Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines ★★★ 2003 (R)
Satisfying third chapter does not suffer from the absence of James Cameron or Linda Hamilton. This time around, the new bad Terminator is the female T-X (Loken) but the job is the same—kill future resistance leader John Connor (Stahl). Arnold's again sent back to protect him, as well as future cohort Kate (Danes). Solid script provides plenty of action, some inside humor, and (perhaps most importantly) a logical progression from the first two movies. Stahl does a good job as Connor, and Arnold proves he's still got the goods after a few disappointing outings. The special effects are, thankfully, seamless enough not to distract from the action at hand. 110m/C VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD, HD DVD . US Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, Kristanna Loken, David Andrews, Mark Famiglietti; D: Jonathan Mostow; W: John Brancato, Michael Ferris; C: Don Burgess; M: Marco Beltrami.