Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

McCarthy calls it a hard-hitting straight-ahead actioner that delivers the goods without pretension and balances urgent drama with eye-popping violence. He singles out the scale of the crane chase and Schwarzenegger's return to form.

Turan praises the film as an expertly paced sci-fi thrill machine that marries impressive action with persuasive storytelling and unexpected darkness. He singles out the crane chase sequence and the ability to make audiences worry about the characters.

Ebert finds the film a skillful piece of work that will entertain action fans but dumbs down the sci-fi ideas of its predecessors. He singles out the wall-to-wall action sequences and the ending's perfunctory quality as key elements.

The review finds the film a sleek, satisfying return to the series' supercharged B-picture roots that avoids the disaster many feared. It singles out the machine-like efficiency of the action and the genuinely surprising, affecting finale for praise.

The critic calls it a serviceable but lesser film that recycles elements from prior entries while delivering set-piece action and metal-on-metal violence. He singles out the balanced humour and the courage to embrace an unremittingly bleak theme for praise.

The review notes that the film delivers entertaining action, drama and humour that will appeal to fans and new audiences, though it lacks the dark intensity and groundbreaking effects of Cameron's entries; praises the action set pieces orchestrated with skill.

While no scene matches the apocalyptic intensity of Judgment Day, the film compensates with exciting over-the-top set pieces like the elongated road chase. It reimagines the Adam and Eve myth with a post-industrial edge and a distinctly feminist slant.

The film succeeds as an irreverent exercise in sly self-parody, with Schwarzenegger's Terminator used effectively as a comic figure. Mostow displays a welcome light touch and flair for big set pieces, resulting in an overachieving mercenary sequel that's surprisingly long on laughs.

The critic describes a fun, crowd-pleasing action ride from Mostow and Schwarzenegger that gives the franchise a new spark. It singles out the visceral set pieces, especially the crane-rig chase and toilet smackdown, while noting some reliance on formula.

Scott notes that Mostow films the explosions and chases with professionalism and wit but lacks Cameron's gift for human drama. He highlights the lengthy action sequences and the film's struggle with its own obsolescence.

The stunts are bigger and the robots meaner but it is otherwise business as usual for the world's wittiest cyborg. It is great fun with smashingly expensive truck chases and shoot-outs.

The film is a knackered old sequel that retreads the plot of the first Terminator with some twists. Director Jonathan Mostow does an honest job but the action lacks James Cameron's zip.

Lane views the film as a numbing spectacle that prioritizes loud set pieces over the dread and imagination of the earlier entries. He singles out the battle-of-the-sexes choreography between the Terminators and the reliance on truck chases.

The critic finds the film a shamelessly cheesy retread that rips off the earlier Terminators, with the nuclear theme feeling hollow, but praises Arnold Schwarzenegger's presence and the feeble jokes. Mostow is seen as a proficient hack.

The critic argues that Terminator 3 succeeds by carving out its own identity rather than trying to copy James Cameron, delivering solid big-budget action sequences whose effects remain impressive. It singles out the film's self-aware approach and Schwarzenegger's performance for praise while acknowledging it falls short of the originals.

The critic defends the much-maligned film as a solid summer blockbuster that stays true enough to the franchise, with Jonathan Mostow proving a capable director. The ending is singled out as remarkably bold and the one element that fully justifies the movie's existence.

The film is inevitably not a patch on the first two Terminator movies but is also not the disaster many feared; Mostow delivers a third instalment with more brains than the average blockbuster, plenty of action set-pieces and a surprisingly dark, chillingly affecting ending.