Terminator 3's Twist Ending Is Great (But It Betrays Judgment Day)

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Although Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines has a great ending, the film's effective twist unfortunately contradicts Terminator 2: Judgment Day. While a box office success, Terminator 3 is a sequel that, in hindsight, perhaps doesn't get the respect it deserves. This is especially true when considering the disappointment of Terminator Salvation and Terminator Genisys. However, for all its plus points, Terminator 3 actually undercuts some of the series' most crucial elements.

In many ways, Terminator 3 always faced a difficult task – most notably perhaps because the first twoTerminator movies are considered classics. A further complication was the decision to replace director James Cameron, who not only directed the first two Terminator movies, but co-wrote them, with Jonathan Mostow. No one knows how to make a Terminator movie better than the creator of the franchise, and in fact, at one point Cameron did almost helm the third Terminator installment as well. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be, although Cameron encouraged his close friend Arnold Schwarzenegger to return for Terminator 3, if only for the large paycheck being offered.

Related: Terminator: A Complete TV Reboot Is The Only Thing Left For The Franchise

However, even if it didn't quite measure up to Terminator 2, Terminator 3 wasn't without its merits. Most notable were some highly thrilling action sequences, and the addition of wife Kate Brewster to the John Connor lore. Best of all though was Terminator 3's ending, which turned things upside down. Just when John and Kate thought they were trying to stop Skynet's rise, it was revealed that Judgment Day could not be averted, and that the T-800 had instead been ensuring that the two were inside a secure facility when