We all know that the ALIEN series should have ended with ALIENS and the TERMINATOR series should have ended with T-2. The stories were nicely wrapped up. But, they didn't end there....
TERMINATOR 3 had so much going against it. Many of the original people bailed - writer/director James Cameron, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, DP Adam Greenberg, Composer Brad Fiedel, etc, etc.
Now, add to the mix that Nick Stahl was probably not right for John Connor, nor did I feel that Claire Danes fit the role of Kate Brewster (Connor's future wife). This should have been a disaster and yes, many viewers let the casting and changes bother them. However, this is a pretty good pair of actors, even if they were odd choices.
The good:
Arnold comes back looking great for 57 years old! He also donates a large portion of his salary towards making the car/crane chase the great scene that it was.
Kristanna Loken actually does a good job as the TX terminator model (liquid metal, but with weapons). Her mission is to assassinate Connor's lieutenants, as Connor is off the grid. The expression of shock she shows, after unexpectedly sampling John Connor's blood, is perfect! Terminators aren't supposed to emote, but if one was ever surprised, that's what it would look like. Arnold has mastered the nuances of terminator expressions and Ms. Loken does a nice job, also.
Director Jonathan Mostow, who did a bang up job on BREAKDOWN (with Kurt Russell) gives this movie a good effort. The crane chase, the cemetary shootout and chase, and the memorable terminator bathroom fight are well done.
Storywise, we get to see Skynet go online, attacking humans with prototype T-1's and Hunter Killers; and how the terminator saves John by tricking him into the presidential bunker. It was a really good link to how John Connor becomes the future resistance leader, just by being in the command center. Of course, we get to see Judgement Day happen, as missiles launch around the globe.
Knowing how many personnel changes there were, TERMINATOR 3 actually exceeded my expectations! "Talk to the hand!"