[Shehzad]

Just got back from watching it. The short verdict: a pretty good movie, perhaps as good as T2. Fans of the first will certainly appreciate it. The plot has some nifty twists and turns, and a great ending; one or two rather gaping holes are evident though.

2 hours of fun...

Long version coming up...

[Mamb]

As good as T2? That's quite a statement, since I consider that to be one of the best films ever (OK, not for pure acting and art value, but for entertainment, oh yes:D ) .

T3 isn't out here yet but I've heard a lot of bad stuff about it. Especially the talk that James Cameron and Linda Hamilton refused to have anything to do with it because it was so poor.

But hey, maybe it's reverse psychology. Cos most sequels are really over-hyped, but Terminator 3 has not been that aggressively promoted compared to other high-profile blockbusters. Look at the promotions for Matrix Reloaded and no way did that live up to expectations. So perhaps by that logic T3 will actually be a decent film.

The other problem I have is with the computer-generated special effects. The common complaint is that they are over-used, but that's not the main issue for me. From what the trailer shows, the sfx are just too damn good. Which, ironically, is where the problem lies. I like my machines to look and move like machines - complete with the jerky walking, etc as seen in the original Terminator. With todays effects, the whole thing becomes a smoothly rendered animation, and the plot gets fantasy-ised, rather than sticking to the action with bit of sci-fi.

[Shehzad]

Well-- Arnold acts like a robot even when he's not supposed to, so he does a reasonably good job of portraying one. Kristanna Loken also portrays a convincing Terminatrix.

I recant my previous "as good as T2" statement. After sleeping on it, its good but not as good as T1 or T2. It just isn't as... satisfying. Although its tone is certainly darker, it lacks something-- eg Linda Hamilton's intensity.

[Mamb]

Well-- Arnold acts like a robot even when he's not supposed to

True...:D

[chocky]

I thought it was not much different from T2. It had the same sort of plot and didn't really add anything different. (excepting the ending) It was still enjoyable, but not up to the standard of the first two movies.

[saintjon]

Did you guys find the absence of James Cameron made a big difference? I'm pretty sure what I really about part 2 so much was based largely on his contribution. The guy does awesome shooty action flicks, what can I say?

So yeah, I want to see it, but I dunno if it will live up to the older ones.

[Bond]

Just came back from watching it and must say I wasn't disappointed. I think T3 is as good as T2 or at least there is little to separate between them. If I want to be picky I might say that there is too little different and they are too similar but since I liked T2 a lot, I'm not complaining. True Claire Danes isn't as idiosyncratic as Linda Hamilton but the action, story, brooding moodiness and suspense of the earlier editions are there. Some action scenes in other movies have struck me as of late as wallowing in their eye candy moments but I enjoyed how the action scenes here were kept pretty tight to keep the tension high. It's easy to focus on the action bits but what raises superior action movies from the mundane crowd is how they handle the other elements and T3 interweaved the action with the suspense of the story and situational irony well to separate it from the banal Bruckheimer blockbusters.

[Dominus]

I thought it was OK, not too hot, not too cold. I actually thought the best part of the movie was when they showed all the nukes going off on various cities. It was pretty.

[Sammie]

They have Claire Danes trying to fill Linda Hamilton's shoes? But she's so....WUSSY! Jeez, that doesn't bode well.

[Dominus]

Yeah, but she's a lot hotter, so it evens out. Oh, and since the TX is really hot too, extra points, but still no T2.