...a tired rehash of a franchise being milked for profit.
Mastered at a wide 2.40:1 aspect ratio and sporting a VC-1 encoded transfer at 1080p resolution, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" is strong looking, but lacks the detail and depth of the more impressive Blu-ray releases. Detail and coloring is still quite strong, but the Blu-ray release lacked the consistent three dimensional pop that exists on the best transfers. I witnessed a few of the feared ´jaggies´ on a few of the tighter patterns and a hint of edge enhancement. There were a few scenes that stood out as being very detailed and daytime sequences were especially impressive. Colors were clear and bright and the best aspect of the visual presentation. My biggest complaint with the film was during the darker moments where black crush set in and shadow detail was lost. Black levels were also somewhat weak in comparison to other films and not quite as strong as those from Lionsgate´s release of "Terminator 2." "Terminator 3" became muddied when the lights were dim and I felt this was disappointing. Source materials were quite good and I have no problem with them.
Audio:
My favorite part of the "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" LaserDisc was the incredible AC-3 sound. For the unfamiliar, AC-3 was later renamed to Dolby Digital. The opening sequence was perhaps the most impressive segment on home video at the time of its release and I´m still waiting for a full-length version of those opening moments. The Blu-ray incarnation of the latest film in the franchise sports a very good sounding Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, but I must state that I´m disappointed that Warner Bros. didn´t supply a PCM or TrueHD soundtrack for this film. "Terminator" films are among the most aggressive sounding films produced and I was really hoping for a soundtrack to plaster me against the walls with its soundtrack. The film combines a strong surround presence with deep and impressive bass in the .1 LFE channel to create an enveloping experience that makes "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" among the better sounding Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes. Explosions rock the room, yet more than a few gentle ambient sounds make their way to the rear surrounds. Dialogue is strong, during even the noisiest sequences. I can´t think of any reason to dock points from the audio score, but I can´t award a perfect 10 for a film that doesn´t utilize the full capabilities of the format.
Extras:
"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" was released onto HD-DVD quite a long time ago. Part of the reason it was delayed was because of the inability of the Blu-ray format to provide the picture-in-picture capabilities of the format. With BD-50 discs available, the film finally makes its debut on the Blu-ray format and uses seamless branching instead of Profile 1.1 PiP to deliver the In-Movie Experience. For this ´video commentary´ like feature, director Jonathan Mostow spends a lot of time talking about the film and including some very nice video vignettes on the making of the film. Arnold Schwarzenegger and others are also featured during this IME, but Mostow is clearly the most common personality during this decent video commentary. There are long absences of footage during the IME and some last longer than five minutes, but I found this to be a pretty entertaining experience that occurred in movie. There are better examples of this type of feature out there, but so much of the material exists only in the IME, so it is worth checking out.
A number of typical features are also included on the disc and this includes three commentary tracks. The first commentary by Cast and Crew features Jonathan Mostow with the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and the lovely Kristanna Loken. This is a Criterion-like track where each actor was recorded at a separate location and then edited together. It still works very nicely and I found this to be my favorite of the three commentaries with everybody talking about their experiences. The second commentary by the film´s Director has Jonathan Mostow flying solo and he is quite good at providing commentary tracks. If you don´t have a ton of time, you may want to watch the In Movie Experience over this track and the third one, but the Mostow-only commentary was the most informative overall and the director is a good speaker. The third and final track featuring the Crew again included Mostow, but a number of other folks from the production of the film. This two was a Criterion-style commentary and didn´t seem as interesting as the other two commentary tracks.
The features that do not require repeated viewings of the film are decent, but run for only about forty-five minutes. The Introduction by Arnold Schwarzenegger (:33) is short and was taken from the DVD release and has Arnold talking about the commentary tracks contained on the disc. It was short, but Arnold made it fun. I wish he was my governor. The HBO First Look (13:02) feature is the promotional little short that was shown on the cable network and featured important members of the cast and crew to rally up excitement for the film. Arnold, Danes, Mostow and Stahl all stop by for a moment and this was about as good as any thirteen minute promo reel can be. Some Storyboards (3:54) are up next and has a comforting blue background with scenes from the film and their matching storyboard. Not a bad feature. The Dressed to Kill (2:11) featurette is too short, but focuses on the costuming of the Terminator. This really should have been longer and was one of the more entertaining two minutes shorts I´ve seen in recent times.
Moving beyond the "Behind the Story" part of the supplements, a few short bits are thrown in. Two scenes are contained under "Additional Footage." The Sgt. Candy Scene (1:50) is a riot and explains how the T-101 earned its skin and accent. Arnold with a horrible southern accent was just too funny to not watch twice. The Terminal Flaws (3:01) blooper reel was cute the first time around. It wasn´t so cute this second time around on Blu-ray, but still had some funny moments. The Toys in Action (6:34) short looks at Todd McFarlane´s creations. McFarlane does make some nice toys, but nothing too interesting to see here. The Making of the Video Game (8:56) is interesting in being more than promotional, but the game wasn´t very good. Finally, the Theatrical Trailer and the PC Game Trailer are included.
Closing Comments:
"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" is an entertaining film, but it feels rehashed and recycled. Many of the film´s scenes are grander and more exciting versions of what we´ve seen in either "The Terminator" or "T2." Arnold´s third time around as the titular robotic assassin is impressive in how well he has aged, but he doesn´t vary much at all from what we saw back in 1991 with the second film. Nick Stahl feels at home in the film, but Claire Danes almost seems to be slumming it. Jonathan Mostow had an almost impossible task in continuing James Cameron´s trademark franchise and he does a commendable job, but having him repeat much of what was previously done did not help him fill those shoes. Perhaps I´m just too eager in having a "Terminator" film that takes place during the war against the machines, but while I was entertained by the film, I was underwhelmed. The Blu-ray release featured a flawed, but decent picture and a very nice Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that teases at how well this film could have sounded with a PCM or TrueHD mix. The supplements are decent, but don´t push the boundaries of the format´s capabilities. I´m still looking forward to the upcoming fourth film, but the third time was not a charm for the "Terminator" franchise.
Audio:
My favorite part of the "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" LaserDisc was the incredible AC-3 sound. For the unfamiliar, AC-3 was later renamed to Dolby Digital. The opening sequence was perhaps the most impressive segment on home video at the time of its release and I´m still waiting for a full-length version of those opening moments. The Blu-ray incarnation of the latest film in the franchise sports a very good sounding Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, but I must state that I´m disappointed that Warner Bros. didn´t supply a PCM or TrueHD soundtrack for this film. "Terminator" films are among the most aggressive sounding films produced and I was really hoping for a soundtrack to plaster me against the walls with its soundtrack. The film combines a strong surround presence with deep and impressive bass in the .1 LFE channel to create an enveloping experience that makes "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" among the better sounding Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes. Explosions rock the room, yet more than a few gentle ambient sounds make their way to the rear surrounds. Dialogue is strong, during even the noisiest sequences. I can´t think of any reason to dock points from the audio score, but I can´t award a perfect 10 for a film that doesn´t utilize the full capabilities of the format.
Extras:
"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" was released onto HD-DVD quite a long time ago. Part of the reason it was delayed was because of the inability of the Blu-ray format to provide the picture-in-picture capabilities of the format. With BD-50 discs available, the film finally makes its debut on the Blu-ray format and uses seamless branching instead of Profile 1.1 PiP to deliver the In-Movie Experience. For this ´video commentary´ like feature, director Jonathan Mostow spends a lot of time talking about the film and including some very nice video vignettes on the making of the film. Arnold Schwarzenegger and others are also featured during this IME, but Mostow is clearly the most common personality during this decent video commentary. There are long absences of footage during the IME and some last longer than five minutes, but I found this to be a pretty entertaining experience that occurred in movie. There are better examples of this type of feature out there, but so much of the material exists only in the IME, so it is worth checking out.
A number of typical features are also included on the disc and this includes three commentary tracks. The first commentary by Cast and Crew features Jonathan Mostow with the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and the lovely Kristanna Loken. This is a Criterion-like track where each actor was recorded at a separate location and then edited together. It still works very nicely and I found this to be my favorite of the three commentaries with everybody talking about their experiences. The second commentary by the film´s Director has Jonathan Mostow flying solo and he is quite good at providing commentary tracks. If you don´t have a ton of time, you may want to watch the In Movie Experience over this track and the third one, but the Mostow-only commentary was the most informative overall and the director is a good speaker. The third and final track featuring the Crew again included Mostow, but a number of other folks from the production of the film. This two was a Criterion-style commentary and didn´t seem as interesting as the other two commentary tracks.
The features that do not require repeated viewings of the film are decent, but run for only about forty-five minutes. The Introduction by Arnold Schwarzenegger (:33) is short and was taken from the DVD release and has Arnold talking about the commentary tracks contained on the disc. It was short, but Arnold made it fun. I wish he was my governor. The HBO First Look (13:02) feature is the promotional little short that was shown on the cable network and featured important members of the cast and crew to rally up excitement for the film. Arnold, Danes, Mostow and Stahl all stop by for a moment and this was about as good as any thirteen minute promo reel can be. Some Storyboards (3:54) are up next and has a comforting blue background with scenes from the film and their matching storyboard. Not a bad feature. The Dressed to Kill (2:11) featurette is too short, but focuses on the costuming of the Terminator. This really should have been longer and was one of the more entertaining two minutes shorts I´ve seen in recent times.
Moving beyond the "Behind the Story" part of the supplements, a few short bits are thrown in. Two scenes are contained under "Additional Footage." The Sgt. Candy Scene (1:50) is a riot and explains how the T-101 earned its skin and accent. Arnold with a horrible southern accent was just too funny to not watch twice. The Terminal Flaws (3:01) blooper reel was cute the first time around. It wasn´t so cute this second time around on Blu-ray, but still had some funny moments. The Toys in Action (6:34) short looks at Todd McFarlane´s creations. McFarlane does make some nice toys, but nothing too interesting to see here. The Making of the Video Game (8:56) is interesting in being more than promotional, but the game wasn´t very good. Finally, the Theatrical Trailer and the PC Game Trailer are included.
Closing Comments:
"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" is an entertaining film, but it feels rehashed and recycled. Many of the film´s scenes are grander and more exciting versions of what we´ve seen in either "The Terminator" or "T2." Arnold´s third time around as the titular robotic assassin is impressive in how well he has aged, but he doesn´t vary much at all from what we saw back in 1991 with the second film. Nick Stahl feels at home in the film, but Claire Danes almost seems to be slumming it. Jonathan Mostow had an almost impossible task in continuing James Cameron´s trademark franchise and he does a commendable job, but having him repeat much of what was previously done did not help him fill those shoes. Perhaps I´m just too eager in having a "Terminator" film that takes place during the war against the machines, but while I was entertained by the film, I was underwhelmed. The Blu-ray release featured a flawed, but decent picture and a very nice Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that teases at how well this film could have sounded with a PCM or TrueHD mix. The supplements are decent, but don´t push the boundaries of the format´s capabilities. I´m still looking forward to the upcoming fourth film, but the third time was not a charm for the "Terminator" franchise.
![Happy Days [TV Show]](/images/displaymedia.php?id=25233&sizew=70&cat=3)
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]22404[/release]