Much better than it should be

Rating: Null/10 (4 July 2003)

Mostow's a hack, Arnold has lost his machismo over the years, and the story of T3 is nearly the same thing we saw 10 years ago in Cameron's T2.
So why is this movie *the* summer action movie of 2003?
Because it avoids using tacky, modern, computer special effects (*cough*...Matrix Reloaded) and instead uses classic Hollywood stunt work and REAL cars smashing into each other. Because it has a tight narrative that doesn't indulge itself while keeping the audience hostage until the climax we all paid $8 for.
The (surprisingly thin) audience for this flick on July 3rd was only happy to oblige the film with applause and laughs. This movie is great fun, much more fun than Hulk or Matrix 2. There is something charming about an action movie where the hero actually looks like a hero rather than some pallid dork in a black trenchcoat who is more interested in looking good than pounding their enemy into a pulp.
The best action sequences of the summer of 2003 are in Terminator 3, no question about it. The movie cost $170 million and you see every cent on screen. Arnold's T-101 takes more and more damage as the film progresses. You first see blood, then scaring with metal underneath, then complex CGI/makeup/prosthesis where you can actually see THROUGH Arnold's jaw structure. This is Stan Winston's best work in years and proves he is still at the top of his game.
Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor was always an annoying character and it's good to see her out of the series to focus more attention on John Connor. Sarah always came across as an anti-social, bitter hippy rather than somebody who has the burden of man's ultimate survival on her shoulders.

The script is nothing amazing, although it has an excellent ending that gives the film some real gravity. The film is full of humor and resembles the original Terminator film more closely than T2 in this regard.

If you want to know what T3 is like think of it this way:
Take T2, strip out Sarah Connor, take out about 30 minutes of worthless boy/robot bonding and ridiculous man/machine sentiment (remember that horrible weepy ending to T2? LOL!), add an Arnold who is less apt to mock himself and a very serious, somber ending and you have T3.
Really the only thing lacking is T1000 from T2. Robert Patrick did a great job, and don't get me wrong...the chick who plays the T-X does a great job as well, but for some reason she just isn't as menacing. She seems to not be able to handle good old T-101 as well as the T1000 could. I would also really like to see her in a bathing suit.