Review of "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," DVD version

Review of

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, DVD version


Four out of five stars

The robots should have been a bit more human

 The first time I watched this movie I was unimpressed, considering the action overwhelming to the relationships. There is no question that the first chase scene goes on far too long and seems to have the sole purpose of simply smashing up cars, buildings and other collateral objects. What made the second movie so good was the dialog and the expanding relationship between the Schwarzenegger terminator and the young John Connor. It reached the point where the good terminator begins to take on some human characteristics and is considered a father figure.

 The evil terminator in this movie is powerful, far more than even the one in the second movie. The Schwarzenegger terminator is obsolete and in this movie is also almost exclusively robotic, showing no human-like intonation or facial expression. The evil terminator is also female, yet it also never expresses anything resembling emotions of any kind. The evil male terminator in the second movie occasionally had human-like facial expressions and did not always speak in monotone.

 There are some amusing sight gags, specifically regarding the vehicles and when Schwarzenegger rescues John Connor by carrying him in a coffin. Yet, it ends with the very depressing idea that the thermonuclear war known as judgement day was inevitable, something that contradicts the ending of the second movie. It is natural to want the human race to win, not face extinction at the hands of its own electronic creations.