User Reviews

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines had a troubled production—James Cameron abandoned the project after disputes with Fox, leaving Jonathan Mostow to take over. The story follows John Connor years after Judgment Day: Sarah is dead, Skynet’s rise was delayed but inevitable, and a new female Terminator, the T-X, is sent to kill John’s future allies while a reprogrammed T-800 returns to protect him. Despite strong visual effects and Kristanna Loken’s effective performance as the T-X, the film lacks the emotional depth and intensity of its predecessors. Nick Stahl’s John Connor feels flat, the humor feels out of place, and the movie ends up feeling more like a polished remake than a true continuation. It’s entertaining but ultimately unnecessary—a solid action film that never matches Cameron’s vision.

"I'm back." Well now I'm back to do another review of the Terminator franchise with Arnold Schwarzenegger returning as the Terminator. With Terminator 2: Judgment Day being so successful and being everyone's favorite Terminator movie and favorite movie of all time in general like mine I've heard that they're going to be doing a third movie. In 1991, there hasn't been a Terminator film for years until 12 years later being called Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. 10 years after Cyberdyne Systems is been destroyed, John Connor replacing Edward Furlong by Nick Stahl, is a complete mess following the death of his mother, Sarah Connor and is now hiding from the malevolent artificial intelligence Skynet, despite a war between humans and machines not happening in 1997. Skynet sends the T-X back in time to kill one of John's allies in the human resistance. The T-850 Terminator which of course once again played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is reprogrammed to protect John and his future wife Kate Brewster played by Claire Danes. Okay, when did that happen? When did John Connor started fall in love with Kate Brewster? I have no idea. Maybe the Terminator knows because you know he has detailed files. Kate wants nothing to do with the mission and just wants to get back to her fiancé. But with her fiancé being killed by the T-X, she decides to join in the gig and stop Skynet from starting Judgment Day and defeat the T-X once and for all. Now upon watching the first and second film I'm thinking that after T2, I don't think the other sequels are gonna be as good as the first and the second and boy, was I right. Now not to say that they're all bad, I mean, I've seen Dark Fate in the cinema back in 2019 and I enjoyed it and yeah, I know it bombed at the box office which means there won't be anymore Terminator movies. Now upon seeing them recently I didn't find them to be that bad that is to say that they're both mix bags and now with this movie. This one is okay for what it is. It has Arnold Schwarzenegger coming back and James Cameron is not involved in the franchise after T2 and until Dark Fate making it the first Terminator film which doesn't involved James Cameron. Arnold is just here to say his one-liners and I know he is the king of one-liners like "I'll be back." "Hasta la vista, baby.'' In Rise of the Machines however he his lines like "Talk to the hand.", "Don't do that." "I'm back." and "You are terminated." Now the movie itself is rated 12 in the UK from where I come from and it's rated R from the US. This I found baffling. Maybe because the violence is being tone down too much to appeal to younger audiences but it doesn't escape the fact that they're going to be put off with the punching through the cop stomach and the Terminator cutting his chest to get the hydrogen fuel cell before it explodes. Yeah, that's a bit much. Don't you think? And the ending is a bit of the let down. Obviously I won't spoil it but I'll let you watch it and you'll see what I mean. So as a Terminator movie this one is quite decent. It's definitely not on to the standards of The Terminator and T2. Seeing what those movies are like in the 80's and 90's, this is all there but in here however it just all seem to mush on it's predecessor. Seeing The Terminator from the 80's this is a fresh start to start the movie. Seeing Terminator 2: Judgment Day from the 90's you will know that this is going to be one hell of a ride to be epic. In here however, this is going to be just a recycled version of Terminator 2 which I will know for an instant is that the franchise is going to be tiring and getting really lacking. This is one of the weakest of this whole franchise with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It lacks any charm that the first and second had. Those two movies that I will watch over and over again. I watch them for about over 100 times and I will continue to watch them until I die. Seeing the other sequels however and honestly reviewing them is a big challenge for me. I don't hold back on how long I'm going to review them even how long this review is which I am doing is all that I'm proud of and still continuing on this day and for now I'm going to end this review and I'll feed my thoughts on the others. So as it is, as far as how many times I'm going to say this is: "I'll be back."

yeah it was pretty generic and really no fate but what hollywood makes. also making fun of T2's uncle bob to hype up kate isn't a good idea

Often gets dunked on, for simply not being as good as the previous two films, which apparently makes it bad. But as far I'm concerned, it's still a great film that explores what John Conner has been up to at the start of the film. It's cheesy in a good way and has good action. While also having a memorable ending that sets up Terminator 4: Salvation.

Weaker than Terminator 2 but still very brutal and has a lot of explosions!

A silly/humourous action film from the 2000s with the typical time travel **** Arnold and some specific scenes carried this movie. Still pretty fun to watch tho.

Whilst this isn’t as good as the first two films it is still entertaining but in a different way to the first films. It still has the amazing action scenes and lots of awesome destruction that really are the highlight of this nice-looking action movie. The serious tone is slightly dulled down and replaced with much more campy fun. The new breed of terminator is not as good as the liquid metal one from the last outing. The sound design was good but not outstanding. I think that the first film has the best sound surprisingly! This was functional but not memorable. The biggest problem however is that the story is weak. I didn’t like how they watered the whole thing down and tried to force a sequel into a completed story. It is a basic story and takes second place to the action. It should be story and action both together! I didn’t like the way that they made a joke out of the terminator. Still it was easy-going and fun. It is good that it is mostly set in the current time. Easily the weakest of the original trilogy but still a fun and campy ride and better than the Terminator films that came after this one.

Was it really necessary to make such a poor third film ruining the first two perfect film? The clear demonstration that not everyone can take over the legacy of the greats.

L’un de mes Terminator préférés ! c’est en effet le moins sérieux et le plus rocambolesque de la série et le plus drôle également… Que ce soit dans les dialogues ou les scènes d’action (très) improbables, c’est plein de jokes et Schwarzy en fait des tonnes ! il n’est pas le seul cela dit, car tous les personnages sont désormais d’authentiques caricatures (à l’insu de l’ignorance des scénaristes et du metteur en scène ou pas, là n’est pas la question). Bref, on rigole beaucoup, on ne s’ennuie jamais et le scénario a un petit côté pré-Fallout très séduisant tout en évitant les discours parfois grandiloquents de Terminator 2. Quelques excellentes idées sont aussi fort judicieusement exploitées avec par exemple la terminatrice dont le développement et l’inventivité laissent bouche bée. Finalement, pas mal de recul pour ce film d’action qui sait rester spectaculaire et perpétuer la mythologie de cette saga qui rebondit au rythme des retours vers le futur simple du passé antérieur. Ce Terminator 3 est évidemment à prendre au second et même au troisième degré : il s’agit en vérité d’un film entier dédié au fan service et à ce titre il excelle d’une façon inattendue. On a par ailleurs une réalisation solide (Jonathan Mostow n’est pas un branque) dans l’ensemble malgré une grosse poursuite certes spectaculaire mais trop désordonnée et mal filmée. Le rythme reste soutenu de bout en bout et les effets spéciaux sont toujours au sommet !

It works great as a parody of T2, but as a followup it's pretty disappointing.

Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines: How is it that this movie has better CGI then Resident Evil the movie. So we are going to start with the good first, Arnold as good as ever, I love the supporting cast, Nick Stahl as John Connor did a fantastic job and Claire Danes as Katie she was also great. The TX was a fantastic villain a female Terminator yeah it was cool. The special effects even looked good not over using CGI to the point of it looking gross but just enough to get your point across. Now the bad I hate the fact that Judgment Day was inevitable because that’s what the whole last movie was about stopping it, I don’t like how they killed off Sarah Connor but that’s a nitpick, but the main problem is it’s the same plot again, a evil Terminator goes to the past to kill Resistance members and the good Terminator comes back to protect the leaders, it’s the same plot as 1 and 2 it’s getting more tiresome. Overall Terminator 3 is a great sequel, great action, great characters, some good comedic moments it’s a good watch. Ranking Amazing.

Nothing impressive coming from this movie, it´s easily the worst terminator movie.

Very cliched and mediocre plot that ruins the masterpiece called Terminator 2. But I guess it will be kinda enjoyable if you ignore some of the flaws and if you're not a fan of this movie's predecessors.

Weird how the second one was so good and then we just went into this weird one.

A solid movie and even when it is the weakest in the (so far) trilogy it is nowhere near being garbage. It tries to redo everything that makes Terminator 2 great but fails to reach the same levels but also succeeds in being an entertaining movie. I must point out that it was hard to continue after Terminator 2 which is universally praised and one of the most recognized movies atop on entering pop culture history. I would not be angry if they ended the story after Terminator 2 but if a movie makes enough money a sequel will be made no matter what to gain more money from a franchise. Basic Hollywood rule if not applicable to the whole movie industry(Also valid for other entertainment branches). In hindsight from 2021 the franchise never reached the level of the first 2 movies and there are some really weak entries. However I will also say all later movies have some redeeming qualities mostly in form of really interesting ideas and concepts (Yes even if I dislike the performance / outcomes I will praise some ideas for creativity reasons). Lets go back to the movie: At the beginning there was a struggle for the rights of the franchise and at some point Arnold Schwarzenegger asked James Cameron if they themselves should acquire the rights. Sadly it did not end well and James Cameron was out of the picture for the project and neither Linda Hamilton nor Edward Furlong were included in the cast. Luckily Arnold Schwarzenegger was available as it would be a colossal disappointment if they did not get him too. The story is set approx 10 years after the events of Terminator 2 and follows John Connor who after the death of his mothers hides from Skynet by living a nomadic life to not appear on the radar. However Skynet will not give up and sends another Terminator back in time to get things done which lead the human resistance to respond similarly. Again we have the standard set up and overall the story delivers. It does not reach the levels of the prequels but is well done. I use mostly the term that it lacks the last pushes in this situation. The mixture of character development, twists and action is satisfying. I praise the stunt team for the performance. I will also say that it is sometimes a bit underwhelming, there are a few awkward moments / scenes and the conclusion is something I don't know if it is excellent or a disappointment. I will admit that most of the humor works well. Acting wise there are some missteps but in general the cast delivers a good performance. Lets start with Arnold Schwarzenegger in his iconic role. I say he delivers and you hear nearly no one criticizing his performance while for many his performance is a redeeming feature of the film. I am divided for Nick Stahl as John Conner. Mostly a good performance but there are scenes were I do not like him or better said the performance. I think it is the script not him. Claire Danes as Kate Brewster is excellent and gives a relatable and immersive performance. Claire Danes as T-X is the hidden star of the movie. She fully delivers and I never doubt her menacing and intense performance. Most of (the few) awkward moments I would blame on the script or director. Again I feel compelled to say that it is hard to follow the prequels and director Jonathan Mostow is really talented (I like many of his works). The special effects are excellent and ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) are just legends of the industry (If you do not know them look up their resume and films were they contributed the special effects). Visually and soundtrack wise I think there is nothing to criticize or maybe at most some nitpicks. Overall this is a good movie that has the burden to continue one of the most acclaimed movie in the genre. It tries its best but could not reach the level. However it is not a failure a good performance. I give an additional point because the latter movies made me appreciate this more.

After two excellent films, Hollywood made the mistake of reviving the “Terminator” franchise and ruining it completely. But in this film we are still at an acceptable level of quality where things still seem to make some sense. In this film, we follow John Connor in another race to save himself from a TX machine, sent from the future, in the form of a woman, but with the mission of killing him and all the future human militia commanders. It is more of the same if we think about it and if we want to compare this film with its predecessors. But with less quality. Overall, I liked the film, it honors its predecessors, but it is not able to do better, nor to do it differently. As has already happened, the film is essentially based on chases with immense destruction and shootings with increasingly powerful weaponry. There are several attempts to create comedic moments, but they don't always work and the dialogues are spiritless and sometimes irritating. And now that I mention it, one thing that caught my attention, and I don't know if it was just me, was the forced way in which the famous catchphrase “I'll be back” was used. And I don't even talk about monologues... I think some of them were perfectly expendable. Again, as in other times, it is Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance that saves the film. As if he were a colossus, he is the one who carries it on his back. And in fact he is a great actor and is totally at ease in the role, which he already knows and immortalized. Nick Stahl is average and does reasonably in the role of Connor, but it did not convince me much. Better than him, Claire Danes is very good for the role she received and is the only actress who can keep up with Schwarzenegger in his work. Kristanna Loken is also quite good. Technically, it is a very good film, but I still prefer “Terminator 2”, even though I know that the special effects used do not have the refinement of this film. I think the effects used in the film do their job well, but they can't be as surprising as those used in the older film. The action scenes, of course, are the strongest part of the film, and fill the measures with those who appreciate the genre, with immense destruction, explosions and twisted iron. Cinematography is very good, and makes good use of urban landscapes, the desert and scenes without light or in low light. Good editing and editing also help, and sets and costumes fulfill their role. The soundtrack makes good use of the leitmotiv of the franchise, but it does not stand out particularly.

What was the point of this? Some decent action scenes and that's it. The key to the original Terminator was even though it was an original story for it's time, it was still a simple one. This is just one convoluted, ill conceived mess.

Ten years after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, John Connor, still fearing that the war against the machines may still come to pass, has been living in hiding following the death of his mother. Unable to locate John in the past, Skynet sends a new Terminator model back in time to John's present time period to instead kill other top members of the future Human Resistance, thereby ensuring Skynet's rise. Terminator 3 is a decent enough action movie with some excellent special effects and exciting scenes, but it’s a movie that just never seems necessary and the ending essentially completely undoes the finale of the previous movie. As a stand alone action flick it’s entertaining enough for the most part, but as a Terminator movie and follow up to one of the best films ever made it’s a disappointment.

The action scenes and effects are great of course, and also the franchise is very interesting. Some of the jokes were indeed funny, but in my view the terminator universe is too serious to put so many jokes in it. Also I didnt like the feminists scenes, where some men are shown so weak and annoying. Kate Brewster was annoying also, but T-X was convincing with her cold aura. Some dialogues were stupid.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines continuation of the excellent 2 part. Arnold Schwarzenegger is still playing great here and the franchise itself is not completely tired of self-repetition. A medium-quality thriller, primarily a stand-out idiotic plot that simply ruins the ending of the 2 part. And in fact, looking at the last films in the series, it seems that Rise of the Machines is not a bad film.

I always liked this movie. Don't understand the hate for it. I like the ending, the action and yes even the actors. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in rare form once again and the T-X is awesome.

Not even a patch on the first 2 movies but entertaining enough as a stand alone movie being it and everything before Dark Fate is now non canon.

Holy crap. How times change. Been re-watching all the Terminator films in chronological order. The original is still a masterpiece despite some very dated effects, the second has dated in quite different ways but is still remarkably **** the real surprise? The third film is nowhere near as weak as I remember! Given much of what has passed for "blockbuster" entertainment since, Terminator 3 holds up remarkably well. Yes, it's largely a retread of the second film - far more than the second is a retread of the first - but it's admirable entertainment, all told. Virtually none of the emotional punch of the first two, ****'s a heck of an improvement over the fourth film in the series, Salvation. (Which I'll evidently be subjecting myself to next. Wish me luck!)

My biggest disappointment of the 00s so much hope dashed by a crap script and casting.

Terminator 3 was directed by Jonathan Mostow in 2003 and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and Kristanna Loken.... It's a sci-fi kind of action adventure film and it's basically a rip off of Terminator 2: Judgment Day because Arnie is once again the protector but this time he's protecting Kate Brewster (Danes) aswell as John Connor and we see a similar Terminator villain to Robert Patrick's in the shape of the T-X (Loken) except she's got a few gadgets that Patrick didn't have so it's slightly an upgraded version. Kristanna Loken was amazing all through Terminator 3 and was very beautiful and added sexiness to the film and a spark. Arnold Schwarzenegger was his usual self and the others were okay, the action scenes were great but there was a few oddball characters like the dude on stage at the beginning of the film who Arnold wanted his clothes from. Some explosions, chases, gunfire and other fun make Terminator 3 a worthy entry into the franchise.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Judgment Day is coming soon. A sequel that deserves a place to be. Of course Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the best part at the moment, but the third movie is not so bad either. The film has become more beautiful. These are not the dolls from the first film, but cool special effects. Very cool new T-X terminator. If something else was human in the T-1000, then the new terminator is really a killer machine.

7.5/10 Who's here after seeing Dark Fate? Well.... Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is quite a decent Terminator movie... but it not a pretty good sequel to the first two movies, well, it's quite decent at best. Terminator 3 does however have some good moments from here, and there, and some of them are embarrassing, and making most of the fans uncomfortable, such as "Talk to the hand!" scene at the strip club, and as well at the gas store. But thankfully however, T-X is a amazing, female Terminator is quite a amazing, that she did try to make Skynet know about Judgement Day before she successfully did, also, Kristanna Loken's performance as T-X is praised by the fans. T-850 starts ****, Terminator that acting silly, and campy, making those fans very questionable to him, but however that Arnold Schwarzenegger still did a good job performance at T-850, and he is still as effective as his best-known character, despite it's goofy behavior. The most wonderful scene in Terminator 3 is the ending, the ending scene where John Conner and Kate Conner finds out that Crystal Peak was a fallout shelter for VIP's, and Kate tells John that they decided to let it go, and the film ends with Judgement Day started with the narrator, is admittedly pretty depressing, but it's actually good. I love this ending so much, making those fans agree that where the Terminator franchise ended with the 3, and almost many of the Terminator fans unanimously agreed this to be the best (or the least bad) of the post-T2 Terminator films. So, Terminator 3 feels like a decent ending to the franchise, but not in a good way, at least, it's the decent way to end the franchise before the franchise goes downhill. And yes, for me, Terminator 3 is sadly the last good Terminator movie before it goes downhill, and Terminator 3 got another T3 Is Dark Fate, which it supposed to be a directed T3 movie to T2. For me, Terminator 3 is the real sequel to the second film, and Terminator 3 came to a perfect closed. I'm pretty favorable toward the third one, not as acclaimed as the first two Terminator movies, at best.

Terminator 3 directed by Jonathan Mostow and made in 2003 was sadly the last half decent Terminator film made. Everything since Terminator 3 is pure dinosaur droppings from Jurassic Park. For me Terminator 3 was the only real sequel to Terminator 2 as it doesn't insult James Cameron's classic sci fi action flick. Once again like in T2, Arnold Schwarzenegger is sent to protect John Connor and this time also some girl named Kate Brewster (Claire Danes) but also a newer deadly machine is sent to Kill them in the form of the beautiful T-X (Kristanna Loken). What the film lacks in terms of action Kristanna Loken makes up for by her gorgeous figure, beauty and sex appeal however this film has some of the greatest action scenes I've ever seen and some good stunts and it has loads of good humour. The only annoying thing is Nick Stahl as John Connor because he's annoying in Terminator 3 but besides that this is a worthy sequel to Terminator 2 and a great entry into the Terminator film series. I think Terminator 3 was great and Kristanna Loken was beautiful as the villain terminator TX who was similar to the T-1000 and the TX had a flame thrower and other variety of weapons and could immitate other human beings. Terminator 3 was good

This film is literally a joke. How could anybody rate this highly? Inflating breasts? putting star shaped shades on Arnold? I just don't have the words.

While good in its own right...Great action sequences, good new and deadlier villain, Arnold's charismatic acting of the titular character and absolutely terrific ending that give this franchise a satisfying but tragic conclusion. However, T3 misses the point of poor casting, out of place comedy and special effects that have not dated well, derivative plot, too many way coincidences that are explained by "fate" and the overall characterization of the main hero, John Connor and no Linda Hamilton.

It was interesting to have a female villain for a change. It was interesting to see the Terminator go back and protect John during the inevitable action that causes the rise of Skynet. However, This movie fails to deliver on a decent premise with subpar acting from the other leads (Arnold was fine, Daines and Stahl were miscast that lacked chemistry) and the clear attempt to be more of an action ridden film rather than being a more drama-action hybrid like the first two films. With T3, The foot is always on the gas and never on the break. The only bits of story or dialogue are too few and in between these overly long action scenes that never seem to end. Here is a tip to anyone wanting to make an action film: People like having a story, People like having characters you can get behind and rally for. T3 doesn't have that. It's all flash, no substance.

A lot of great action scenes, but overall the movie isn't all that good. It's disappointing to watch as basically the franchise takes it's first nosedive.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

The last great Terminator film, this film still has the charm the 2nd film had.

While its the weakest of the first three terminators it is way better than the ones that came after it. It still feels like a terminator movie. John Conners character could have been written better but the acting wasn't at fault. Claire Danes is great in her role too. I really like the setting of this movie in the period when skynet became aware and armageddon happened. The last half of the movie is so thrilling.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is a decent continuation of the previous two films. It never comes close to the quality level of the previous ones, but I don't think its visualization is a waste of time.

Not Bad T3 definitely ain’t a masterpiece like the previous two, But it’s still a decent film.

At least we have Arnold. His acting saves this movie from being a total disaster. But looking past Arnold, Terminator 3 is the theatrical equivalent of cleaning a 93 year old man’s colostomy bag. I was expecting **** but was somehow surprised by the amount of **** I was presented with.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Decent third film, Arnie is still great and there is some solid action. Villain is a bit stupid.

Nice continuation of the Terminator story. I do have some problems though: 1. Derivative of Terminator 2. 2. Doesn't conclude the series and sets up for more sequels. 3. A few awkward moments. However, I did like the performances, characters, action, and the terror.

Rise of the Machines suffers from weak performances from Nick Stahl and Claire Danes, a repetitive plot, and dumbass gags and laughs throughout. Very disappointing, especially compared to the greatness of the first two films.

A mediocre to bad follow-up to a very promising film that imbued this one with a lot of potential. Boring, toothless and cheaply conceived. This is the first in a long series of post-Cameron Terminator franchise missteps.

I don't understand the hate and ridicule that this movie receives in comparison to Geneysis and Salvation. Even without James Cameron, "Rise of the Machines" still manages to stay fun and is still a strong action film despite obviously being weaker than Judgement Day. It's not as great, but it comes close. Its a strong, entertaining sequel Overall score: B+

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines have some impressive action sequences as its predecessors. Sadly, its so-so script and simplistic plot sink this flawed sequel even downer.

They decided to hire some dumbass to create a third Terminator movie that ****. It took actual trying to finish this movie and not decide to sleep lol.

Rise of the Machines lost the charming from the first two movies that consider them to be the best movies in the entire franchise. What this Terminator still have is that it's somehow enjoyable and filled with surprises.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

The weakest of the 5 movies.terminator 3 does not have sarah connor,but it has bad acting,awful **** its not loyal to the cameron classics,its 2020 the judgement day,not **** **** all of the **** of who watched that ****,its clearly the 3rd worst movie of all time.

Even without James Cameron's presence what we have is a 3rd entry that stays true to the concepts, themes, and most importantly feel of the previous two films. It's not quite as intelligent given that there are a few questionable moments and missteps in logic that are noticeable. However the plot is still complex enough to make it worth following. It's got more brains than the average action film. Speaking of the action it's a blast to watch. Quite literally in fact. Explosions and gunfights are everywhere. It manages to keep a large level of destruction and mayhem with out coming off as excessive or just plain noisy. I love how the director incorporated the weight of the Terminators into the action. The previous two films didn't have too much of that. As far as the acting goes it's just as great as the other two films. The human characters are believable, and the actors playing the Terminators show just the right amount of non-expression. Schwarzenegger is just as great as ever. While it doesn't quite reach the heights of it's predecessors and has some questionable moments, fans of the series can still find this to be a worthy entry. It's worth watching the continuation of this sci-fi tale. With action this exciting and a plot this cool, it's easy to forgive a few mistakes.