As much fun as these movies are, whatever connection they had to the writings of Harlan Ellison (acknowledged in the credits of the original movie) are gone.

Rating: 5/10 (9 March 2012)

As much fun as these movies are, whatever connection they had to the writings of Harlan Ellison (acknowledged in the credits of the original movie) are gone. Unlike the two previous movies, this one spans only one day. And what a day it is. We have here a total commitment to special effects and explosions instead of any character development or plot. Arnold looks damn good nearly twenty years after the original film, to his credit, and his acting is, well, predictably Arnold. In both T2 and T3, he breaks the machine character in several scenes and uses "human" tones and expressions when communicating with the real humans. Claire Danes' character is never really developed beyond the confused girl and veterinary assistant about to be married to a man she is not quite sure she wants to marry, although there is one fairly comedic scene where John Connor looks at her and says "You remind me of my mother.". Earl Boen reprising his role as Dr. Silberman is priceless, especially when he spots the Terminator. Nick Stahl as John Connor just does not pan out. Edward Furlong in the second movie figured out the true nature of the character when the Terminator explains his mother has been telling the truth. We watch a transition from angry kid to the potential leader of the resistance. Stahl remains the man in denial of his destiny right up to the end. Kristanna Loken never breaks character, she is the perfect Terminator, driven, relentless and uncaring. There are some other inconsistencies, mostly the hit list T-X is following in Los Angeles, which would seem to be unnecessary since LA will be one of the cities wiped out when Judgment Day occurs. But to the credit of the art department, the special effects alone in this film are worth a look. Rated R for nudity, violence, and language, T3 is only collectible if you own the rest of the films and are obsessed with keeping the set intact.