Terminator 3

[T'Baio]

T3, with the exception of the last scene, completely blows. It is a total parody of T2. The "on the run, suddenly decide to go back and stop Skynet from ever being built" is total note for note rip off of T2. And Silberman showing up on scene? That was the worst bit of screenwriting and shoehorn fan pleasing I've ever seen.

 

[MyCylon]

I actually enjoy T3. It's a fun movie with a terrific ending, I think.

The main problem I have with it is two things really. For one, I don't buy Stahl as Connor for one minute. He just doesn't work for me in the part at all. I think it's such a shame they couldn't get Furlong to do this since I think he really worked very, very well in T2. Stahl's Connor comes across as nothing more than a loser, really, IMHO. And while Connor is certainly a messed-up character, he's also a hero to some extent. And that just doesn't show here at all, I think.

My second complaint is atmosphere. T1 and T2 both have an atmosphere of fear, desperation and breathlessness. T2's opening scenes with the highway soaked in orange and with that foreboding music is a prime example, I think. But they've also got a dose of hope (T2 more so than T1) as well as some humour in T2.
In T3, except for the ending, I just couldn't find that special atmosphere. It's got enough action, some of the humour is good...but without the atmosphere it just doesn't quite live up to its predecessors, I think.
Still, again, I do enjoy it for what it is. And I certainly think it's entertaining.

 

[rafterman1701]

T3 serves to setup the future war.That's its most important contribution to the franchise.

 

[NX74205]

I actually enjoy T3. It's a fun movie with a terrific ending, I think.

The main problem I have with it is two things really. For one, I don't buy Stahl as Connor for one minute. He just doesn't work for me in the part at all. I think it's such a shame they couldn't get Furlong to do this since I think he really worked very, very well in T2. Stahl's Connor comes across as nothing more than a loser, really, IMHO. And while Connor is certainly a messed-up character, he's also a hero to some extent. And that just doesn't show here at all, I think.

My second complaint is atmosphere. T1 and T2 both have an atmosphere of fear, desperation and breathlessness. T2's opening scenes with the highway soaked in orange and with that foreboding music is a prime example, I think. But they've also got a dose of hope (T2 more so than T1) as well as some humour in T2.
In T3, except for the ending, I just couldn't find that special atmosphere. It's got enough action, some of the humour is good...but without the atmosphere it just doesn't quite live up to its predecessors, I think.
Still, again, I do enjoy it for what it is. And I certainly think it's entertaining.

You summed up the whole Terminator mythos write there. Terminator is more than just an action film, I mean there is just an atmosphere or foreboding to the movies that give it some heft. Michael Biehn (sp?) really nails that feeling in the first movie, the desperation, the fear, the pain, its really all there in his character anthropromorphised in this character. T3 like you said lacks all of that, but honestly it needed to happen, if only because it shows Judgement day actaully occur.

 

[The Evil Dead]

I liked McTerminator, Terminator 3 is the big mac of the Terminator franchise. I love the ending and the big crane truck chase through Los Angeles is one of my favorite action sequences of recent memory. It's weak in some areas but hey, I'm a sucker for well shot and edited sci-fi action.

 

[IJD GAF]

The two things the movie did right were the ending and the action scenes. I know the first two Terminator films are a little brainier than your typical action movie faire, but you also see a ton of shit destroyed. You expect to see tons of shit destroyed in these movies. And Terminator 3 did not let up on that.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

the T-X made for an unthreatening villain. any villain that puts her hair up in a bun is by definition not threatening.

I love the crane chase, one of the best chase scenes ever, that being said, they never convinced me that this 19-year-old girl was driving the crane

 

[misskim86]

In two years you never managed to run that fucker through spellcheck?

If it bothers you that much you are welcome to correct it.

 

[nx1701g]

I'll be honest I like Terminator 3; however, I also dislike it. That is one of the reasons I am happy that it's been said in interviews portions of it are being made noncanon for Salvation.

The film has, first off, great action scenes that I found to be incredibly interesting at some points and other times predictable. Other things going on in the film are just laughable (and that is from a diehard terminator fan). I also have to give them credit for actually having Judgment Day happen. The drawbacks were the T-X (which was easily forgotten) and I didn't like Stahl in the role of John Connor. The original script was more interesting but it was too bad it was rejected (in it John Connor became a computer programmer and created Skynet).

 

[zephramc]

... (in it John Connor became a computer programmer and created Skynet).

Accidentally or deliberately?

As for T3, I liked the movie but it had problems. The first was the T-X. She (it) never seemed overly frightening or threatening. I walked away thinking, if they were trying to "one-up" the T-1000's coolness (is that a word?) they failed miserably. The second was the story. It was a blatant ripoff of T2, but I couldn't overlook T3's plotholes and it didn't feel or flow as naturally as T2 did (and I admit that T2 has a large plothole or two).

As for what I like. I liked the action. I liked seeing Arnie as everyone's favorite cyborg again. I liked that J-Day was finally shown. I didn't expect that. Furthermore Danes and Stahl (while not a very good John Connor) did a wonderful job of portraying the sense of hopelessness in realizing the world had been destroyed. The two characters seriously considering letting the bomb go off was a nice touch.

 

[TremblingBluStar]

I liked T3 more than T2, in retrospective ...

As did I. I mean, I don't think either compare in any way to the original, but at least T3 didn't try shoving schmaltzy a The Terminator as a father-figure plot down our gullets. It might have worked if more capable actors had been involved - but James Cameron has never had a knack for picking actors.

 

[RandyS]

T
The movie is basicly just ACTION non stop ACTION. I know you will say ok well its a good action movie. Yes i agree But this is terminator.. they had 12!! years to come up with a INCREDIBLE script. What we get is a script that is nonstop action no dialogue no plot no nothing except mindnumbing action.

I mean first its the fight at the veterinarian, then they drive for what? 5 mins then they fight at the cemetary, then they fight at the military complex then they go to the fallout shelter and the movie is basicly Done. There is so minimal dialogue (ok i know im repeating myself) that I could puke. This is a Terminator movie not an action movie they should have done more.

Sound just like what Lucas did with Star Wars. All mindless action, no story.

Only one reason why I liked T2 better.

 

[Chess Piece Face]

The guy playing John Connor didn't do it for me and I also didn't care for the love interest angle, nor that fact that he had given up and was a slacker. I didn't want to root for that guy. The terminatrix was ok, but after seeing Cameron, you can see how kick ass a real terminatrix can be.

 

[Lonemagpie]

It was better than I expected it to be, without James Cameron in charge, and seemed to tie up all the loose ends nicely.

But I spent most of the runtime just trying to get my head round how much Nick Stahl looks like Sid from DS9

 

[MyCylon]

^
I think I was really confused when I saw the first trailer for the movie. I actually thought it WAS Sid first time around.

 

[RandyS]

But I spent most of the runtime just trying to get my head round how much Nick Stahl looks like Sid from DS9

So, I WASN'T the only one to notice that. My friends keep telling me I'm crazy.

 

[MyCylon]

^
It's kind of strange. In some scenes, depending on the angle or whatever, the resemblance can be quite striking. But in general, I don't think they look much alike. It's kind of weird.

 

[nx1701g]

... (in it John Connor became a computer programmer and created Skynet).

Accidentally or deliberately?

Accidentally. John was a successful computer programmer in the original script. He was working at a computer company and he was working on a project for them that was part of a larger whole (he didn't realize it until too late that they were developing Skynet).

 

[Seven of Five]

I was spoiled on T3's ending before I went in, so I kind of sat there all excited, waiting for the good stuff. Which was all at the end.

Okay, that's a bit harsh. I did enjoy bits of it, but as someone upthread pointed out, the first two films built up this great sense of dread all the way through. The third? Just seemed to be going for humour and T&A. It was disappointing, really.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I like Terminator 3 but there are elements throughout the movie I don't really like which have been pointed out already so I won't go into details. I loved the ending of the movie...and Nick Stahl did a good job as John Conner and Claire Danes was alright as the intriguing new character of Kate Brewster. I'm looking forward to seeing Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate in Salvation. I'm a bigger fan of the Sarah Conner Chronicles series though as an alternative option to T3.