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[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - Front Row Apocalypse Part I


[An earlier version of this PT was originally posted on January 8th, 2015 on JoBlo's "DVD, Blu-Ray & Home Theater Discussion" forum.]

The life you know; all the stuff that you take for granted - it's not gonna last in "Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines"...



The motion picture opened on July 2nd, 2003. It was made with a budget of $200,000,000 (estimated) and grossed over $150 million during its U.S. theatrical run; counting foreign receipts it made $433,371,112. The film opened number two at the box office, the following week it rose to number one.

The feature opened against "Finding Nemo", "28 Days Later", "Hulk" and "2 Fast 2 Furious".

No slipcover issued, originally came with two inserts. 1) A two page chapter listing with bonus index. 2) T3 advertisement; Atari's T3 video game, "Pumping Iron: The 25th Anniversary Edition", leather jacket, sunglasses, cap, t-shirt, T3 bobble heads set (Schwarzenegger and Loken) and life-size cardboard standees (Schwarzenegger and Loken).

And a free DVD offer by mail ($3.25 shipping); buy T3 and one of the following: "Batman & Robin", "Collateral Damage" or Eraser" (all cardboard snappers) to qualify for a free title. The free title is one of the three - offer expired February 27th, 2004. Mail in the poof-of-purchase tabs or UPCs with money and included form on the ad insert.

This ad also offered a five dollar rebate from Atari's for "Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines" video game (must have receipt for the DVD and video game purchase); offer expired on March 15th, 2004. Rebate was available to U.S. and Canadian residents.

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This is mega post in six parts!

You will get answers to your long running questions. Heavily researched by myself - the subject of eight months of work; on and off, NOT a joke (dead serious). This entry and the next PT share the same amount of time as I did both probes at the same time. Man, I'm so anal.

Since this predates my archive, have no store advertisement, sorry.

There was a single exclusive from Best Buy. A business card sized CD-ROM, came inside a clear plastic sleeve. Can't remember if it was sealed on the back of the case or inside; more than fourteen years ago. Set streeted on November 11th, 2003, sold for $15.99.

Believe the card was available for the widescreen and full screen editions.

Access is nearly gone. But I have an older computer than can boot-up Mac OS 9 which is how I was able to run and take screen snaps.



First and last screen, above.

The card has two short videos of production artwork and storyboards, plus two screen savers.

And two galleries; production photos and concept art (eight pictures each).



Above, concept art; T-X melting from the particle accelerator. Man, EWF was right, "Magnetic" is indeed the rhythm of a dangerous game.

Had to enlarge the image.

All the gallery images were small, low res.



Has a T vs. T page (above); basic info on each Terminator. I did like the scale model of the early version of the T-1 (from the gallery), but I can see why it was rejected - no chrome at all.

This was my very first DVD purchase which so happened to have an exclusive. I recall having to exchange it. One of the discs was damaged. I recall asking the clerk at Customer Service if I could keep the CD-ROM card, she said 'sure'.

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Footnotes.

Before I get into my long winded rant (tons of spoilers) about folks who hate the film; perceived discontinuity and other bits. Let me say this was a dreaded entry - too much to research and coverage.

The first time around when posted on JoBlo, I kept pushing the release date - was going to be August 2014. But as you read above January 2015. Work had begin in April of '14; CD-ROM card snaps and basic stats; did not feel like scaling a mountain since it grew and grew. So got posted in 2015.

For 2017 I did various edits and subtractions since I wrote a Void entry on "Wrong Turn 6: Bloodbath" (2014) which is now moot. The DVD as been re-released, modified; controversy fixed.

Sure... filmmakers used a real missing person's photo in the movie without permission. Nuff said.

Added new images and expanded topics.

You'll never appreciate the effort, I know. Oh well, hope you find it informative and comprehensive. Okay done self-patting.

First thing's first - what's the correct way to watch the movie? Not a flippant comment.

Debated for some time.

This was released in '03. It was a time when most TV programs did not air, nor were produced in widescreen; only a few progressive used that format.

It is believed/suspected, director Jonathan Mostow with cinematographer Don Burgess framed it as a full screen motion picture; the studio's intent of selling the television broadcast rights which at that period, predominately full screen.

At the time of lensing, it was expected to be a blockbuster (which it was, mostly, but poor word of month tarnished its success - people were comparing it to "Matrix Reloaded" [2003]). The TV rights could have been licensed for serious money.

So Mostow basically zoomed-in and cropped off the top and bottom to make it widescreen for theatrical release.

In the fall of 2013, got curious; while at the swap meet, I saw a full screen copy of T3 - for a dollar. Disc one, the movie DVD was mint, the second wasn't. What I eventually did was relocate T3 into a four disc case; widescreen edition, full screen edition, special features disc and the exclusive card along with the original inserts.

Stills below were taken from the exact frame on each edition.



Something I hadn't notice - example on the right. Some of the engineers are working on a proto-Terminator. How could I have not seen that before? Sway.

As for the arrival image of the T-X (Kristanna Loken), had to censor the full screen. While her left nipple is covered by her long hair - her areola is quite visible. To play it safe, I blurred, sorry.

And as you can tell, widescreen is a shade more darker. *shrugs*

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"Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines" was released on HD-DVD on September 26th, 2006 for $28.99. The dead format has content that doesn't exist on DVD, thought it does have most of its extras with two new items...

A new commentary by Mostow with screenwriters John Brancato and Michael Ferris, cinematographer Burgess and production designer Jeff Mann. New video commentary on the making with behind-the-scenes footage and storyboards and interviews, that plays with the film. That extra has been called weak, lots of spots where nothing is shown and when it does appear - much of the time has nothing to do with what's on screen.

The Blu-Ray version is a clone of the HD-DVD, content.

If T3 gets re-released on DVD, I would rebuy for that newer commentary. *nods* Warner Home Video make it happen.

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Rant.

I'll start with a quote from a nihilist, then to the sequel's number one gripe.

You can't inspect something in culture without immediately having to defend it from a horde of idiots.

- Bret

John Connor (Nick Stahl) - why is he so weak? A 180 from where he was at the end of "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991); he's not a fighter.

Crap like that makes me loose a fragment (more) - faith of humanity's intelligence. *deep sigh*

See the situation from this vantage...



Since the events of the last film, John Connor has been waiting for the next wave of robot assassins to snuff him. Anything could/can be archived; a letter, a journal or video could lead THEM to him. So John must live with no connections. Then his mom dies from cancer, he has no one to talk to, not just about belief in his story since they could say or write something that could thread back to him.

Judgment Day passes, August 29th, 1997 was an ordinary day. What is my life purpose? Does he just rebuild or keep under the radar? But what if, that's what THEY WANT; a slip - a marker to trace. How do you function with such a high level of genuine paranoia?

His actions are not his own - John has to think about the future of the human race, his burden. The man is nearly an alcoholic. Waiting for Metal to come for him and our species. There is no release, he's burnt out. That was the most honest evolution in my opinion. We had to see him that way - in real life, heroes DO burn out. Connor is a broken man who wants out; but no one to take the weight. That's sad and quite depressing.

But here's the big fact. If he is that person to lead the human resistance, billions must die; much of the world rendered into ashes, a simple fact. If this is your fate - you become the Reaper. A huge burden to ask any sane person.