I liked the movie. It was definitely a summer blockbuster. The special effects were superb. The music worked o.k. with the movie, considering it was done by Danny Elfman, it didn't sound like classic "Danny Elfman" music (which was a good thing for this movie). However the music could have borrowed from previous films and expanded upon (especially the T2 chase scene music). Elfman's music was good, however it took away from the sound of a Terminator film.
There were references that did link with the other films though, such as "Come with me, if you want to live" and of course, "I'll be back". More references was when Kyle Reese learned of having the shotgun strapped to his wrist, Sarah Connor's picture and audio tapes, John Connor's ability to hack computers, the brief Guns and Roses motorcycle scene, how he gets his scar on his left eye and the ending boss sequence.
I would like to have seen a war sequence that expanded more of the brief sequences we have seen in past films. (Those were mere teases!) I would like to have seen easter eggs of the T-1000 or the T-X in the background at SkyNet. The ending boss battle could have been a bit more epic. Finally, the final ending seemed rushed and cheesy.
I was really impressed by the use of stock footage to see Arnold Schwarzenegger on screen. That was REALLY cool.
My real gripe with the movie is the ending!!! But all in all, this movie was okay.....
One last thing... if this is the start of a new trilogy, then pretty soon everyone is going to have lasers :p. (the previous films had lasers in their war sequences.)