Review of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) by Isaac B — 04 Jul 2015

Out of this film, Salvation, and now Genisys, I'm glad this is the official third entry. Expecting to write it off immediately upon watching like so many others have, I had a good time watching this movie. Although I still believe the story is so well contained and concluded in the first two films, if the franchise had to continue, the idea that "Judgement Day is inevitable" and the events of T2 only "postponed" it is a solid start. Right out of the gate however, you feel the Cameron touch is missing and can already tell it won't be on par with the its predecessors. The T-X (the new Terminator sent back in time) is a nice change up being a female, but not where near as intimidating or scary as the T-800 from T1 and the T-1000 from T2. Arnold holds his end very well again being the most badass character to watch and quite interesting how he is actually more similar to the version of himself from T1. He doesn't have the slang or emotion gained in T2 leaving him as a blank faced robot. Where they decided to take John Connor's character was a clever idea. Instead of following in his mother's footsteps and upon hearing the news immediately turning focus to prepare for the war and training his body to physical perfection, his fear and confusion pushed him into becoming a lazy, lonely, and miserable homeless man.

To finish off, without giving away any spoilers, I love the way this film ends. It without a doubt makes up for many of the other problems whether they be script wise or the way too many conveniences faced throughout the journey. The ending defied cliches and was extremely surprising. Maybe sad and depressing, but it makes sense and I like when movies don't need to tie up their story into a nice ribbon. If you're a fan of the first two (which everyone should be) then give this one a chance and have fun with it. Don't expect the same quality as you've been spoiled to receive with Cameron's masterpieces. If you do this, you'll be sure to enjoy it.