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Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines tells the simple yet compelling story of a very old piece of equipment that refuses to go away. Its name is Arnold Schwarzenegger, and, as famously promised, he's back, and at his anticharismatic best, too.
Wastes no time getting very loud and very silly and never really lets up.
A sizable quotient of the movie's target audience just wants to see stuff destroyed, and in that regard Rise of the Machines won't disappoint.
It's not as taut or surprising as the first installment. And it's not as resonant or ambitious as the second, but Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines still manages to kick plenty of butt.
The villain comes back more times than Wile E. Coyote. I found it tiresome and witless and numbingly repetitive, but action mavens won't feel cheated.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines may lack the mythic pow of the 1984 original and the visionary thrill of T2, but it's a potent popcorn movie that digs in its hooks and doesn't let go until an ending that ODs on apocalyptic hoo-ha.
Basically one long, exciting chase scene.
With splashy digital effects and punchy stuntwork, the solid T3 slides along enjoyably, but doesn't have the impeccable story and visual design of the previous entry.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is without a doubt the weakest entry in an otherwise beloved trilogy, but let's be honest, T3 was doomed from the very day franchise creator James Cameron decided to pass on it.
An exciting and fun popcorn romp...
T3 has the sour, depressive vibe of an untested director submitting to a predetermined mythology not his own.
...unlike the first two films, it is not the kind of action movie I might want to watch again soon except, perhaps, to enjoy its new HD-DVD transfer. (HD-DVD Edition)
T3 does not have the sense of humanity that the two previous films had, but Mostow's focused direction helps get the job done.
Sadly, what began as a smart sci-fi franchise has apparently been huffing glue since 1985.
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