time, Nick Stahl replaces Edward Furlong as the older John Connor, and new edition Claire Danes joins the ensemble. Kristanna Loken plays the T-X: a female terminator who, believe it or not, is far better than Robert Patrick's T-1000 from the previous film. Director Jonathan Mostow(U-571 and Breakdown) adds a slightly different feel to this installment, often poking fun at the franchise, and topping the previous film in special effects and action sequences. The benefit of this film is that it has been twelve years since T2 and the production technology has improved since then, so there was much more that could be done this time around. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines isn't just a summer money-maker, there are also a few valid plot lines that are now introduced, which hint the possibility of a fourth film. James Cameron may be the creator and Terminator god, but Mostow does a pretty good job of keeping the franchise alive.