I might be crazy, but I actually liked T3 WAY more than Salvation.
Sure T3 had its goofy moments, the glasses/talk to the hand thing,
but to me it felt more like a Terminator movie having Arnold in it, getting to see some pretty cool action scenes like the truck/crane chase scene, the fights with the T-X. Not to mention it was more brutal with some things like the T-X punching through that guy's chest to take the wheel.
I even liked how it ended with them having to accept the fact that Judgment day is inevitable, to accept that he was never ment to stop it, just to survive it.
I only watched Salvation once in the theaters and was so bored with it I can barely remember anything about it. (I Actually forgot Ironside was in it until you mentioned it Python, lol). He does make everything better though.
The only thing I remember liking in Salvation was Anton Yelchin as the young Reese, I really think he knocked that out of the park and he put a smile on my face a few times in the theater as I seem to remember him picking up some of Biehn's mannerisms. I could totally see him growing up to be the Reese we all remember.
In fact, I wish they had made the whole movie about him and not that dull and boring Marcus character. I think that would have been a much more interesting movie. I actually like Sam Worthington, but I just remembered not getting into his character at all. Wondering why this story is even following him when we should be following Connor or Reese.
So much of Salvation was a major misstep to me that I've never had any interest in revisiting it.. ever again.
I really think in retrospect, Salvation made me appreciate T-3 way more as a decent entry into the Terminator storyline. Maybe I'm nuts. Lol