Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (commonly abbreviated T3) is a 2003 science fiction film directed by Jonathan Mostow and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, and Kristanna Loken. It is the sequel to The Terminator (1984) and Judgment Day (1991).

Its release date within the United States was July 2, 2003.

This film was Arnold Schwarzenegger's final starring role before becoming Governor of California, after being elected in the 2003 California recall. In order to ride a wave of publicity focused on Schwarzenegger, the DVD release of this movie was scheduled several weeks after the election. Warner Home Video announced that the film is to be released on HD DVD on May 9, 2006.Business Wire. Warner Home Video Announces Titles and Release Dates for HD DVD. January 5, 2006.

The TV release began in late 2004 in the United States with all official international TV releases completed by March 2005.

Cast

Arnold Schwarzenegger initially refused to star in "Terminator 3" because James Cameron, who created the character and directed the first two films, would not be directing the third installment. Arnold tried to persuade Cameron to do the third film but Cameron declined and, feeling that the Terminator character was as much Arnold's as it was his own, Cameron advised Arnold to just do the third film and ask for a lot of money.

Besides Arnold Schwarzenegger, Earl Boen (Dr. Peter Silberman) is the only actor to appear in all three Terminator films (The Terminator, Judgment Day and Rise of the Machines). Linda Hamilton was initially approached to reprise her role as Sarah Connor but turned it down. A line in the movie has instead John saying that Sarah died of leukemia in 1997.

In a 2005 interview on NPR's Fresh Air, Claire Danes revealed that she was cast for the role of Kate Brewster as a last-minute replacement, after actress Sophia Bush was thought too young to portray Kate Brewster

This was Kristanna Loken's breakthrough movie role. Loken did her own nudity in the opening of the film, on a very cold night and barefoot on pavement.

Kate Brewster's slain boyfriend, Scott Mason, was going to be named "Scott Petersen", but was changed in order to avoid giving the false impression that this was a type of "reverse parody" of the Scott Peterson case for the murder of Laci Peterson and her unborn son Connor. The fact that there would have also been occurrences of "Connor" on both sides would have reminded viewers too much more about the Laci Peterson murders, and give them the misconception that the movie makers deliberately made a parody/reversal of the roles involved in the Laci Peterson murders. Though if you watch the ending credits his name is still "Scott Petersen."

Arnold Schwarzenegger- Cyber Research Systems Terminator: 850 Series: Model 101 (The Terminator)
Nick Stahl- John Connor
Claire Danes- Kate Brewster
Kristanna Loken- T-X
David Andrews- Robert Brewster
Mark Famiglietti- Scott Mason (Originally "Scott Petersen". See "Scott Peterson".)
Earl Boen- Dr. Peter Silberman
Moira Harris- Betsy
Chopper Bernet- Chief Engineer
Chris Lawford- Brewster's Aide
Carolyn Hennesy- Rich Woman
Jay Acovone- Cop - Westside Street
M.C. Gainey- Roadhouse Bouncer
Susan Merson- Roadhouse Clubgoer #1
Elizabeth Morehead- Roadhouse Clubgoer #2

Plot

In the absence of the previously scheduled Judgment Day, John Connor has gone from messiah to burn-out, and is wandering aimlessly around Southern California. Unfortunately, it seems the apocalypse was only delayed (not prevented) by his actions in the second movie. The United States Air Force has taken over the Skynet project. Unable to locate Connor, who is now living "off the grid," Skynet sends another advanced new Terminator model, the T-X, back in time to terminate his future lieutenants as well to attempt to locate and terminate John Connor by way of a bonus.

As with Terminator 2: Judgment Day, a reprogrammed Terminator, a Cyber Research Systems Model 101, Series 850, (played by Schwarzenegger) has been sent back in time to protect John as well as his future wife (Kate Brewster) from the T-X, later dubbed the "Terminatrix".

In a plot twist, this particular model of T-850 reveals that he is in fact the murderer of John Connor in the distant future and that his wife reprogrammed him for the mission. This plot point serves to illustrate the complete lack of both emotion and personal will that the machines possess. Another twist to the formula of the previous films is that the T-X is armed with a full arsenal of advanced weapons from the future: in the first two films, the point is made that nothing but living tissue can be sent backwards through time, so time travel by humans requires they be naked and without weapons. Although a Terminator is a metal robot, it is surrounded by living tissue (the T-1000 Terminator in T2 is all-metal, but it is able to replicate other molecular structure, including that of living tissue). The T-X expands on this principle by having internal weapons, thus enabling this model to be transported back in time.

In the end, Brewster's father, an Air Force officer heading up the Skynet project, tricks Connor and his daughter into taking cover from the impending Skynet nuclear attack in a Cold War-era VIP bomb shelter ("Crystal Peak"), by making them believe that it is where the Skynet mainframe is located. The revelation that Skynet is in fact a distributed computer program serves to update the film to modern technology which was deemed too obscure to be used in the original film. In a nihilistic turn, the main characters are unable to avert Judgment Day and Skynet succeeds in triggering a nuclear apocalypse, paving the way for the Machines' rise to power. However, there is a ray of hope when the bunker is suddenly bombarded by the voices of confused military forces and ham radio operators asking for orders and Connor picks up the microphone to respond.

Budget and financing

The movie's final production budget was $187.3 Million, making it the most expensive independently produced movie in history. Arnold Schwarzenegger had to dip into his own pocket ($6 million) to help fund the production of the movie - in particular the car chase scene that included a crane crashing through an entire building. It was a scene that he himself wanted to put in the movie (as he explains in the audio commentary and on The Tonight Show). Schwarzenegger agreed to defer part of his salary in order to move the set to Los Angeles from Vancouver. Many pundits saw this as preparation to his campaign for California governor, where he emphasized giving incentives to have movie productions stay inside California rather than move to cheaper places elsewhere.

Even though Terminator 3 eventually had a world box-office gross of $427 million (at least half of which is kept by movie theaters), it barely broke even.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was paid $30 million to film Terminator 3, the highest paid actor for a film.

Story rights (Carolco and Gale Anne Hurd): $14.5 million
Screenplay: $5.2 million
Director (Jonathan Mostow): $5 million
Producers: $10 million
Cast: $35 million
- Arnold Schwarzenegger: $29.25 million + 20% gross profits
- Arnold's perks: $1.5 million
- Rest of principal cast: $3.85 million
- Extras: $400,000
Production costs: $58 million
Post-production costs: $4 million
Visual effects: $20 million
Music: $2 million
Other costs: $33.6 million

Total: $187.3 million

Source: ^*

Financing

Warner Bros.: $51.6 million for North American rights.
Toho-Towa: $20 million for Japanese rights.
Sony Pictures Entertainment: $77.4 million for the rights to the rest of the world.
Internationale Medien und Film: IMF is a German tax shelter. The tax law of Germany allows investors to take an instant tax deduction even on non-German productions and even if the film has not gone into production. By selling them the copyright for $160 million and then buying it back for $149 million, producers Intermedia effectively made $11 million.

Total: $160 million

Production notes

This is the first film where a Terminator does not say the famous line "I'll Be Back". However, he does say variations of the catchphrase ("She'll be back" and "I'm Back"). He also does not utter the line "Hasta la vista, baby," though John does.

Another recurring line, "Come with me if you want to live," does not make an appearance in this film. Connor nearly says it to Brewster in the cemetery scene, but not quite. These are a few examples of things that caused many fans to dislike the film for it doesn't "feel" like there is any continuity from the first two films. The blue look to the film is also absent and replaced with a brown/orange appearance.

Earl Boen reprises his role as Dr. Peter Silberman, the long-suffering psychologist from the last two films, though his appearance is only for a single scene.

This is the third movie where the line "Get Out" is said in scenes of taking one's vehicle. Arnold says this line when stealing the fire truck and a similar line ("Get off!") when dismounting a police officer from his motorcycle. This line also appeared in The Terminator (when The Terminator steals the truck) and Judgment Day (when the T-1000 steals the helicopter).

A particular shot has been used at least once in each Terminator film. While on a stationary motorcycle, the T-800/850 wheelspins and turns the bike 180 degrees right in front of a low-lying camera, before he rides off into the distance. This occurs as he commandeers the police motorcycle.

The Manner waffle products from Austria had a cameo appearance in the movie, when the Terminator 850 grabs a bunch when shopping for food at the gas station in the desert. Since Manner waffles are one of Schwarzenegger's favorite snacks, he integrated them into the movie. Manner ran a series of television commercials in Austria in 2003, marketing their waffles with the release of the movie in theatres there.

References

External links

Official website
Hope Of The Future - Terminator fansite with deleted scenes and much more!
Terminator 3: the Rise of Matrix review comparing T3 with Matrix Reloaded

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