This movie sucked!!! I mean it really sucked!!!

Rating: Null/10 (2 July 2003)

Good. Now that I've gotten your attention, I'd like to say a few things about the movie, which I had the pleasure of watching last night.

I LOVED IT! Let me get some minor quibbles out first.
It's immediately apparent while you're watching the movie that Cameron's touch is missing. There's something about watching a Cameron movie that never lets you forget who it is that's directing it. I think the one detail that makes it the most obvious in this flick is the acting. I've heard that Cameron is a real stickler for getting a performance out of someone in the exact way that he wants it and say what you want about the first two Terminator movies but the acting was excellent across the board on the both of them, save for the corny emotional moments that popped up from time to time in the second one. I kind of felt like the acting in this installment was not really focused upon. Don't get me wrong, it's actually pretty good, especially Nick Stahl as a worn down John Connor. Overall though, it sometimes felt like I was watching an original Sci-Fi channel movie on occasion. Other gripes I had with the flick were the occasional "funny" moment that was anything but. There were a couple of holes that left me shaking my head (case in point, when John and Kate (Claire Danes) go to see her father at Skynet, I would've thought that getting into a military installation with loads of weapons would've proven more difficult than just walking in but again, it's forgivable). The T-X made for a good villain but hats off to Robert Patrick's T-1000. Aside from Arnold's original Terminator, he made for the most menacing Terminator yet. I will give Ms. Loken her props, she was convincingly ruthless when executing her victims.
Enough with the gripes. Let me tell you what makes this movie fantastic. Let's just get it out of the way right now and say that the action in this movie is jaw-dropping. The future scenes were awesomely realized. That chase you've seen in the trailers with the crane truck and Arnold swinging off of it? THAT ONE SCENE DESTROYS THE MUCH HERALDED CHASE SCENE IN MATRIX RELOADED. And that's just one of the scenes. There is a lesson to be learned here, filmmakers. The less CG effects you use, the more realistic everything becomes. Remember that truck chase in the canal in T2? Exactly. While the Matrix did show off some nifty little effects, the sense of danger achieved in the T3 chase is much greater because of one simple thing. Most of it was done for real with real, bonafide stuntwork. The CG that was used in the sequence isn't painfully obvious when you look at it and like other CG heavy action movies, doesn't take you out of the realism. And isn't heightening the sense of fear and danger for our heroes the main goal here? As of late, I think too many movies are depending on CG these days to sell them and I give this movie a big thumbs up just for keeping the CG use down to practical levels. This movie is loaded with action and unlike T2, it never drags. T2 is an amazing film accomplishment but you've gotta admit that the middle of the movie is a bit too slow. Not here. There's enough action here to keep anyone satisfied but thankfully it doesn't go into the "too much action" territory that films like "The Mummy Returns" have ventured into, only to come out with headache inducing results.
The movie clocks in at just under two hours, a perfect length for the story presented. As for the story, you'll walk out of the theater realizing that this movie was done with a great amount of respect for it's predecessors. I don't want to give away any details but trust me when I say that this film fits in perfectly with the other two. There's a sense of despair and dread that grows and grows until ultimately, you realize the scope of what's being played out before you. I loved it and I'm really happy with the way the story turned out. I liked all of those little ideas and nuances that pop up and make you smile in wonder. It may not be as "smart" as the second was but it still holds it's own.
I never got the sense that this movie was made strictly for monetary purposes and that in itself makes this film an above average sequel. How many sequels are actually above average, let alone a second sequel? I love the fact that director Johnathan Mostow pulled through with this. I, like many others, was very skeptical about whether or not he could pull it off and believe me, he does. Cameron might've been able to deliver a tighter film but this movie doesn't ruin the memory of the first two for me, so I'm not going to complain.
I don't know if I've covered enough in this review but I'll just finish by saying that Arnold does not disappoint with what has become over the years, his signature role. He plays the role so comfortably that it's hard to believe that it's been over ten years since we last saw him. One-liners aside, it's good to have you back, Mr. S.
Rating: **** out of *****.