B-Movie with Some Third Act Ambition

Rating: 6/10 (1 July 2003)

Okay, let's face it: Most of this film is a retread of the basic beats from Terminator 2. But the truth is that Terminator 2 was basically a retread of the first Terminator, right down to its "here's another truck over-turning" third act. What Terminator 2 had going for it was the raw power and surprise of a pumped up Linda Hamilton; plus the new CGI morphing effects that brought the T-1000 to life; and the fresh twist that Arnold was now the "good guy." Still, at the end of the second film, we basically were back where we started, with the nuclear armaggedon again supposedly stopped. It lacked real scope. Terminator 3 finally takes us somewhere new in its final minutes, and this is what really elevates an okay action retread a bit higher making it a worthy sequel--especially if it means we finally get to the good stuff in the fourth film. Mostow is a bit of a journeyman, without much grace or artistry. The female T-X makes less of an impression than one would've hoped. But in its final few minutes, it does what most sci-fi films unfortunately never do: Makes you wonder how in the hell it will end.