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From the great director of films like "Don't Look Now", "Walkabout", and "The Man Who Fell to Earth", how did he come about to make this forgettable straightforward Jim Henson film? How did a filmmaker as aware, intelligent and introspective as Roeg descend to this standardized children's film? Don't get me wrong, I like children's films and "The Witches" is reasonably well made and told with good acting for the most part. But it at least could have had some sort of deeper meaning, as other children's films and most notably ROEG films have had multi-textured layers of symbolism and meaning. This cannot be a Nicholas Roeg film. He seems to have abandoned his visual touches and motifs that made his early films work so well and give them an air of timelessness. I will continue to treasure his three masterpieces of the early 1970s and will sadly find myself disregarding disposable kiddie flicks such as this.

From the beginning, the absence of James Cameron and the two leading actors doomed the project. As expected, the tight framing and loss of focus in particularly quick shots and blue tint that are commonplace in Cameron films were not here. But that's just a stylistic complaint. Let's move on to what's really wrong with this film.

It is not entertaining or engaging. You know the ending long before it has begun due to particular soliloquys. The characters aren't interesting, particularly with the T-X, which did not even evoke a smidgen of fear or worry other than replicating Robert Patrick's T-1000. The sequences play out like an average modern CGI action flick right off of the assembly line. There is no conflict, given that the previous concept of averting the future is negated by the new notion that nothing can avert Judgment Day. This just doesn't have the heart that made the previous films work.

But what really bugs Arnold fans here is that unlike the previous films of his that made you laugh because he said lines, now he has so many one liners that it becomes annoying instead of humorous. The minute he puts on the star glasses in the opening, he immediately becomes a silly clown figure, which is bad for the character. Pointless cameos don't help matters either. While the previous films knew how to film an action sequence, this film just plays out like a longform BMW commercial.

Ultimately, it is a waste of time and money. There is no reason for making this film other than a hefty paycheck. It is a useless picture in that it completely negates the previous films, as well as itself. I haven't felt this robbed by a film in quite some time.

I never thought I'd do it. I've always stayed faithful to remaining in my seat at the theater to finish out a film, even if it is horrid. Considering that this was only at the $1.50 cheapo show, that sort of lent to my decision to leave. I like to remain to review films completely, but this was too much for me. Like every other assembly line horror flick, it is not scary. It is not interesting. There is nothing to it. This was a boring and tedious exercise, ruined from start to finish. The introduction with the title "Darkness Falls" failed to engage me in the slightest, and despite all the flash images and attempts to shake me up, it was a failure. The biggest reason would simply be that as a film buff and horror fan, we've walked down this black road one too many times and know it all too well to be scared of what might jump out at us. A complete waste of time and mental energy in every respect. Avoid like the plague.