Mediocrity Unacceptable for a Terminator Film

Rating: 6/10 (5 July 2003)

Terminator films are supposed to rule. Even in the age where sequels, by definition, suck, somehow Terminator 2 still ruled (maybe even more than the first). A standard was set, they aimed high and they hit higher with strong characters, a strong story and excellent effects.
T-3 did NOT rule, however. There was virtually NO story, the special effects were completely derivative of T2 (couldn't the cgi geeks come up with something better?), the characters were so devoid of depth that you almost wished them dead and the authors copped out by simply dismissing the well crafted plot of the earlier Terminator films.
The introduction of cute one liners from T2 was so overused in T-3 that it got stale quicker than a "Charlie's Angels" sequel. The film makers of T-3 simply cashed in on a proven formula and didn't seem to care one bit about fumbling on one of the best film storylines ever created. I, for one, had expected that they would have spent much more time on the story and had done justice to the prior films. Mediocrity does not belong in Terminator films;they deserve much, much more. 6/10