Action Sequences are too bland

Rating: Null/10 (17 July 2003)

James Cameron is a GREAT director of action sequences. In T2, the action sequences were VERY meticulously done. For example, when John Connor (Edward Furlong) flees to the LA flood channels on a motorcycle to escape the T1000, James Cameron focuses his Camera on the obviously exhausted and perplexed John Connor, who FEELS he is safe, but James Cameron then performs his magic and let's the audience HEAR the semi truck squealing its wheels and then BAM!, BOTH the audience and John Connor are shocked to see the truck leaping off the bridge at a close proximity to John Connor. In effect, James Cameron creates DRAMA in his action sequences which makes the audience ENJOY the action despite its foregone conclusion.
In the T3, there is no drama in all of its action. EVERYONE knows John Connor will live and T100 will prevail over the more sophisticated TX. The challenge is make it interesting to the audience despite the obvious. In this, the T3 fails.
I saw this movie as a high budget action adventure with a nice plot, but nothing more. It certainly doesn't compare well against the T2.