Nothing we haven't seen before

Rating: Null/10 (1 July 2003)

Possible spoilers - proceed at your peril.
Well, after twelve years of fits and starts, legal wrangling and a $30 million payday for Arnie, Terminator 3 has finally arrived. And it's unfortunate that during those twelve years very little creativity went in to crafting the story for this latest installment of the Terminator saga. Don't get me wrong - T3 is a perfectly serviceable summer action movie, full of the requisite stunts and "how'd they do that" effects we've come to expect. But you can't help getting a "same old, same old" vibe as you watch the movie unfold.
The movie is essentially a competently directed, paint-by-numbers and somewhat tighter-paced retelling of Terminator 2. All the elements are there - Arnie arriving naked and getting his leather clothes, check. The evil terminator also arriving naked and killing some people without mercy, check. Slow-motion shot of Arnie when he first meets young John Connor, check. Extended driving sequence in the desert, check. Massively destructive truck and bike chase through L.A., check. Against better judgment, going back into the heart of the beast to try and stop the rise of Skynet, check. The few new twists that are thrown into the mix, notably the Claire Danes character of Kate Brewster and the new Arnie's relationship with the new John Connor, attempt to shake things up but don't really succeed in lifting the veil of staleness. Notably absent is the emotion of the second film, as the pace never slows enough to allow the characters a moment to breathe, let alone relate to one another.
It seems that the story began with the creation of the newest nemesis in the saga, the T-X, and grew around that. She's basically a distaff version of Robert Patrick's T-1000 with a few new surprising powers (which aren't exploited nearly enough). Newcomer Kristanna Loken is appropriately menacing and relentless but does little to really distinguish herself in the role. She's certainly a sexy lady but it seems that any one of a hundred gorgeous blond actresses could have done the part with the same results. Some sharper writing, more dialogue and even a more emotive T-X could have created a more original and more memorable villainess, instead of a mere T-1000 retread (albeit a more curvaceous one). As she is, the character of the T-X mirrors the rest of the film, and it feels like a wasted opportunity. However, Hollywood always has trouble creating great female villains who aren't over-the-top campy, too mannish or overtly nymphomaniacal, so there are no surprises that this is another failure.
Overall, the best that can be said about Terminator 3 is that it is an adequate film. Some amusing moments, some entertainment, but nothing groundbreaking, nothing truly imaginative. Sticking to the formula for safety's sake. If there is a sequel (and without giving too much away, it can be said that the end of this one practically guarantees it) it would be nice to see a completely fresh take on the saga instead of going for the usual two-robots-come-back-through-time, one-to-destroy one-to-protect formula that has with this movie been drained of all its creative juice.