Crash, bang, wallop, BOOM, but somethings missing.

Rating: 8/10 (3 August 2003)

After a gap of over 10 years I was a bit hesitant about watching the third part of the story, and left the theatre with mixed emotions, as although good with a stunning main chase sequence something was missing in T3, and it was the darkness and hard edge of T1 and T2 that Cameron produced.
It was strange not seeing Linda Hamilton, and her character dieing of leukaemia and then cremation tangent to remove her character just somehow didn't sound right considering what a strong character she'd developed into in T2.
Big Arnie was as awesome on screen as only he can be, but he's starting to look his age, and at times I got the feeling he was playing his character for laughs, and with clinches going back to T1 and T2. But, why didn't he kill anyone besides the TX, he is after all a terminator? I hope it isn't due to south California PC attitudes getting into the movies. Plus with a possible nuclear war coming the story wasn't as stressful and dark as it should have been.
Beautiful Kristanna Loken was very efficient as the unfeeling TX, but she's not as cold as Robert Patrick was in T2, but she was one ice maiden as emotionless and as ruthless given that T3 has a different feel to T2.
Nick Stahl although a bit whiney at the start, and Claire Danes in a very ballsey role grew into their respective characters, and if T4 to finish the story off gets made before Arnie gets to old they can develop and mature their characters.
On a lighter note it was nice to see Earl Boen again although like Arnie he's now showing his age, but it was a case of blink and you'd miss his small part.
As for 'Skynet' I hope more of how it works is explained in T4, as we only got a taste of the nature of the chief villain.
In conclusion, I personally think to long has passed between T2 and T3, and if Cameron isn't going to direct T4, I hope Jonathan Mostow gives T4 the cold dark edge of T1 and T2 to get back some lost ground.
I give T3 8 out of 10 for the great stunts and a good foundation for the final movie.