Had it's moments, but not quite IT! Bit of a spoiler!

Rating: 4/10 (11 August 2003)

Terminator 3 has been one of the most anticipated films to have been made in the last decade. The world sat on the edge of it's seat as the time drew nearer to the release date. "Arnie is Back!" "This film kicks ass", i tell ya man i heard it all.
That was until I heard that the reason Cameron did not make this film, is because he read the script and felt it was sub-standard. uh oh!

Then I saw the film. And i really have to say, a VERY big dissapointment.
The film was two hours long, it felt like it was only half an hour. The action, well although special effects play such a huge part, it seems T2's more basic moves were better! And where was the classic music in the opening sequence??
The actors, Arnie. Always a pleasure to c him, but not quite the performance he gave previously in T2. John Stahl.....what??? rubbish! surely they could have found someone better! I know edward furlong is in rehab, but i'd rather wait however long it takes for him to come clean and have him in this role, other than anyone else! Everyone else is ok though, T-X did cool.
The director, Jonathan Mostow. How many films has he made as big screens?? Not many i'd say. He lacks alot in this film, something like Matrix Reloaded, too much action, less story.
The characters. John Connor, well written character, drug abuse, life on the edge, somewhat lost in himself, brilliant writing there. But he did not seem anxious enough to see the t-800 once more. You'd expect more from him. His wife, what is it with hollywood and it's new heroine style? it's lost it's touch! Sarah Connor, deceased. WWWHHHYYY??? she was the heart and soul of this film series, she's a primary character, why did they kill her off?? Disgusting. And then, Arnie. He looked too human to be the terminator, the previous ones took time to learn the ways of the world, he grasped it within five minutes, uh uh, no no no no no, a big slacking. And did anyone notice he was sometimes out of breath "i..am... a.. machine!" okay he's a robot, but the previous ones spoke like computers not humans, not until the end anyway. Mess up!
The story, Very sub-standard. The story moves too quickly. You don't have time to grasp it the way the previous films do. When the t-800 talks of Connors future death due to his boyhood experience with the previous terminator's, and how they only post-poned the war, this is a key factor in the story, it needed to be exaggerated more, it wasn't, 30 seconds tops, and your expected to be intrigued. Oh please! Where's the suspense?? The death of sarah connor, told in ten seconds, no intrigueing of the story, no emotion to the audience to say that John has been left to teach himself, it needed more exaggeration, stretch it out a bit more.
Overall, the film looked like a spoof, some of it was more funny than scary, the story was not good enough, the action was too fast moving leaving no time to make a lasting impression And why bring in the US government, we've seen enough of them in these type of films!!! They've exhausted themselves.
I hope to god the actors, story, and mise-en-scene come together if T4 is ever to be made! James Cameron is needed badly, and if anything, one final blast to finish the story of the Terminator, a film to eradicate the existance of T3. Arnie is ageing now, and politics is heading his way. So ppl had better move fast!
Overall mark, to be fair, 7/10, but could have been better by miles!