In its own right, its a ton of fun

Rating: 8/10 (18 April 2015)

Terminator 3 is a total departure from the first two films. It perfectly fits the storyline and doesn't create too many glaring plot holes from the first two films. The problem is that there is a distinctive lack of brilliant artistic vision behind it. This was made to cash in and is made to be a mainstream action/sci-fi flick. Taken at that value...I love it. Its fun and campy and absolutely non-stop action packed popcorn popping fun. If you love Schwarzenegger like I do...this is bread and butter for fans of his. He comes back swinging as his infamous Terminator role. Much like Terminator 2 there is a lot of campy scenes and they feel just a little more campy this time around but for some reason campy works in the context of this very real world they create. I think the cleverness behind Terminator 3 is that the action is so good and the pace is so fast that you forget its not as clever as the previous two films. This is all about Arnold and continuing the story and sort of a much expected prologue to Judgement Day. I think it would have been a very different film had James Cameron returned to direct but it is what it is and I enjoy it!!
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the Terminator. He is more robotic this time and the low brow humour is toned down but it is lots of Arnold. If you look up the easter eggs in place for fans you'll enjoy it quite a bit. It isn't his most charismatic role and definitely not his best turn as the Terminator (I hope that is still to come with Genisys) but it is still great. While I'm not fond of them having a different John Connor every single time...Nick Stahl actually is really great in the role. He is very serious and brooding and plays the part well. His John Connor is a drifter, trying to find his way in the non-Judgement Day world and you actually believe he could become the Saviour of mankind. He doesn't have NEAR the chemistry with Schwarzenegger that Edward Furlong did but he still plays a good part and leads the cast well. Claire Danes is an interesting character and she plays the part well. She does have good chemistry with Stahl and Schwarzenegger and I actually wish she would come back to the series at some point playing Katherine Brewster. Kristanna Loken is interesting in her role. I always thought this would be her breakout role but she sort of slipped into B-Movie obscurity. She is actually extremely effective as the villainous and deadly T-X. She is stunningly beautiful but there is something campy about her performance too. Still she has few lines and her hand to hand battles with Schwarzenegger are excellent. They make worthy foes and while she isn't near as effective as Robert Patrick was but it works. While they manage to write out Sarah Connor, her spirit is alive and well in the story.
If you hold Terminator 3 up against T2 then you will hate...plain and simple. Terminator 2 is easily one of the best sci-fi/action films ever made period and this is a far cry from that. But...its far enough after that film that if you watch it for sheer fun then you can find plenty to enjoy. I'm not sure why they put Jonathan Mostow at the helm of such a potentially big entry in the franchise. He just doesn't have the proper experience. He does alright but when you consider one of the best directors of all time practically created this franchise, you can't hand it off to just anyone. The special effects are a HUGE step down and the CGI is nowhere near the standard T2 set (which is funny considering it was a dozen years later.) I'm trying very hard to hold Terminator 3 on its own and not compare it because I love this movie!! Just have fun with it and enjoy the continuing story because it works and it has a ton of action and its not nearly the mess so called "die hard" fans make it out to be. Its a step down but still fun. 8/10