Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - July 1, 2003

While the much ballyhooed "all practical" car chase in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was both exciting and entertaining, I think christening the film itself "The MOST exciting movie of the year" was a tad much. Then again, 2003 was not a good year for me and my son. The only other films I can recall seeing on the big screen that year were Ang Lee's Hulk, Eli Roth's Cabin Fever, and an all-new live action version of Peter Pan released during the Christmas season.

This was the first Terminator film made without the creative input of James Cameron and, despite the admirable effort of director Jonathan Mostow to maintain the tone of and style of the first two films, it shows.

Rise of the Machines is to the first two Terminator films what Jaws 2 was to Jaws. A competent enough piece of entertainment that, nonetheless, fails to retain the creative energy that made the previous movies pop.