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Rise of the Machines is sequel-making at its most dull and uninspired. It recycles scenes, situations and themes from its predecessors but with none of the same spark and originality. That T3 goes for camp is clear from the opening scenes. In true Terminator fashion, we meet the two cyborgs who will again wage war over the future of mankind. Kristanna Loken is the T-X, another new-model endoskeleton-thing who can shoot lasers out of her hand and artificially pump up her breasts. And Arnold is back as the same old T-Whatever, a rusty relic of armageddon complete with wrinkles and a few extra ounces of flab. When Schwarzenegger makes his big entrance at an all-male strip club - a reworking of the classic barroom scene that opens T2 - it comes off as half-funny, half-sad. Has a once-great sci-fi classic really de-morphed into this?

Yet as sorta-depressing as T3 can be, it is so big and overinflated and desperate to please that it just may be the most expensive B-movie ever made. Which makes it charming and fun in its own clunky way. Director Jonathan Mostow, taking over for Cameron, goes full tilt in staging his over-the-top action set pieces. The opening truck chase through the streets of San Francisco is as slick, exciting and well- executed an action spectacle as you are likely to see. And the climatic dueling terminators bathroom brawl is also a corker, even if it is a bit disturbing watching Arnie kick the shit out of a girl (albeit one made of molten metal). That none of this mass destruction really serves any purpose in the narrative is, at this point, inconsequential. It is all chase and payoff - T3 has no reason to exist other than because they wanted to make another sequel, so it is our sheer familiarity with the Cameron-directed epics that fuels any enjoyment we get out Rise of the Machines. It only thrills us, makes us laugh or packs any emotional resonance - let alone makes sense - because we are so in love with the first two that we'll take anything we're given. T3 is its own artificial, collective memory bank of a movie.

But what I missed most in T3 is the lack of a clear theme. This might be the most expensive Hollywood movie to ever end on such a downer. The original film's simple, linear narrative and clearly defined rules of time travel (however much they required a suspension of disbelief) are now long gone, replaced by so many u- turns and about-faces that it is hard to care anymore about the course of fate and all the metaphysical mumbo jumbo. I remember being uplifted in the first two by the idea that, no matter how seemingly insignificant and small, even one person can make a difference and affect the course of history. All of that is washed away in T3. We learn that everything we have done and can do is futile; Judgment Day is inevitable, which makes T3 an emotional cul-de-sac. Why make a movie that has no point, other than to set up another sequel? Idealism has been replaced by irony, another symptom of camp excess.

So if all you are looking for is great action and Arnie in leather, no matter how transparent a reflection of his former self, Rise of the Machines may satisfy you. But if you are looking for a sequel free of crass cynicism, look elsewhere.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Terminator 3 sure looks great. Warner Home Video gives you two options: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and 4:3 pan & scan versions, each available separately. You have to go with the widescreen with this one. What a sharp transfer - deep blacks, great colors, excellent contrast and a very pleasing sense of depth and detail. A little less harsh than the previous two Terminator flicks, Rise of the Machines is more balanced in terms of color, with less steel blue and more rich oranges, reds and green and purple accents. Reproduction is pure and free of bleeding, although I detected a slight bit of noise. Depth and three-dimensionality to the image is very good, with no apparent edge enhancement to muck it up. Excellent.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Terminator 3 sounds just as good as it looks. Included is a very aggressive Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track that is not EX encoded, nor is there any DTS option provided. But this is one strong mix. Frequency response is predictably excellent, with a very spacious midrange, clean highs and very, very powerful low bass. The .1 LFE really gets a workout on all of the mass destruction - this one will move the furniture around if you crank it up. Surrounds are consistently engaged and often create a near 360-degree soundfield. Imagine across all channels is near- transparent and excellent use is made of discrete effects, including vocals. Marco Beltrami's score is the only disappointment - it is not integrated into the mix strong enough and lacks the clanking power of Brad Fiedel's in the first two. Otherwise, a first-rate soundtrack.

A French-Canadian dub is also included, along with subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

He's back. After countless DVD editions of the first two Terminator flicks, we now have this new two-disc Terminator 3 mega-set, which I'm sure will only be the first in a series of re-issues. Imagine the possibilities: The Gugernatorial Edition? The Tricked Out Election Edition? T3 1/2: California Total Recall? Can't wait. Until then, this fairly substantial package will have to do, although despite the considerable bullet points on the back of the box, the included supplements are pretty weak - a lot of fluff, too little meat and a whole heaping helping of cheese.

First up on disc one are probably the two most informative extras on the disc, the audio commentaries with director Jonathan Mostow and cast Arnold Schwarzenegger, Claire Danes, Nick Stahl and Kristanna Loken, and a second solo track with Mostow. The helmer introduces the first "group" track, which is an amalgam of the actors each recorded in different cities and edited together. It actually isn't bad at all, with the cast much more honest and forthright than they are on all the fluffy video extras. It is positively surreal to hear Governor Schwarzenegger talk like just the billionaire action star he once was, although his initial, endless ramblings about his naked body are positively creepy. Danes and Stahl also have a sense of humor about tackling such a huge project and what it may mean - and may not - to their careers. And Loken may have had the toughest job of all, making a leather-clad female terminator believable. She handles it all with aplomb and is very engaging. So much so that by the time we get to Mostow's solo track, it can't help but seem dull by comparison. He certainly delves into all of the nuts and bolts completely lacking in the group commentary, but how much of this kind of stuff you can take is up to you.

Rounding out disc one are the film's theatrical trailer and a PC game promo spot.

Pop in disc two and you'll find all of the video-based goodies. Unfortunately, most are pretty fluffy if slick and powered by a relentless (and soon tiresome) techno underscore. After the dull Introduction by Arnold Schwarzenegger that contains no surprises, we have a Documentary, which is actually an HBO First Look special that runs 24 minutes. It is your typical breathless pre-release extended commercial. We don't learn anything we didn't already know after watching the flick, so even if you are a real fan you can skip this one. On-set interviews with Mostow, Schwarzenegger, Stahl and Danes are the highlights, and like all of the video extras on disc two, is presented in full screen with optional French subtitles only.

A bit more interesting is the 32-minute T3 Visual Effects Lab, which breaks down five key sequences: "Crane Chase," "FX Transformation," "Crystal Peak" and "Future War." Each breaks down their respective scene from the perspective of conceptualization, stunts, effects, CGI and post- production. Nothing here reinvents the wheel of boasts anything we haven't seen before, but some of the effects are cool and this is as well-produced such a supplement as any you are likely to see on a DVD. You can also have fun with the "Create Your Own Visual Effects" section, which allows you to pick the effects you want for either the "Robots" or "Underwater Scene," then the scene will play in whatever permutation you want. THis isn't really truly interactive like you would think - there are only six options per scene, so you are just accessing short separate video segments depending on what combination you select. Still, it delivers a few moments of pleasure.

NExt up are a variety of little vignettes. The 3-minute Sgt. Candy Scene is an oddity - what looks like a deleted comedy movie-within-a-movie scene that, frankly, made no sense to me. Storyboards is a 4- minute montage of the climatic Terminator vs. Terminator duel. The entire sequence is show as a side-by-side comparison between the storyboards and the final finished film, with soundtrack. The reaming two featurettes are kinda fun if way too brief. Dressed to Kill runs only 2 minutes and offers a breezy look at how to costume a Terminator, and what to wear if you are being chased by one. Toys in Action pays a visit with Todd McFarlane and takes a look at all the various Terminator-inspired toys that have come out in recent years. Running 8 minutes, this feels more like a commercial than a true featurette.

Rounding out the set are some text- and text/video-based hybrid extras. The Skynet Database, which is a simple trivia challenge that offers access to text files on all the main characters and production notes and history. Funny is the lack of availability of footage of key characters from Terminator films past, which results in cheesy new footage of stand-ins that is painfully obvious. The Terminator Timeline is more useful and interesting - at last we get a breakdown by year of the events leading up to the end of the world as we know it. I don't know if the logic holds true, but you diehard fans will, I'm sure, know better than I do. Last but not least is a PC game trailer and a very brief making-of the game featurette. Purely promotional.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

Pop in either disc and a custom T3 interface is there to greet you. Access basic DVD controls, weblinks to the official T3 site, the T3 store (surprise, surprise) and other Warner destinations, plus a T3 game preview.

Parting Thoughts