Solid, if very unnecessary.

Rating: 7/10 (27 June 2009)

This Terminator movie continues in the line of classics by starting off very similar to how the first two did - opening with our main characters, and then introducing a Terminator, appearing in the nude and obtaining clothing and a vehicle quickly. This whole film can kind of be likened to a past-his-prime wrestler trying to overcompensate for his age, as it does kind of seem to be riding on the trends set by the first two...but hey, it's the goddamn Terminator, and this movie is entertaining as hell.
Okay, okay, this movie is very unnecessary and goes against every moral the original two Terminator movies stood on. It takes a 180 from the moral of the last two, which was that you can choose your own destiny, and now apparently says that you CANNOT do that. I guess nine years off changes a film's direction a bit.
I think another weird thing about this is that the Terminator series has always balanced humor with serious moments, but this movie is way darker than the others in thematic alone, with a more bleak outlook in general. The others were sort of hopeful in their darkness and chaos, with a light to guide our heroes out of it, and an overall triumphant feel, but this one is just dark and depressing. As such, the humor is a lot more vibrant and stupid this time around, clearly trying to lighten the mood of the overwrought plot.
But really, this is just all about the high-octane fist-pumping action scenes, which are maybe a little more dragged out, but they still draw the viewer in with skill and class, with the first half of the movie being unbelievably good at it. T3: Rise of the Machines is not a classic, but it is a very good movie that I don't think Terminator fans will want to miss.