Should have been better

Rating: Null/10 (22 April 2005)

This is another of those films that promised the world, but didn't deliver. Granted, its not bad, but it should have been so much better. The story and acting are all generally fine, but what is lacking is the biting violence of the first movie, and to a lesser degree T2. By going for a 12A rating, the team behind this accepted that it would have to be very tame so little kids wouldn't be scared. That is where it goes wrong. This film should have been an 18 without question. The action scenes are quite entertaining, but they never go far enough, and there is a scandalous lack of gore for a film claiming to be from the action genre. T3 summarises what is wrong with so many of today's films, they are antiseptic, pale imitations of their 80s forebears. Had this film been made in say, 1988, I have no doubt that whilst the special effects would have been much worse, the film overall would have been vastly more action packed. Arnie is on top form as the Terminator and the support stars are all fine, but when you look back at T1 and T2 you realise that this is not in the same league. Arnie should also have been in this film more often, that he wasn't detracts from the film. A missed opportunity.