Fun, but...

Rating: 8/10 (10 July 2003)

A Terminator movie without James Cameron? How could they? Easily, it seems. Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines takes place ten years after Terminator 2: Judgment Day. John Connor is in his early twenties and has been hiding and running since he and his mother stopped Judgment Day from happening.
As it turns out Judgment Day is inevitable and the machines go back in time again kill off not only John Connor, but his lieutenants as well. Enter Arnold again who is sent back to protect not only Connor but Kate Brewster (played by Claire Danes).
In the midst of this is a new Terminator unit T-X or as Connor calls her at one point, Terminatrix. She is a sleek, super-model killer and virtually unstoppable. In their attempt to escape, they outrun the T-X in a vet truck in one of the most destructive car chases put on film.
It's all very exciting and fun with a slight human element that doesn't go as deep as T2 went, but they try. Claire Danes and Nick Stahl (Connor) don't really have too much chemistry between them; however, Arnold does with his deep-pan delivery and his new psychology sub-routine, which leads to the most humorous moments in the film.
Jonathan Mostow had some big shoes to step into taking on this directing project and he does a bang-up job (pun intended). He has captured the feeling of excitement and loss that is in the first two of knowing the world is coming to an end, but frankly without Linda Hamilton's strong female character, this film lacks some of the spunk that made T1 and T2 great.