Good when it could have been great... (Spoilers)

Rating: 8/10 (13 July 2003)

*SPOILERS*

Unfortunately, I never did see both full length movies of T1 and T2, however I did see the ending when I tuned into the TV.
I personally enjoyed this movie very much. It even made sense to the viewer who hadn't seen the original two made by James Cameron. The special effects were awesome as was the car chase scene. I also give kudos to the writers for making the TX feel more like a cold, cut throat mechanical object, than just a piece of eye candy and of course she had lots of fight in her. There was also plenty of comedy relief thoughout and it was good to see the film poking fun at itself and at the Terminator franchise.
So, where does the film fall apart?. In my opinion, it fell at the ending. It all went down hill when Arnold aka T-850 fails to kill John Connor and just shuts down. That seemed a bit too easy for me, when it had potential to be a lot more. Also, when he boots back up he is back to normal without TX's malicious programing controlling his mind. Again too easy.
There was also the final confrontation, where they try to escape to the air base. The TX just gets crushed by the helicopter and comes back out without her liquid metal on. What happened to that?. I guess, I'm not too much into saving the world type stuff and about big bombs about to go off. Maybe its because Hollywood endings always have people defuse the bomb at the last second or because I can't see it as happening when I'm sitting omfortably in my chair. The death scene between Arnold and the TX was good but in my opinion typical. And at the end John and that other girl are in the base. Safe from all the nuclear missles going on.
It was great on one hand, because the Terminator was smart enough to change course and accomplish his mission when John threatened to kill himself, and yet it just feels so hollow, I mean you knew he was never meant to die and so what, he lives. Sure there's meaning to the ending, but it just ends so abruptly and is so pointless ,only setting itself up for another movie.