The beginning of the decline of the Terminator films, but not as bad as reputed and better than the succeeding two films

Rating: 7/10 (4 September 2015)

The first Terminator is among the best of its genre, and Terminator 2 is bigger, richer and every bit as fantastic a film, one of the few sequels to be as great as its predecessor (Aliens, Godfather Part 2 and the Toy Story sequels are also noteworthy in this regard). Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is certainly better than the two films following it and it is not that bad a film, but it is nowhere near as good as the first two.
It is a bit unbalanced, with some misplaced and clumsily written comic relief that really does jars and there's far too much of it, and while the story is cohesive at least it is too more of the same, with in the first half not having anywhere near enough of the suspense and dark atmosphere (pretty predictable in fact), and some of the monologues ramble on too much, a few almost endless.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is a visually well-made film with a nice atmosphere with an appropriate darkness to it, it is slickly shot and edited and the special effects while not as stunning as the ones in Terminator 2 are solidly constructed. Jonathan Mostow is no James Cameron, but he does direct competently. There is a pulsating music score that has the right amount of energy and mysterious atmosphere while being too obvious, and while the script is uneven and not expansive enough with the characterisation it at least doesn't sound stilted and doesn't become so stupid that you're bashing your head repeatedly on a wall. Terminator's one liners are as wry as ever.
Regarding the action, it is still thrilling and expensive in look with some high-octane chases and well-choreographed action. While the first half drags and is not very well-written, the story really picks up and becomes more diverting with much more of the dark atmosphere as seen before. The cast are good, with Arnold Schwarzenegger coming off best in the title role, imposing, badness and sometimes amusing, while Kristanna Loken is surprisingly and suitably y poised. Claire Danes does a good job with a not so interesting character, and while Nick Stahl underwhelms sometimes , being a little stiff and dull to start with, he is a decent fit and improves dramatically as the film gets better.
All in all, not that bad but vastly inferior in quality to the first two films. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox