It's been 10 years since John Connor saved Earth from Judgment Day, and he's now living under the radar, steering clear of using anything Skynet can trace. That is, until he encounters T-X, a robotic assassin ordered to finish what T-1000 started. Good thing Connor's former nemesis, the Terminator, is back to aid the now-adult Connor … just like he promised.
It's not as taut or surprising as the first installment. And it's not as resonant or ambitious as the second, but Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines still manages to kick plenty of butt.
– Robert Denerstein,
Denver Rocky Mountain News,
3 Jul 2003
fresh:
A sizable quotient of the movie's target audience just wants to see stuff destroyed, and in that regard Rise of the Machines won't disappoint.
– J. R. Jones,
Chicago Reader,
4 Jul 2003
fresh:
Here is the first movie of its kind in many moons that doesn't have to labor, Hulk- or Charlie's Angels-style, over convincing you of how entertaining it is.
– Scott Foundas,
L.A. Weekly,
4 Jul 2003
rotten:
Wastes no time getting very loud and very silly and never really lets up.
– Michael O'Sullivan,
Washington Post,
8 Jul 2003
fresh:
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines tells the simple yet compelling story of a very old piece of equipment that refuses to go away. Its name is Arnold Schwarzenegger, and, as famously promised, he's back, and at his anticharismatic best, too.