better than average but doesn't live up to its name **spoilers**

Rating: 5/10 (13 March 2007)

**possible spoilers contained** Terminator 3 was roundly slammed by critics and fans alike, but having waited 12 years for it, I was prepared to enjoy it no matter what, and was actually pleased with the results.
It's been 10 years since the events of Terminator 2 and John Connor has managed to avoid any traceable records, living "off the grid." When the new Terminator, a femme fatale played by Kristanna Loken arrives and kills off some of his schoolmates, it's up to JC (get it?) to save humanity, with the help of Good-Guy Terminator Arnie, and Claire Danes as former girlfriend/future wife. Violent Oedipal imagery abounds, when we find out the empty "womb"/tomb of his mother, MIA Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), contains some heavy artillery. The film, which is basically a chase movie like the first two, ends on a down note. Where T-1 and T-2 were hopeful about the fate of humans, the final installment lets us know that we'll all be responsible for our destruction.
While not nearly up to the standards of special effects and intelligent narrative set by the first two movies, T-3 was a cut above most bonehead action flicks, and it still manages to make the audience think. It certainly missed both James Cameron and Linda Hamilton (whose ignoble death was not befitting the mother/Amazon we loved from T-2: "There are 206 bones in the human body. That was one."). I'll continue to love the series, because it's compelling and smart without losing the action, and I look forward to the next one. I'll bet Arnie won't be required, since digital imagery has come a long way. We'll see.