T3 reviews coming in

[reapersaurus]

1. I can't decide whether I like Terminator 2 or Terminator 3 more. Yes, it's that good.

No, it's not even close to that good.

I saw it Monday night, and in the perfect environment: a large group of dedicated people (stood in line ~2 hours to get in) who were respectful of the genre, and looking for cheering spots.

There wasn't much to cheer in this movie - John Connor is hard to 'get behind', and while the action is furious at times (truly, pretty jaw-dropping stunts IMO), ultimately the story manipulations needed to get those action scenes, combined with the very iffy plot which borders on not working (possible spoiler deleted) makes T3 just a popcorn-munching, action-packed summer sci-fi movie.

If that's all you're looking for, you'll be pleased (as I was).

Do NOT, however, go into the movie expecting the quality of sci-fi story that was present in the first 2.

 

[Dark Jezter]

No, it's not even close to that good.

I saw it Monday night, and in the perfect environment: a large group of dedicated people (stood in line ~2 hours to get in) who were respectful of the genre, and looking for cheering spots.

There wasn't much to cheer in this movie - John Connor is hard to 'get behind', and while the action is furious at times (truly, pretty jaw-dropping stunts IMO), ultimately the story manipulations needed to get those action scenes, combined with the very iffy plot which borders on not working (possible spoiler deleted) makes T3 just a popcorn-munching, action-packed summer sci-fi movie.

If that's all you're looking for, you'll be pleased (as I was).

Do NOT, however, go into the movie expecting the quality of sci-fi story that was present in the first 2.

Odd, since the theater I saw it in had a good share of Terminator fans as well, and there were a few scenes in the movie that got cheers from the crowd. I also saw it with my cousin, who has been a Terminator fan since the original came out in 1984, and he thinks that T3 is the best in the trilogy.

Myself, I'm undecided between T2 and T3, but I do consider T3 to be much better than the original Terminator.

No accounting for taste, I guess.

 

[Chain Lightning]

Before seeing this movie, if you were to ask me for a prediction as to how it was going compare to the rest of the previous films, I would've said something like...

..."It will probably be the Alien Resurrection of the Terminator franchise or the Highlander End Game of the franchise".

After I seeing it, I'm glad I was wrong. Its a solid film. Rough around a lot of edges, but still entertaining. Still not as good as the first two...but not all that bad. Action was pretty cool.

What kept it from being maybe a 8 or 9 out of 10? Well, lots of little things and one bit (story/script) thing. But I'll wait till more people have a chance to see it and this thread gets going a bit more. I know there's still people rolling in that having seen it yet so I don't want to spoil it with details yet.

Final verdict: not bad....decent....no homerun or anything. Worth seeing. At least it isn't as bad as "The Hulk". First two movies are still the best. I gave it a 6 out of 10, my friend the uber uber Terminator fanatic gave it a 2 out of 10 and had a scowl on his face when the end credits rolled. Between you and me, I think he over reacted a tad. But I mentioned it so maybe you'll know what you might think of the film if you're like my friend.

 

[dagger]

I never liked T2, T1 is still my favorite by far, but I really liked T3.

 

[Sirius_Black]

How was Terminator 3 for me?

Not as good as I hoped for....but no where close to what I feared it would be like when I first heard it was being made without James Cameron.

It was a solid action flick that definitely was worth the admission price. I gave it a 7 out of 10 on the poll.

Heck, after having to suffer through the Hulk, I'm grateful for any semi-decent film.

 

[Dr Midnight]

I was really, really pleasantly surprised when the positive reviews started coming in, and I was very happy to sit through the entire movie, realizing I was really enjoying myself. It's very, very good. I don't think it's as good as the second... but it's in the ballpark, I'd say. Some things keep it down, like the boob gag, the overly comic sound effects (ding!) and the Arnie's-deadpan-delivery-is-comedy-every-time lines. Otherwise, I really liked the story, and I REALLY liked the actors- Claire Danes I've never liked at all, and I thought she was terrific- and Nick Stahl was fantastically good even though I couldn't get past his odd crazy homeless guy look.

The action, eh- lots of stuff gets smashed, as stuff should. The fight scene in the bathroom is great fun to watch.

I liked seeing the... ARRRGH, shouldn't write that, it's a spoiler.

The twist was very good. I do looooves twist endings.

It's so odd, considering just how embarrassed I was to even be in the theater when the first trailer came out. Now I'm a fan.

 

[Kai Lord]

Incredibly entertaining film. Great cast, spectacular action, and a fantastic "Outer Limits" style twist. I loved it.

 

[Ycore Rixle]

Chalk me up as another one in the "Loved it" column.

Going in, my expectations were not high; coming out, my expectations for T4 are sky-high. I mean, there has to be a T4, right? Please? Pretty please?

I agree with Dark Jezter: avoid all spoilers.

However, I disagree with Dark Jezter about the Kristanna Loken vs. Robert Patrick battle. While I think the Kristanna TX was fine, I think the Patrick T1000 was much better.

I thought Clare Danes, her character, and her character's backstory (future story?) were great. The action sequences were great. This was the funniest Terminator of them all - some great lines. I loved all the in-jokes and allusions to the earlier two movies. And IMO it's haunting - it's the kind of movie that sticks around in your head after you leave the theater.

Overall, this may indeed be the best movie of the summer.

 

[frankthedm]

DON'T expect teh quiality or seriousness of T2 and you'll enjoy it.

 

[PowerWordDumb]

It was a lot of fun, and far better than I anticipated (or feared), but it doesn't really hold a candle to T2 which was a solid '10' that I went to see seven times in theatres. That's not a bad thing though. T3 is a credible addition to the trilogy that will leave you salivating for a T4.

As another poster said, don't go in expecting the weighty "can we/should we" type plot of the second - this is far more of a straight action romp more in line with the first film. In fact, the more I think about it, the more that I realize just how well T3 mimicks the tone and feel of the first film, though obviously much more highly budgeted and shiny on the effects.