Brilliance is irrelevant; a serviceable action film.

Rating: 6/10 (2 July 2003)

Given all the impropitious factors that were stacked against this latest installment I think the film works reasonably well and has at least the visceral appeal that a 170 million dollar blockbuster should have. Yes it lacks the artistry and elan that Cameron brought to the first two installments and yes it does simply rehash and expand previous action sequences that made the first two films so enjoyable. However I found the acting to be serviceable and the human element was palpable enough to the point where it did not feel like a completely boneheaded action film. My main qualm with the characters was with the TX who was not fleshed out enough and not nearly as menacing as the T-1000 from the second film. The majority of the action sequences serve to simply entertain us and do so in spades. However they were also a way to mask the fact that the story was incredibly thin and the dialogue laconic and derivative of the popular catch phrases established in the first two films. But in conclusion it must be noted that outside of the context of the first two films this is a summer action movie that entertains and even makes fun of itself to the joy of the viewer. The action thankfully does not really too heavily on CGI effects and ends up boing much more entertaining than 'The Matrix Reloaded' or 'The Hulk' by action standards. Compared with the first two films it is no more than a road movie with action sequences and minimal sci-fi elements thrown in. Not entirely forgettable but the second one is still by far the finest of the three. 6 out of 10, worth a look for entertainment purposes.