Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Director: James Cameron
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong

Synopsis:
Two Terminators are sent from the future: one to kill a young John Connor and the other to protect him.

Impressions:
The Terminator is an amazing film and with more experience under his belt and a bigger budget, James Cameron delivers a sequel that many consider to be even better. Personally, I regard the first two Terminator films much as I do Alien and Aliens. In both cases, the first film is more of a horror film at its core that relies heavily on suspense while the sequel is more about straight action (while still retaining some suspenseful elements). Because the two films set out to do different things, it's not fair to compare them toe-to-toe. Also, because I love both, I don't see any reason to pick one over the other.

Rewatching the film, I can appreciate the initial setup that left the identity of the antagonist ambiguous until the two Terminators' first encounter. If this hadn't been spoiled beforehand, it would've been a cool surprise. (That reminds me of how the second trailer for Terminator Genisys spoiled a major plot twist.) Anyway, while Arnold's T-800 is lighter and softer this time around, Robert Patrick raises the chill factor with his stunning performance as the T-1000. On the one hand, he demonstrates capacity as a more effective infiltration unit, but when it's game time, he's terrifyingly implacable. Just the way he runs... (And kudos for Patrick for training himself up to pull off that tireless sprint.) Linda Hamilton also impresses, both for her physical performance but also the emotional portrayal of a severely damaged Sarah Connor. (People like to play up the action girl transformation but often overlook the high cost to the character's mental stability.) Edward Furlong's John Connor is a bit of a twerp, but that's kinda the point.

The action set pieces are some of the most famous in cinema. The canal chase, the CyberDyne infiltration, the final showdown... It's amazing stuff. There are great practical effects and the innovations in CG for the T-1000 laid a lot of the groundwork for the boom in digital effects (for better and for worse). Even for '91, the CG still holds up pretty well. On a visual level, there's nothing that'll disappoint. Also, Brad Fiedel returns with another great score (and a little more than just a synthesizer to pull it off, too).

I don't think I can praise this movie enough. It's one of the best the 90s has to offer for the action and science fiction genres and indeed, it's one of the best movies from the decade period. This is one that belongs in your collection.

Rating:
Treasure It