A disgrace to the Terminator franchise.

Rating: 7/10 (18 August 2003)

Terminator 3......hmm.
I saw this film reluctantly; after learning that James Cameron was not going to be involved, I immediately wrote it off. Being a BIG fan of the first 2 (the first one more), I just knew that this third installment was not going to live up to the excellence of the first 2 films. Well, I was right. Quite frankly, this should not have never been made. Why can't people leave things alone? The Terminator franchise, The Terminator idea, is James Cameron's and he and he ALONE should do these films. It's HIS brainchild, and if he isn't involved, the very idea of doing a sequel without him should be scrapped. But in the end, its all about money, isn't it?
With all that said, this movie by itself isn't bad at all. Some pretty good action sequences keep you entertained. I was skeptical about there being a female Terminator, but she was good in her role. As a stand-alone action film, its not bad. But put alongside the first 2 Terminators, T-3 is....well......just 'there'. It's very bland and doesn't have a expand on the story enough to help keep the Terminator franchise in greatness. Essentially, it adds nothing to the saga shown brilliantly by the first 2. This just can't live up to the Terminator name, and has unfortunately tainted the name to some extent. Whose fault is that? Well, it could be the makers of T-3 for even trying to make a sequel, or it could be the first 2 Terminators for being that damn good. Either way, this should never have happened, and I pray to God there isn't a 'T-4'. ** out of **** stars.