unexpectedly fun and decent sequel

Rating: Null/10 (27 January 2004)

I've read a lot of negative things about 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines' so far, here on IMDb as well as in newspapers and magazines. A lot of (professional) reviewers meant that the film had clearly only been made to cash in some extra money by milking a familiar concept and that it did not live up to the expectations.
Although we are all entitled to our own opinions, I must say that I find most of this rather unfair. There aren't many third installments in a series that actually live up to their expectations (there aren't many first-sequels that do either, but T2 - although not as good as the original in my opinion - pulled that one off as well). The main reason for this is that most follow-ups simply try too hard; most producers think that what the audience wants is simply more action, bigger explosions and tougher opposition for the good guys. Therefor this is what we have come to expect and I think it speaks in T3's favour that it was not what we got. Mind you, it's not that the audience is getting less action than in the first two films, the makers just decided not to add to the abundance already there.

One of the best things about this film is that it does not take itself too seriously. A lot of the one-liners (inevitable in films of this sort) are puns on the ones from the previous two films, and in some small scenes T3 actually makes fun of the entire franchise thus creating a parody of itself. In a way this puts things back into perspective, saying: "look, we know it's corny, implausible and an exhausted formula, but it's good fun so what the heck."
And good fun is exactly what this film is trying to be, nothing more and nothing less, and in that it has succeeded. To the filmmakers' credit the film didn't turn out to be pretentious, they didn't blow it by going over the top and they nicely wrapped up the trilogy plot-wise in the end thus avoiding all the pitfalls you might encounter when completing a series. It seems that the entire crew had a lot of fun making this film and it clearly shows.
The only thing I can say to those who have already seen the film and found it 'not living up to their expectations' is that it 'would' have if the studios were truly trying to milk the concept, but that they would probably have found it an even worse film as well. Those who are still planning on seeing this film I would advise to simply not expect anything at all and judge the film on its own merits; as you should with any film you watch.