Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
	Rated R
	Runtime: 1hr 48min
	Staring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Kristanna Loken, Claire Danes, David Andrews
	MFG Rating: 3/5

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is the third installment of the Terminator series. The first two movies are among the best and most beloved sci-fi/action movies ever produced. So, T3 comes with huge expectations.

If you haven't seen the first two movies, first off, let me welcome you to planet Earth! But let me warn you, you'll likely be lost as this movie assumes the audience knows the backstory. Arnold is back as the T101. The storyline is similar to Terminator 2 in that the T101 is a good guy programmed to protect John Conner, now living as a drifter to stay "off the grid" and hidden from any time travelling terminators. But they just will not stop until he is dead! This time, we have a new model to contend with, the TX. There have been substantial upgrades, including a nice set of tah tahs and a fine butt!

Arnold is the only returning actor from the previous two movies save for a surprise cameo. Rumor has it that Linda Hamilton didn't like the script, and they couldn't get Edward Furlong sober long enough to play John again. The cast was no problem, however we missed James Cameron. Cameron had nothing to do with this installment. Jonathan Mustow, of U-571 fame, is the director this time out.

But hey, we do not go into Terminator movies for the story or the acting performances. We wanna see fights, chases and stuff blowing up. And T3 delivers on all of those and then some. The use of heavy equipment like fire trucks and mobile cranes for chases is new and fresh. There's also a fight in the toilet which was classic. One thing Mustow and crew did right is stick to a Cameron tradition of putting the money on the screen. By that, I mean the big budget to produce this movie ends up in the visuals, not behind the scenes in time spend rendering elaborate CGI and wire scenes. There are computer generated effects of course, but there was also ample amounts of good old fashioned pyro and mayhem created the old fashioned way. Technology was used when needed, not just for the sake of using it to be "state of the art".

Although all of the elements of a good Terminator movie are present, for some reason the movie didn't click for us like the previous two. It wasn't bad, but it lacked something. Cameron was definitely missed. Mustow has only one other major movie under his belt. Many of the scenes looked almost hokey due to the sets. Cameron would've never allowed that, his sets are always spectacular and tend to draw you into his world. We give the film 3 stars, it's not a bad time, but it definitely feels dumbed down compared to the previous two. It screams out "sit back and watch us blow thngs up!", and that's not entirely a bad thing.

Oh, and if you're wondering, yes, they do leave room for a fourth installment. We just hope this series is allowed a graceful death, and we do not end up someday watching "Terminator 7: Grumpy Old Terminators".

- Billy Bob