Product Description

A decade has passed since John Connor (NICK STAHL) helped prevent Judgment Day and save mankind from mass destruction. Now 25, Connor lives "off the grid" - no home, no credit cards, no cell phone and no job. No record of his existence. No way he can be traced by Skynet - the highly developed network of machines that once tried to kill him and wage war on humanity. Until?out of the shadows of the future steps the T-X (KRISTANNA LOKEN), Skynet's most sophisticated cyborg killing machine yet. Sent back through time to complete the job left unfinished by her predecessor, the T-1000, this machine is as relentless as her human guise is beautiful. Now Connor's only hope for survival is the Terminator (ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER), his mysterious former assassin. Together, they must triumph over the technologically superior T-X and forestall the looming threat of Judgment Day?or face the apocalypse and the fall of civilization as we know it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3751 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2004-06-01
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Formats: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 109 minutes

Amazon.com
With a reported budget of $172 million, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines starts in high gear and never slows down. The apocalyptic "Judgment Day" of T2 was never prevented, only postponed: John Connor (Nick Stahl, replacing T2's Edward Furlong), now 22 and disconnected from society, is being pursued yet again, this time by the advanced T-X, a sleek "Terminatrix" (coldly expressionless Kristanna Loken) programmed to stop Connor from becoming the savior of humankind. Originally programmed as an assassin, a disadvantaged T-101 cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger, bidding fond farewell to his signature role) arrives from the future to join Connor and his old acquaintance Kate (Claire Danes) in thwarting the T-X's relentless pursuit. The plot presents a logical fulfillment of T2 prophesy, disposing of Connor's mother (Linda Hamilton is sorely missed) while computer-driven machines assume control, launching a nuclear nightmare that Connor must survive. With Breakdown and U-571 serving as worthy rehearsals for this cautionary epic of mass destruction, director Jonathan Mostow wisely avoids any stylistic connection to James Cameron's Terminator classics; instead he's crafted a fun, exciting popcorn thriller, humorous and yet still effectively nihilistic, and comparable to Jurassic Park III in returning the Terminator franchise to its potent B-movie roots. --Jeff Shannon

DVD features
There's only one deleted scene in this two-disc DVD set, but it's a doozy. The "Sgt. Candy Scene" is a must-see and, unfortunately, the best thing on the second disc. The rushed HBO documentary shows us far more flash than substance. Better is the Visual Effects Lab that goes more in-depth with four sequences, although you need to wade through a hokey interface for each segment. Making your "own" effects isn't that much fun; you can only choose a few effects that change in two scenes. Anyone looking to get the complicated backstory of the trilogy figured out should dig into the "Sky Net Database" and an intricate timeline. The two commentary tracks are worth a listen, with director Jonathan Mostow's solo track the better one. The director goes into great detail on how the little things (from lighting street scenes to tricks for destroying buildings) count. The second track is pieced together from the actors recorded separately. Mostow appears with actress Claire Danes (doing her first commentary track) and their chemistry is enjoyable after a slow start. The other actors have less interesting things to say, including Schwarzenegger who is constantly--yet enthusiastically--selling the film. --Doug Thomas

From The New Yorker
"Ah'll be beck," Arnold Schwarzenegger said in the first "Terminator" picture, in 1984, and Schwarzenegger is not a man to renege on his promises. In fact, as you watch him clamber into the old black leathers for the third time and cock his weapon of choice, you could be excused for feeling that he's never been away. This latest and stalest installment of the "Terminator" saga is directed not by James Cameron, the father of the franchise, but by Jonathan Mostow; he does a dogged job, and you can see where the money went (a hundred and seventy million dollars, apparently), but in the process, the lurking threat of the earlier movies has been squeezed out. One mystery remains: was it commercial good sense, or mere cynicism, to have the plot of Mostow's film so gleefully replicate that of "Terminator 2: Judgement Day"? The new nemesis is a gleaming female cyborg named T-X (Kristanna Loken), who spurns all emotion save for a sudden, violent attraction to a giant magnet. Meanwhile, the fate of the world rests in the hands of a young couple (Claire Danes and Nick Stahl), who seem understandably peeved at the responsibility. As for the machines of the subtitle, to what position, exactly, have they risen? Are they running the studio? -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

T3 in HD
I am a big fan of the terminator series. I think the story is one of the best ever concieved as it has alot to do with whats really going on in the world. Will artificial intelligence ever reach a point were it becomes self aware? Its a very interesting question and I think that is one of the reasons why it has been so successful as a series. This is also one of the only trilogys that I feel still has alot of potential for future movies. I think we really need a terminator film that is actually set in the future where the terminators live and with the recent announcment of T4 most likly being made, hopefully we will get just that.

As for T3, it is without a doubt the worst film of the 3 but with that being said I still really enjoyed this film. Alot of the people that disliked it did so because they said it went back on everything that was established in T2. I am not one of these people and I really like the aspect of this film that turned around and said Judgement day is inevitable. Its without a doubt the single best twist to this entire story in my opinion because in reality it really is. Technology will continue to drive forward with computers getting better and better and no matter what you do to stop it, someone else will pop up and continue the research and development. Its basically where we are today with technology. There is no stopping the advancment that we see taking place on almost a daily basis. If one company were to stop develpment in a certain area, someone else would just pop up and take that companies or persons place.

Anyways that is really why I liked this film so much. It took the series in a completly new direction by stating that there was no way to stop it while the first two movies focused on what to do to actually stop it. With that being said this movie had its flaws and it just isnt on the same level that T1 & T2 are on. Its still a highly entertaining action film with some great performances and a great ending that perfectly sets up the Terminator film that I am dying to see, the one set in the wasteland of the future. Hats off to Arnold as well who really busted his butt to get into killer shape for this film so he wouldnt look any different than he did during the first 2 films. He pulled it off without a hitch. Just another testament to that guys ability to work his body and get into killer shape.

Anyways on to the HD-DVD...

There were a few people on the HD forums that were disappointed in this transfer as it didnt show the amount of detail that some of the better transfers have shown. While it is true that this transfer doesnt have the detail present in some of the other transfers like Aeon Flux, Batman Begins and Sahara, it is still a great looking film and a big improvment overthe SD version. One of the thing you have to take into account is the fact that certain films just translate over to HD with much better results than others do. T3 was shot using Super35 and to sum up the Super35 process, it doesnt use as much area on the negative that regular anamorphic does thus you have a slight loss of detail compared to those that use standard anamorphic. With Super35 you also have to make intermediate prints to get the transfer onto a film that can be used in theatres. Everytime you make an intermediate print you lose resolution and detail. So to sum it up as I really dont want to get into a big technical discussion on Super35 and the other film processes. Super35 just does not have the image quality that regular anamorphic does period. T3 is a super35 film thus when you transfer the t3 film onto HD it just isnt going to look as sharp as a lot of the other films that arent Super35. Some of the main characteristics of Super35 are increased grain and less detail, both which are present in the HD transfer of T3.

With that being said, T3 still looks great and is a vast improvment over the SD version. I am actually a fan of increased graain as long as it doesnt look noisy which in this case it doesnt. It adds a disticnt look to the film. As much as some people would love for every film to look like the Batman Begins of Aeon Flux transfer, its just a bad idea. To make evey film look the same would be like taking all of the artistic possibilites of film and throwing them down the toilet. Its good that films look different because it would be a very boring world of cinema if everything looked the same. Just image what Tim Burtons Sleepy Hollow would look like if he used the same film and process used for Batman Begins. It would have absolutly destroyed the film and would have taken all of the spooky atmoshpere away. He purposly used cross processing to make all of the colors washed out and to make it more grainy and more contrasty. That film also looks great on HD-DVD but like T3 doesnt have a transfer that shows as much detail as some of the other transfers.

The sooner everyone relaizes that not every film is supposed to have incredible detail, vivid colors, & natural contrast. Films differ by the processes used to make the film and those differences in process equate to a difference in characteristics in a HD transfer. You have to educate yourself on just what processes were used for each particular film and only then can you make an educated critique of a particular films HD transfer.

To sum this up, T3 is certainly not a disc you want to pop in when your trying to show someone just how much detail can be seen in a HD movie. It was filmed in Super35 thus it was never trying to be a film that had a crazy amount of detail in the print. With that being said, T3 is a great transfer that is accurate to its master print. Its a big improvment over the SD version and its a great film which hopefully leads the series to a 4th film which is set in the future. I know I wont ever be done with the idea of a new Terminator flick until that particular story has been told. Here is to hoping they get around to making that happen.

OC..

A review from someone who's actually SEEN it . . .
I went to an advance screening last night. My expectations were pretty low, given the lack of James Cameron at the helm and the span of years that have passed since T2. My biggest concern going in was that it would just be a Terminator vs. Terminator rehash with no real contribution to the story arc of Cameron's universe. My fears were unfounded, however. Jonathan Mostow has done an admirable job of capturing the audacious action and dark humor of the first two movies, while still managing to provide enough new twists to keep this third incarnation fresh. Yes, there's a lot of T-101 vs. T-X insanity, but these sequences are so well-executed and so over the top you can't help but laugh with glee. Kristanna Loken is every bit as scary as Robert Patrick was in the second installment, to the point where during one scene the girl next to me actually screamed in terror. The script, while a bit light on character development, offers plenty of great moments, both frightening and humorous. There are also many smart and unexpected references to the earlier films to tie everything together. Best of all, without giving anything away, important things happen. Things you'll want to see and know about if you are a fan of the first two films. My only gripe is that certain elements of the plot (which I can't reveal) aren't adequately explained. Perhaps those explanations wound up on the cutting room floor and we'll get them on the DVD. However, by the time that classic Terminator theme faded in and the credits rolled, I was very happy with the experience and my doubts about this third chapter in the series were put to rest. This film is about more than cashing in on a successful franchise. They've tried to do justice to the series' legacy and, in my opinion, they've succeeded.

"Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines" Rises To New Levels
Though many critics have commented that this new Terminator is basically a retelling of the second film, I would like to begin by saying that I was pleasantly surprised by this third installment of this very successful franchise. Though the film lacked the direction of James Cameron, who was largely responsible for the birth of the Terminator series, it was nonetheless a worthy successor to his earlier works.

The movie is sharp, with a very definitive, high-tech look and feel about it. Unlike its predecessors, T3 does not have a lot of character development in it, save for a somewhat disarrayed and poorly developed relationship between John Connor (played by Nich Stahl) and Kate Brewster (played by Claire Daines). The duo, thrown together in a moment of peril, at once loathe one another, only later to discover that they have feelings towards each other. According to the Terminator (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger), Brewster will eventually become Connor's wife, (presumably this will be seen in Terminator 4). The development of these characters are probably the one notable weakness in this film.

What makes this movie work are the intense action sequences, as well as the comedic timing of many of Schwarzenegger's lines and situations. In the opening sequence, the Terminator appears just outside a strip club hosting an all-male exotic dancer review. Schwarzenegger's character walks in naked, upon which women begin throwing themselve at him. Upon approaching a male stripper, whose physique is a match to his own, he commands that the stripper gives him his clothes, to which the stripper raises an outstretched palm and stammers "talk to the hand." It is probably one of the funniest moments of the film, and works well to give a moment of liteness to the overall darkness and theme of the story.

This movie is definitely a big-budget science fiction/action film with many high budget effects. The new Terminator (played dominently by Kristianna Loken)looks slick and sensual, clad in tight, red leather, combining the sexual appeal of a woman with the lethal force of a killing machine with a single purpose, to hunt down the future leader of a resistance that will rise against the machines and ultimately defeat them. Loken is completely convincing as the T-X, a prototype Terminator with the ability to change shape and create complex weapons.

The opening and closing sequences are probably the most haunting. Judgement day has arrived, and the movie closes with the first wave of the attack that will end society as it is presently known. The imagery is haunting, and leaves the viewer with a reminder of the potential threat we all face in the onset of new and better technologies. Not that this was the intent of the filmmaker, but to their credit, it works well in this film.

For anyone who is a fan of this series, T3: Rise of the Machines is a great film. For those that haven't seen the earlier two, there is enough exposition in this film to allow even an uninitiated Terminator fan to follow the course of events that unfold in this story. I hesitate to give this movie 5 stars, only because there are some minor weaknesses which, in some ways, makes this a slightly inferior movie to the earlier Terminator films. However, it is a great film and a worthy successor to Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

The DVD edition of this film contains many extras, from storyboards to the development of some of the films incredible special effects. It also features many interactive extras which are quite enjoyable.

Scott Kolecki