Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (HD DVD)
The running time is 1 hr. 49 mins..
The Terminator series has gotten this far on the simple fact that it has performed very well in the special effects department primarily with the massive jump in visuals we saw in Terminator 2. The stories aren't too bad, but the acting is virtually unwatchable in the first two films. Come on, Linda Hamilton is a joke and Edward Furlong in T2 was downright dreadful. As for Arnold? Well, it says a lot when the grammatically challenged Austrian is the best actor in your cast, but I am a fan of Schwarzenegger so I can't say too much there.
For the die-hards Terminator 3 is going to instantly be challenged based on the fact that Jonathan Mostow is directing as opposed to series originator and two-time helmer James Cameron. Cameron is loved and adored in many circles and to think that a relatively unseasoned director in Mostow was going to be taking on the franchise with a reported budget around $200 million is a bit of a long-shot. Where T3 succeeds that the others do not is that the level of acting is raised immeasurably. I really like Nick Stahl and he brings much more to the picture than Furlong could ever imagine. Equally Claire Danes is also a far better female lead than Linda Hamilton. Thank the maker they killed off the Sarah Connor character for this one, another shot of Hamilton doing pull-ups may have been too much for me to stomach.
As for the story of T3, we head ten years into the future since Terminator 2 and, as I mentioned before, Sarah Connor is dead, but her son and the soon-to-be leader of the army against the machines John (Nick Stahl) is homeless. Yeah, things haven't been too good for John, but they are about to get worse, or better depending on how you look at it. While he is about to be hunted by the latest upgrade in terminators, the T-X (Kristanna Loken), he also gets reunited with the sexy Kate Brewster played by Claire Danes. Considering John is being hunted down we can only assume there is a protector on the way, and once again it is the older model terminator, the T-101 (Schwarzenegger), and he is back to do his best. As the shit hits the fan we have explosions, gun fights and terminator goodness in an action flick worth watching at least once. At least check it out before the machines take over the world for cryin' out loud.
As for this HD DVD release the extras are all the same as the DVD release save one little item, the very cool Warner Home Video In Movie Experience exclusive to select HD DVD releases and I am increasingly becoming a huge fan of these features. Not only do you get looks at interviews with all the actors you also get looks at storyboards, animatics and behind-the-scenes looks at the very scene you are watching along with the equivalent of a director's commentary in this example as Mostow leads the way. Probably the most interesting little tidbit I learned watching/listening to this particular IME is that Mostow was initially approached with the possibility of directing not only T3 but also T4 back-to-back. He turned down the prospect obviously, but I think it is pretty safe to assume that a T4 is definitely in the cards sometime in the future.
Advising you buy this HD DVD release is a bit of a toss-up. If you are a Terminator fan then I am not sure what to advise. The visuals on this high-def release are spectacular as you may assume but as a fan of the first two I can only assume you didn't particularly enjoy the third film. For those of you that are in the same boat as me, and saw potential in the Terminator franchise, but weren't exactly won over with the first two films this may be the option for you. As it stands this is the only Terminator movie I own and I don't plan on buying the other two.