Best Film of the Summer

Rating: 9/10 (1 July 2003)

This movie is by far the best film released since the "Summer" began. It doesn't get as heady as The Matrix Reloaded, and its action has a more purposeful feel, rather than the destruction-for-destruction's sake of The Hulk.
The actors suit their roles perfectly. Arnold hasn't aged a bit since T2, and the T-X is a refreshing change from the T-1000. John Conner is well played by Nick Stahl and Claire Danes as Kate Brewster does a very decent job in her part.
My only complaint in the James Cameron v. Johnathan Mostow debate being that Mostow seemed to opt for a few too many slow-mo shots for dramatic effect. Other than that minor issue, I really think Mostow did a fine job of following Cameron's T2. There is a good amount of "tasteful" humor, too.
As for the story, the formula is much the same as T2 -- for the most part. Our Terminator is dispatched to stop the T-X who was programmed to kill John Conner and his commanders. There are enough plot twists to keep you interested without delving into melodrama. The whole plot is just believable enough (all things considered) to entertain.
My main complaint is that the musical score for T3 uses nothing of Brad Fiedel's awesome score for the previous films. There is a redux of the "Terminator" theme nearer to the end, but I feel the lack of Fiedel's cold, mechanical themes detracted from an otherwise perfect action film. The movie has many great throwbacks and references to the prior films so the omission of such great themes was a pretty big disappointment for me. Overall a great action film, and the best yet for this Summer.