A roller-coaster ride, but a lesser movie

Rating: 7/10 (25 May 2013)

Terminator 2 had such a perfect ending, but given how successful it was a the box-office it was inevitable another sequel would be churned out. While predictably, this one, directed by Jonathan Mostow, would never be in the same league as the first two, it's still a better film that perhaps was expected.
This one goes for balls-to-the-wall action, and on that level it certainly delivers. A visual spectacular, with the highlight being a destructive vehicle chase with the T-X driving a crane. The special effects are cool, though at times a tad too obvious. For about 2 hours, the film does not let up.
It becomes clear though, that action and special effects are about all we're going to get. That and silly one-liners. Arnie makes a welcome return - of sorts, though he's undermined whenever scenes are played for laughs. Kristanna Loken is creepily lithe as the T-X, and is perhaps the best reason to watch it. Though little more than a variation of the T-1000, she still makes for a worthy addition to the cyborg killers Skynet keeps churning out. Nick Stahl and Claire Danes however aren't really that likable as John Connor and Katy Brewster. What this film lacks is the presence of someone like Kyle Reese in the first, and the buffed up Sarah Connor of the second. Indeed it's lacking the heart and soul of the first two preferring to toss that aside in favour of non-stop thrills.
While still very entertaining for most of it's way, at the climax, it starts to fall apart somewhat, and the final face-off between Arnie and the T-X is pretty weak. The ending however is quite a brave move, a brief attempt to recapture some of the bleak tone of the first.