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

To start off with, TERMINATOR 3 is just not up to the level of its two predecessors. The first two films in the series were classics, skilfully made by James Cameron with an eye for perfection and detail, timeless masterpieces to be watched over and over again. Watching Arnie progress from vindictive killer to humanitarian robot was a great emotional experience and one that my generation grew up with. For TERMINATOR 3, all of the emotion and drama has gone; what we're left with is just another action-orientated summer blockbuster, albeit a very good action-orientated summer blockbuster. No more subtext or detail; no more perfectly-crafted movie. But the action – the action alone makes this a must-see.

The plot is basically the same as that of TERMINATOR 2, at least for the first two thirds of the film. There is a heck of a lot of action packed into a relatively short time. Wicked shoot-outs with police in a graveyard, the mother of all showdowns between two machines in a lavatory (amazing stuff),people being executed in cold blood, plus much much more. The violence has been toned down but the film still packs a brutal edge – watch out for the stomach punch to see what I mean. By far the greatest action sequence is the exhilarating crane chase, which is absolutely classic, one of the best chases I've ever seen; truly the highlight in cinematic viewing this year. A real pulse-pounding thrill-ride which makes up for any deficiencies the film might otherwise have. Director Jonathan Mostow cut his teeth on the thriller genre with the little-seen but very good Kurt Russell starrer BREAKDOWN, before going on to make the superior submarine epic U-571. All these films have had great direction and very well handled action, making Mostow once one of the most promising action directors in today's cinema.

Back to TERMINATOR 3. Arnold is back, inevitably, and he's older but still in great shape. His terminator here is colder, less human, but with a fine line in quips and one-liners; indeed most of his dialogue is monosyllabic, quotable stuff. He doesn't really get time to connect with the audience, but he holds his own in the action sequences, and to see an actor returning to his best role after a somewhat lean period is a real pleasure; hats off to Arnie for making this film work. Linda Hamilton is gone now but long forgotten; her character had nowhere else to go. Claire Danes plays a younger version of the Sarah Connor-style fighter, and is pretty good. But the best performance goes to Nick Stahl as John Connor, playing a mentally scarred drug addict going through some very hard times.

Kristanna Loken is all right as the Terminatrix, although its hard to see her as a serious menace. The clashes between her and Arnie make for classic entertainment, and I especially loved the hard-hitting sound effects which accompany them. Other things to watch and listen out for are a welcome cameo from Earl Boen (the only other actor to appear in all three films with Schwarzenegger) and Marco Beltrami's effective orchestral score; it's sad that Brad Fiedel's classic theme is relegated to the closing credits, but to be fair Beltrami does a good job and I'd like to see him go far. The finale of the film moves into new territory (instead of just being a rehash of the TERMINATOR 2 plot) as the machines come to life, leading to plenty of mass destruction and gunfire; excellent again. Special effects (both mechanical, pyrotechnic, and CGI) are remarkable. The moment where Arnie struggles against his programming is good, even if it does show up the star's limitations. In comparison, the final showdown between the two damaged robots is far too rushed and unmemorable; you barely have time to register what happened. The way is paved for a fourth instalment with a downer of an ending which is the most unexpected and remarkable thing in the whole movie. TERMINATOR 3 isn't a great movie by any means, but instead a good movie with some great action and only a few flaws. Check it out.

John Connor (Nick Stahl) is a young man living off the grid as a drifter. He is still haunted by nightmares of an apocalyptic future. Future SkyNet sends back T-X (Kristanna Loken) to hunt down various people including Kate Brewster (Claire Danes). She's the daughter of U.S. Air Force General Robert Brewster who is reluctant to activate SkyNet on their system. There is a computer supervirus infecting the world. Another Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) arrives to protect John. John breaks into Kate's animal clinic to steal medicine. It turns out that they knew each other as teens before the original Terminator.

This is not bigger and better than the other two. That is its biggest sin in the logic of sequels. It has some good action but it's not bigger than the second one. The car chase is lots of fun especially with real action. It doesn't bring anything new to the franchise. It is merely a continuation. Nick Stahl should have been a good lead. At least, the movie NEEDED him to be good. Instead, he's merely capable. Claire Danes is much better. The standout is Arnold who looks amazing at his age. I didn't particularly like the coincidence of Kate and John being in the same place. The humor isn't as good. The lines aren't as memorable. The plot isn't as well thought out. It's just not as good overall.