Even though we know the formula very well from the first two "Terminator" movies it still works: A T-1000 (good) and a more powerful T-X (bad) are sent back through time to terminate Kathrine Brewster, the wife-to-be of John Conner.

A rather unexpected ending: Judgment Day can't be stopped besides all the efforts from John Connor and the T-1000 and the nuclear first strike by Skynet happens, leading to the establishment of the resistance lead by John.

This was well made and a lot of fun. Many sequels, particularly in action and science fiction genres, destroy their own narrative, continuity and mythology by throwing in a retcon. This seemed to follow neatly from the first two films, explaining the revised Judgement Day without really contradicted the second film. It stuck to its formula, threw in a bunch of fan favourite phrases and images. Pretty enjoyable really.

It has some stupid scenes that are out of place but it is a good action movie with a good pace. Doesn't come close to the first two movies but isn't a huge letdown like Salvation.

This is _not_ a "great" Terminator movie, and while I was wildly critical of it 21 years ago, I've come to appreciate it as at least a worthy continuation of Cameron's vision. Is it his? No, but it does fit. The very fact that there was a Terminator 2 _really_ solidified the "There is no fate" theme from the first. Sarah thought she'd stopped Judgement Day only to learn she didn't, then in T2, it seemed certainly prevented.

Back in 2002, I was _not_ thrilled to hear about another Terminator movie being made _without_ Cameron writing/directing, but when John and [spoiler]Kate realize they were sent to that bunker to survive, and the nukes started flying,[/spoiler] I realized this was at least kinda trying to match Cameron's take.

Is it as good as T2? Hell, no. Is it at least a worthy followup? Yeah. I'll never forget my friend's words when we were leaving the theater that night; he was _not_ excited to see this or about its existence, but as we were walking out of the auditorium, he simply said, "I love a happy ending" because it at least ended in a way that worked with the overall lore.

Second one was better imo

A bit hard to get through but I love the ending.

I don't like John Connor in this one, Claire Danes' character is a bit annoying, the T-X is meh and Schwarzenegger has some funny moments but nothing too memorable. Perhaps the coffin scene but then I dislike this movie for not having Linda Hamilton.

So yeah, being generous but I like the Terminator franchise enough to be mildly entertained.

Good movie but maybe the worst John Conor I've seen.

I never bought into the Terminator franchise (watched the first two back in the day) but I'm giving them all a watch and I really enjoyed this....cheesy as hell but great fun...Arnie stole the show with his one liners.

it's not as good as the second movie, but it's worth checking out.

Damn, I just rewatched several parts of it, and I forgot how good this actually was. I was on the Genisys hype train for quite awhile, but once it wore off and I looked at the staying power of each of the Terminator films... this is the most memorable Post-Terminator 2 sequel to come out. Nick Stahl actually does a great job of continuing the lonely and paranoid character, John Conner, and I actually prefer Arnold's performance here over Genisys. The downright depressing and almost hopeless attitude the movie has makes it a rather fitting entry into the series, despite it being not directed by James Cameron. That ending with the nuclear bombs going off is actually bone-chilling. One of my favorite moments of the whole series. The story repeats a little too many beats from the previous two, but it works them around in a way that feels new and fresh. The action is a blast, the crane sequence being the peak of the first act, and there's lots of great moments. Overall, very good movie that I underrated for awhile there.

After _Terminator: Dark Fate_, you all need to give this movie an apology.

He’s back....again. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is a smart, adrenaline packed film that brings the series full circle. On the eve of Judgment Day the Terminator returns to ensure the survival of John Connor, the future leader of the human resistance in the war against the machines. Nick Stahl and Claire Danes both give strong performances, but Schwarzenegger has lost the magic; he just doesn’t have the Terminator look to him anymore. The real problem however, is Kristanna Loken (who’s no Robert Patrick). Loken comes off as too robotic, and not very Terminator like. Also, some of the callbacks and attempts at lighthearted humor (homaging T2) don’t quite work. Still, the action sequences are spectacular (minus a few spots of bad CGI), and the plot’s especially well-crafted in how it brings together the whole Terminator series and rectifies the time-travel paradoxes. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is a strong sci-fi/action film with both a thrilling adventure and a compelling story.

Terminator
1 The Terminator (1984) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-terminator-1984
2 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) https://trakt.tv/movies/terminator-2-judgment-day-1991
3 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) https://trakt.tv/movies/terminator-3-rise-of-the-machines-2003
4 Terminator Salvation (2009) https://trakt.tv/movies/terminator-salvation-2009
5 Terminator Genisys (2015) https://trakt.tv/movies/terminator-genisys-2015
6 Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) https://trakt.tv/movies/terminator-dark-fate-2019