Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines poster
Review

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 2003

Directed by Jonathan Mostow · 109 mins · 2,313 views

3.0 Letterboxd 2.75(252,630)
Ratings A M C J D D R D J V

Synopsis

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.

Trailers

Reviews (44)

  1. A
    adambolt 8 月 22, 2026

    why does this movie hate cars so much

    321
  2. M
    MizfitMathew 8 月 22, 2026

    An ok movie, but not quite as good as the first two. I mean, that’s a pretty hard task, as the first 2 are some of the greatest science fiction movies of all time. And unfortunately for us, they seem more based in reality now then science fiction. This IS probably how we’re all going to go, and I’d say we’re probably a lot closer now then we were when this came out in 2003. They basically just tried recreating the first 2 here, specifically Judgement Day. Follows the same formula for the most part. It’s a fun movie, but as I watch it now, it’s more terrifying then a horror movie to me. 🤣 I haven’t seen this in…

    249
  3. C
    cinemasauron 8 月 22, 2026

    An unwarranted, unimpressive & unnecessary addition to the saga that was fully told by James Cameron in the first two films, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines arrives as the second sequel to an already finished series that tries to kill the validity of a highly influential franchise, succeeds to some extent, and remains one of the most disappointing sequels ever conceived. Following the events of Judgment Day, the story takes place 2004 with Skynet once again sending another Terminator back in time to kill the future high-ranking members of human resistance after it is unable to locate the position of John Connor while a reprogrammed T-850 model arrives from the future as a protector of John & his future wife. Directed…

    170 12
  4. J
    James (Schaffrillas) 8 月 22, 2026

    Surprisingly watchable? It’s derivative as hell, the attempts at more iconic Arnold one-liners are cringy, the villain feels less threatening than the previous one, the CGI is noticeably worse than the installment that released 12 years prior, the ending is kind of annoying…but I kinda had fun regardless? Whatever, I’m sure it only gets worse from here.

    1,309
  5. D
    dǝnis 8 月 22, 2026

    talk to the hand ✋

    260
  6. D
    David Sims 8 月 22, 2026

    arnie weirdly SO checked out

    290 10
  7. R

    Fight! – Stallone v. Schwarzenegger: A Rivalry of Muscular Proportions Sooo, technically, I watched this film in theaters. I believe I mentioned this in my The Italian Job review, but I watched about five minutes of it the day I went to see the Jason Statham film. We got there earlier and they were playing in the next room, so we went and watched while we waited. However, I believe I never watched the whole thing in its entirety until now. And it was alright. I wasn’t expecting all the gore and blood, like the cop or dude getting killed by our sexy robot stabbing him with her hands. Also, the truck street scene was awesome—nowhere near as good as…

    216 6
  8. D
    DirkH 8 月 22, 2026

    A true testament to Cameron’s talents as his 12 year old prequel looks so much better.

    274 6
  9. J
    Josh Lewis 8 月 22, 2026

    the vehicular mayhem action in this is unreal thanks to Breakdown director jonathan mostow (the crane truck especially holy shit), the bit where the t-x punches her fist through the cops chest to take over the steering wheel is the stuff i go to a Terminator movie for and the ending is bleak as hell—the very act of building nuclear fallout shelters speaks for itself. if this franchise has to go the way of generic actioner it could do much worse than this.

    467 4
  10. V
    Vera Drew 8 月 22, 2026

    It’s messy and stupid but I like it. Talk to the hand 😎🤩

    231 5
  11. M
    matt lynch 8 月 22, 2026

    That this isn’t a particularly good TERMINATOR movie doesn’t stop it from being a generally solid action movie. I like the daytime LA union-shoot vibe, the violence is pretty constant, and I’m happy to see a career carpenter like Mostow get a sandbox like this one over, say, a hacky-but-competent mimic like Len Wiseman (this being a bit better than but just as pointless as, I think, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD). The main centerpiece, a construction-crane car chase set at sunrise, one of the best action sequences of its decade, is a nearly 10-minute-long snarl of auto pinball and property damage and a largely relatively seamless blend of practical stunts and CG. Arnold unsurprisingly remains a committed showman. But it’s just recklessly unnecessary, and the general smell of desperation and goofy callbacks like “Talk to the hand” clash with the dire stakes even if it does stick the landing.

    428
  12. M
    Matt Singer 8 月 22, 2026

    Watched with group filmmaker commentary; didn’t learn much but it was worth it for Schwarzenegger’s comment“This scene with the enlargement of the breasts was fantastic,” which is the most Arnold Schwarzenegger thing Arnold Schwarzenegger ever said.

    1,951 2
  13. D
    DoesThisWork848 8 月 21, 2026

    Honestly kinda forgot what happened. Don’t worry though I remember after watching a couple clips.

  14. L
    Luís 8 月 21, 2026

    That ending, man…

  15. B
    Brayden Quick 8 月 21, 2026

    Super robot hawt 🥴😼. Yea I mean pretty much just copy and paste story structure from 2 but still some unbelievably badass scenes. I personally take on the believe that two ended the way it did and this is a parallel universe where things went wrong. More hawt robot lady please

  16. M
    Mcriss21 8 月 21, 2026

    This movie was way better than I thought it would be. One of the best car chase scenes I’ve ever seen! The fact that the movie ended with the nukes going off was a huge twist I didn’t expect but it was great. The new terminator looked absolutely unstoppable but somehow they beat it which was a suprise. Any movie with Arnold in it is always a hit for me what can I say

  17. J
    joshua_mmmm 8 月 21, 2026

    This movie was ok but compared to the last 2 it was shit and they kinda ruined the point of the last 2 movies

  18. J
    Jack Wieczysty 8 月 21, 2026

    Kinda spent most of this wanting to give it a slightly higher rating and I honestly almost did, but the last act just got a little TOO annoying for me. The CGI is mostly pretty dated (though on brand for when this released) and some of the acting is really bad… but I had such a great time for two-thirds of this that I kinda can’t deny that I really enjoyed it. Doesn’t really deserve the hate that some people give it.

  19. A
    astral66 8 月 21, 2026

    Nowhere near the greatness of the first two but still has some classic terminator moments TALK TO THE HAND

  20. R
    Ryan McCulloch 8 月 21, 2026

    Life in 2003 This is first of four part IIIs in the Terminator franchise, and it is by far the best. It is also the most re-watchable Terminator. I’ve had a long running joke that T3 was the best sequel of all time. Well that’s definitely untrue, it’s starting to become true in this franchise. This outing is just so wonderfully big. That crane sequence is so much fun. I also love that Arnold took a pay cut just so they…

  21. R
    rainrengoaway 8 月 21, 2026

    🤖

  22. M
    MrToilets 8 月 21, 2026

    Skynet was started on a Dell? No wonder everything went to shit

    1
  23. O
    ORicardoMendes 8 月 21, 2026

    A vilã é muito foda e o Arnold está ótimo como T-850

  24. J
    JaviDaGreat 8 月 21, 2026

    I remember watching this thinking “funny how these people built and relied on AI when it’s so clear it can wipe them all out and control the world”. I get it now.

  25. M
    mopey_dick 8 月 21, 2026

    Watched this the way the director intended, on TUBI with 3 minutes of commercials for every 8 minutes of movie.

  26. S
    Schionf 8 月 20, 2026

    questo film è identico agli altri due tanto che pensavo inizialmente di averlo già visto ma porca troia raga che merda in teoria quelli nuovi sono più belli e lo spero per voi ciao

    12
  27. L
    Lu 8 月 20, 2026

    I’ll be back You’ll be back She’ll be back He’ll be back We’ll be back They’ll be back Everybody will be back

  28. W
    whoissama 8 月 20, 2026

    مش عارفه اتعاطف البت مزه فشخ

  29. D
    DONN 8 月 20, 2026

    mid presque bien mais presque guez aussi donc mid quoi des mots pour rien dire

  30. C
    chrisisbread 8 月 20, 2026

    I couldn’t even try to convince u I know what the plot was but good slop

    1
  31. M
    Mylène Henry 8 月 20, 2026

    Faut que je le revoie

  32. R
    random1adam 8 月 20, 2026

    Yəni pis deyildi , baxmağa dəyər olduğunu düşünürəm anasının ölümü mənasız gəldi biraz ama ola bilər , pis demək olmaz ama əla da deyil.

  33. A
    Amelia 8 月 20, 2026

    omg a lady terminator

    2
  34. S
    saibatroffea 8 月 20, 2026

    John Connor is way too slow to be the leader of anything

    1
  35. T
    teddymurf 8 月 20, 2026

    Veterinarians shoot junkies on sight

  36. A
    arthusbtc 8 月 20, 2026

    Annonce une bonne suite

  37. J
    jake 8 月 20, 2026

    I’ve always wondered how much better this might’ve been if James Cameron had directed. Everything about it feels so much cheaper and more slapped together than Terminator 2 or the original. From the original score to the visual effects to the actors’ performances, it’s all far less impressive. It’s still a fun end entertaining movie but Cameron’s absence is deeply felt.

    1
  38. E
    eva 8 月 20, 2026

    la tenía de fondo y aún así me ha aburrido

  39. L
    LiveDeliciousIy 8 月 20, 2026

    I think even as a kid I knew this was no T2 but it’s also not as bad as I thought it’d be on revisit. The worst thing is the line “you remind me of my mother” in that voice inflection. Freud would be proud.

  40. T
    Tronde 8 月 19, 2026

    Der Film dümpelt vor sich hin, die Action ist passabel aber der Cast weckt kein Interesse am Ausgang des Films.

  41. L
    Leandre58 8 月 19, 2026

    Un peu moins bien que le 2 mais ça annonce une bonne suite

  42. S
    sugarbear96 8 月 19, 2026

    Should’ve waited for big Jim

  43. K
    kabob_no_feta 8 月 19, 2026

    This is like shelling out good money to go see your favorite team, and then it’s a fucking blowout in the first quarter, and you just sit there convincing yourself to stay, hopelessly gaslighting yourself into thinking something could be interesting, but you know, it’s been over from the start.

  44. N
    no_ulderground 8 月 14, 2026

    Pinche Jhon aprovecho que asesinaron al prometido de su mujer

    1

Write a Review

My rating

A Arnold Schwarzenegger The Terminator
N Nick Stahl John Connor
C Claire Danes Kate Brewster
K Kristanna Loken T-X
E Earl Boen Dr. Peter Silberman
D David Andrews Robert Brewster
C Carolyn Hennesy Rich Woman
J Jay Acovone Cop - Westside Street
M Mark Famiglietti Scott Petersen
M Moira Sinise Betsy
C Chopper Bernet Chief Engineer
C Christopher Lawford Brewser's Aide
M M.C. Gainey Roadhouse Bouncer
S Susan Merson Roadhouse Clubgoer #1
E Elizabeth Morehead Roadhouse Clubgoer #2
B Billy D. Lucas Angry Man
B Brian Sites Bill Anderson
A Alana Curry Bill's Girlfriend
L Larry McCormick KTLA Anchorman
R Robert Alonzo Jose Barrera
Director Jonathan Mostow
Writer John Brancato, Michael Ferris
Producer Hal Lieberman, Joel B. Michaels, Mario Kassar, Andrew G. Vajna, Colin Wilson, Matthias Deyle
Executive Producer Moritz Borman, Guy East, Gale Anne Hurd, Aslan Nadery, Dieter Nobbe, Volker Schauz, Nigel Sinclair
Editor Nicolas De Toth, Neil Travis
Original Music Marco Beltrami
Sound Peter Brown, William B. Kaplan, Buck Sanders, Paula Fairfield, Ray Cymoszinski, Stephen Hunter Flick, Susan Dudeck, Sean Landeros, Nancy Parker, Brian Ruberg
Special Effects Allen Hall, Brian Barnhart
Stunts Wade Allen, Rick Avery, Sandy Berumen, Richard Burden, Marc Cass, Chuck 'Chaz' Hosack, Rex Reddick, Troy Gilbert, Lance Gilbert
Synopsis
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.
Director
Jonathan Mostow
Writer
John Brancato, Michael Ferris
Studio
Intermedia, IMF Productions, C2 Pictures, Mostow/Lieberman Productions
Country
Germany, UK, USA
Language
English
Year
2003
Runtime
109 mins

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