10 Movies That Were Just Trailers For Other Movies

After the perfect ending for the franchise that was Terminator 2, there was really only one place for the franchise to go: to the future. The future war with the machines had been teased in every film but never fully explored, so it makes perfect sense that that is where the third film would go.

Only, it doesn't.

Rise of the Machines instead opts to be Judgement Day-lite. It's a retread of all the things that made Terminator 2 so great, just without any of the heart or ingenuity. Arnold spouts some one-liners, there's a new model terminator whose trying to kill them, car chase, John bonds with the T-800, terminator vs. terminator fight, etc.

The only new thing that Rise of the Machine adds on are teases for developments in the future. It introduces Katherine Brewster, only to tell audiences she'll be important later. It teases further wrinkles in the backstory of Arnold's T-800 model, only to save them for later films.

Thus, when the film ends on a somber note that sets up the film this should have been in the first place, it's more than a bit annoying. Especially considering that when that film was finally delivered, it was years later, with an entirely new cast and crew and directed by McG of all people.