A Major Disappointment

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This might actually have worked, if only some very bad CGI decisions were not made and most of all, now, a 15 years later, it is clear that the soundtrack is absolutely horrible. The score messes up everything. Not only does it not match the size of the picture (scenic size, music is too static and too close, making the image look small) but also it is wishful, meaning that the score is trying to add emotional aspects that are improper and unfitting to what is actually displayed. Someone might have been really really excited to do this score and might have had an overenthusiastic producer, but the central idea of the movie was not understood. If the score had been more traditional and not overexcited, the whole title could have been a decent 7.8 (Also there's been some unfortunate casting, but... We cannot change it. I just try to do some therapeutic analysis here.)

Impressive visuals! The actions scenes are really incredible and all-out spectacular. The (sometimes silly) humor was actually quite funny, too, especially with Arnold's very dry sense of humor that comes across so hilarious. Just like the previous films, this is non-stop action and excitement from beginning to end. Loken was fantastic as the antagonist. Yes, the film does feature the 'destroy-as-much-as-possible' action sequences Hollywood action films are known for, but it does actually work well in these films.

Let's face it. The Terminator franchise has always been kitsch. It's "classic" kitsch but kitsch nonetheless. To expect something more from a franchise that started going down the cheesy sentimental route in its second entry is expecting way too much. These movies were meant to be fantastical thrill rides, and T3 is no exception to this rule. In fact, it's a solid blockbuster filled with great action, solid acting, (mostly) well timed humor and great special effects. I also thought it did a good enough job of justifying itself as a legitimate continuation of the universe. If you take this franchise too seriously you will be disappointed with this entry because you will be too preoccupied with how it's "supposed" to be.All in all, solid entertainment. Too bad T4 & 5 had to suck so bad.

This movie is just stupid. I was laughing for most of the runtime. On a technical level, this movie is fine. The way its shot is great, but aesthetics don't make a movie. The acting is worse than the previous movies, and the script is a mess. Most of the characters act like complete morons. I would not recommend this movie. Its not even worth watching for comedic purposes because of how frustratingly stupid most of the characters are. Its almost hard to believe that this movie came from the two before it.