August 1997 came and went. There was no judgment day, and the machines did not take over. Sarah Connor died peacefully, while John Connor became a wanderer. At age twenty-two he is reckless, directionless, and haunted by nightmares of human annihilation. John Connor, like the filmmakers, must burden the legacy of Terminator 2.

As it turns out, the events of T2 served only to postpone the rise of Skynet and the machines. John Connor's life is in danger once again, and once again the Terminators are coming for him.

They arrive in the usual way: emerging from electrical spheres into the greater Los Angeles area. The new Terminator, "TX," or "Terminatrix," immediately takes action, assassinating the teenagers who will one day become resistance leaders. The T-101 (the Schwartzenegger model) makes his first stop a local tavern where he acquires clothing and sunglasses in the usual way. But this time around, his mission is different. He must ensure the survival of not only Connor, but a young woman named Kate Brewster as well. After surviving the first encounter with the TX, the trio must decide whether to risk their lives by make a last-minute effort to shut down Skynet, or make for Mexico to escape the impending nuclear blast.

The action in T3 is very satisfying. The first major chase scene employs a construction crane to great effect and is as memorable as the aqueduct sequence of the previous film. The fights between Terminators are well-conceived, fun to watch, and much lighter on the CG than one would expect. Director Jonathan Mostow, who cut his teeth on Breakdown and U-571, maintains a strong, steady pace throughout the film without ever exhausting the audience.

T3 succeeds by not attempting to out-do T2. The filmmakers seem to recognize that this chapter of the Terminator saga is simply too limited by its premise to make the epic imprint of T2. T3 focuses on and achieves two goals: it doesn't totally suck and it lays the groundwork for T4. Don't get all upset and yell, "spoiler!" you know the trends in film today. If T3 makes any money at all, there'll be a T4 (pending Arnold's gubernatorial campaign).

The new John Connor is the weakest element of the film. The character does not seem any wiser than he was at age ten, nor does he exhibit any qualities which support the assertion that he will one day lead the human resistance against the machines. In addition, actor Nick Stahl's screen presence is indie-sized and it's challenging to envision his future participation in the Terminator franchise.

The women of the film, Kate Brewster (Claire Danes) and the TX (Kristanna Loken) are acceptable in their roles, but uninspiring compared to the dynamo that was Linda Hamilton. The TX is more technologically adept than any previous model (able to manipulate any device with a computer chip), but she lacks the menace of the T-1000. Perhaps it was Cameron's cold, blue lighting of T2 that gave Robert Patrick his evil look; but whatever the reason, you get the feeling the T-1000 would make quick work of the TX. Here's hoping future Terminators will be faster/ scarier/ Hugo Weaving.

As for Arnold, the original and best Terminator: he's back. Bad guy butt-kicking without hokey kung-fu: it's back. Humorous scenes where Arnold puts on a deadpan face and understates the obvious: they're back. Alas, "Talk to the Hand" can't improve upon "Hasta La Vista."

Its predecessor raised the bar for every action movie to follow and was one of the most incredible theatrical experiences of that decade, the margin for failure was enormous. Considering everything it had to live up to, T3 wins major points for not being a major disappointment.

-Megan A. Denny