Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9762 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-09-21
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Dimensions: .40 pounds
• Running time: 109 minutes

Additional 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

Video Details
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.

Review
In the post-millennia sea of overblown action epics with inflated running times, the third installment in the Terminator franchise is a lean, mean breath of action, defying most low expectations and proving that you don't have to be James Cameron to know what makes this successful and entertaining series tick. What T3 does effectively is bring back the mix of highly intense action, character-driven humor, and technological wizardry that the big screen had been lacking for more than a decade since Terminator 2: Judgment Day. There's a direct understanding of the series core dynamics, and once things kick in, there's no doubt that you're back in Terminator-land. Arnold Schwarzenegger eases back into the role effortlessly, bringing an understanding to the lovable cyborg that goes beyond simple line delivery and stoic screen presence. Joining him are Nick Stahl and Claire Danes, new faces to the Terminator films that bring fresh energy to the work, especially Stahl's wearied approach to John Conner. Danes is an unlikely choice, but made a suitable (if not just too "known") substitute when her role was recast when the first actress was deemed "too young" during filming. It's not too easy to follow up Robert Patrick's steely-eyed breakout performance either, but Kristanna Loken's deadly TX Terminator manages to put her own villainous stamp on the series -- easily holding her own against Schwarzenegger's iconic screen presence. More than anything, what drives this film is the man behind the lens, Jonathan Mostow, the director of such effective smaller thrillers as Breakdown and U-571. This being his big-time proving ground, Mostow pulls off the once-deemed impossible feat and cranks out a Terminator flick that embraces audience's popcorn sensibilities without any of the personal flash or style upon which some of his bigger, more-expensive peers thrive. It doesn't hurt that he also surrounded himself with the same visionaries behind the series' highly evolved special effects work, namely Stan Winston and Industrial Light and Magic. With unprecedented practical robotic effects mixed with top-of-the-line (at the time) CG work, the big screen magicians deliver some truly show-stopping moments that are pure movie-making magic. Score-wise, the classic theme and its composer Brad Fidel are indeed sorely missed. There's nothing in Marco Beltrami's work that matches the urgency of Fidel, even if the filmmakers knew exactly when and where to use it. Naturally, many other criticisms have been levelled against the film -- some valid and some not, though all come down to a matter of personal taste when it comes down to it. Even considering most of the arguments, Rise of the Machines still proves its worth thanks to its ingenious ending that leaves John Conner in the exact place that his character needs to be left in the series -- something that this entry desperately needed to prove its inclusion. Schwarzenegger did come "back" for this one, and audiences everywhere should thank him for it. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Customer Reviews

Wow...just, Wow
No one really thought Terminator 3 would be made. Sure, the title "Rise of the Machines" has been tossed around since at least 1997, but with Cameron's near-perfect T2 and the franchise being more than a decade old, most fans didn't give any serious consideration to a third installment. But someone decided to go ahead and make T3 anyway.

I went into T3 with low expectations. All the comments I'd heard on the movie pinned it as average to slightly above-average at best. The director was so-so, the running time was way under T2, only Arnold chose to return, and the box office reciepts weren't that great. And sure enough most of the movie matched those expectations. Fun action, but a lot of re-hashing of what had been done in the first two movies. Minimal character development, just enough to make the viewer give a damn about the heroes. Competent direction, but everything seemed to operate on such a small scale, considering that this was supposed to be the last hours before judgement day.

So far, the movie was a decent popcorn flick that was worth my money and thankfully didn't manage to embarass the legacy of the movies before it.

Then the final few minutes of the movie rolled, and everything changed. I don't know how I managed to not spoil the ending for myself, considering all the reviews I read, but I was totally blown away. Yeah, I heard they were leaving room for a Terminator 4, but I didn't expect it to happen this way. Suddenly, the small scale of the movie seems to make sense, as if it's all clever misdirection of some sort. T3 could've worked a lot better with a more stylistic director and a slightly longer running time, but as it stands, its ending makes it a more-than-worthy entry in the franchise. Before, I dreaded another installment. Now, I'm looking forward to it.

WB's treatment of T3 on DVD is something of a disappointment. Audio/visual is very good, and thankfully the movie comes in a keepcase instead of a snapper, but the supplements are just there to take up space. There's a good deleted scene that must be watched by all fans, and a few decent featurettes, but most of the bonus material is promotional in nature. Given how loaded the past Terminator discs have been, T3 simply doesn't compare.

T3 is a great popcorn movie with a jaw-dropping ending. WB needs to learn how to make a decent 2-disc special edition of its summer movies. 4 stars.

Way to ruin the series
i thought everything about this movie was bad. The new Terminator, which appears less like a machine, and more like a Swiss army knife: seems it can do almost anything without any limits. That being said, i didnt like anything about this movie and only look forward to the new series of movies coming out. If James Cameron was involved in this movie, this wouldnt have happened!

outstanding!(at least as good as Terminator 2)
if this movie isn't as good as terminator 2,it's darn close.it's
definitely a worthy sequel.and as much as i liked the first Terminator
movie,i think this is a much better movie.it has pretty much
everything.it's part comedy,part action adventure,part drama.and all
those elements work here.of course it helps if you have good
actors,which this one does.Nick Stahl and Claire Danes play the two
romantic leads,and both are quite credible in their roles.of
course,Arnie Returns,and is great as usual,especially with his deadpan
delivery of the funny lines,which there are quite a few.but to me,the
best Part about this movie was Kristanna Loken,who played the T-X ,or
the Terminatrix,the villainess of the piece.i think she nailed the part
of the cold calculating,unstoppable killing machine.she brings a great
intensity to the character.this female Terminator is virtually
indestructible,which leads me to the action/fight sequences between her
and the good terminator.these scenes are intense and relentlessly
exhilarating.at least i thought so,any way.the more i think about
it,the more i believe that it's too close for me to call whether this
movie or part 2 is the better movie.maybe i'm crazy,but i have to give
terminator 3:Rise of the Machines a 5/5