Terminator 2: Judgment Day
(A or 4/4 stars)
'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' is a 1991 sci-fi/action thriller, and sequel to 1984's The Terminator; both directed by the great James Cameron. Arnold Schwarzenegger & Linda Hamilton return as a T-800 Model Terminator & Sarah Connor for this box office smash hit. The war with the machines caused by a nuclear apocalypse of Judgment Day ends with humanity as the victors. But before the humans can destroy SkyNet {a malevolent A.I. system}, it sends an advanced cyborg Terminator - the invulnerable shapeshifting T-1000 model (Robert Patrick) - back in time as an effort to change the past so that the machines will win the war; this time by killing John Connor as a child before he grows into the heroic human resistance leader.
In response, the resistance sends back a T-800 Terminator that's been reprogrammed to protect young John {the T-800 is Arnold again, but this time, not a villainous killing machine}. So unstoppable killing machine T-1000 (Patrick) & the T-800 ('good' Arnold) arrive in 1995, when 10 yr. old John lives with foster parents and, real mom Sarah has been committed to a mental institution after an attempt to blow-up a computer factory. The seemingly invincible T-1000 catches-up with young John at the same time as the T-800 {sent to protect young John at any cost; & also programmed not to kill any human}.
The T-800 informs John that the T-1000 will kill anyone it chooses to replicate and, to that, when John realizes that the T-1000 will attempt to replicate his mother/use her disguise as a trap ... he forces the T-800 to rescue Sarah. The T-800, John & his mother, Sarah, escape the asylum after an intense encounter with the T-1000, which thrusts the trio into narrative action: change the fate of the world by averting the Judgment Day that occurs in the future. To do so, they must stop Skynet from becoming a reality ... and keep the T-1000 at bay long enough to achieve it. Suspense, drama & gripping action ensues as the battle for tomorrow begins.
This movie is one big adrenaline-pumping thrill ride from its flawless 1st hour, through the tension-building mid-section, & the breathless finale. Probably the most impressive action sequence is the elongated chase sequence involving a semi that is driven off of an overpass -- just incredible. And the most impressive creative use of state-of-the-art special effects is used on Robert Patrick's T-1000 robot. He is extremely threatening & fascinating to watch; as his unsettling super-speed + his liquid metal-morphing into different people makes him quite the striking figure. As for practical effects, there's a great one inside a helicopter in which Arnold's T-800 stoically says to the pilot, "Get Out" {haha}. To that, this film is chock full of memorable lines.
Other famous lines include Arnold's T-800 reaching down to Sarah with: "Come with me if you want to live". Just like the 1984 film, Arnold repeats "I'll be back". At one point, young John teaches the T-800 slang, like "Chill out, dickwad" & "Hasta la vista, baby". Really, this has far more humor in it than the super-serious 1984 film and, the humor balances out the action & dramatics very well. i.e., the moment Arnold emerges from the biker bar set to the song "Bad to the Bone". And any interaction btwn. the T-800 & young John has a very fish-out-of-water father/son vibe that is very appealing.
To that {the T-800 & young John's relationship}, this film also contains heart. And there is a character giving a 'thumbs-up' moment near the end that, when combined with the stirring music, gave me quite the emotional reaction. A lot of that emotion is thanks to Edward Furlong's John, who isn't the most precious kid around, but he grows on you, and how he connects with the T-800 & how he thaws the ice around his mother's wounded heart is palpable. Arnold is ... Arnold. He does what he does very, very well; or else he wouldn't be the star he is. Robert Patrick is terrifying as the relentless T-1000 killing machine. And most impressive is Linda Hamilton, whose emotional & physical transformation from the '84 film is astonishing. The knowledge she possesses that the world will be destroyed has driven her to near-madness. She while she acts with volatility, she is NOT crazy. I put her up there with Sigourney Weaver's Ripley as an iconic female action heroine.
Now, the time paradoxes addressed here are fairly complex and may not hold up under scrutiny. But honestly, the movie is so propulsive, so magnetic, & so freakin' entertaining that those plot holes/head-scratchy questions aren't the types that require dead-set answers. We may ponder the time travel aspects, but won't dwell on them. Ya know, the special effects in this film from 1991 - not unlike Jurassic Park's ingenious ones from 1993 - hold up better than most films of today. 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' stands the test of time on so many fronts and, it is the rare sequel that enhances the 1st film. In the wake of the '84 film, it feels fresh, new, exciting, and contains the kind of intangible movie magic that doesn't come around often.
In response, the resistance sends back a T-800 Terminator that's been reprogrammed to protect young John {the T-800 is Arnold again, but this time, not a villainous killing machine}. So unstoppable killing machine T-1000 (Patrick) & the T-800 ('good' Arnold) arrive in 1995, when 10 yr. old John lives with foster parents and, real mom Sarah has been committed to a mental institution after an attempt to blow-up a computer factory. The seemingly invincible T-1000 catches-up with young John at the same time as the T-800 {sent to protect young John at any cost; & also programmed not to kill any human}.
The T-800 informs John that the T-1000 will kill anyone it chooses to replicate and, to that, when John realizes that the T-1000 will attempt to replicate his mother/use her disguise as a trap ... he forces the T-800 to rescue Sarah. The T-800, John & his mother, Sarah, escape the asylum after an intense encounter with the T-1000, which thrusts the trio into narrative action: change the fate of the world by averting the Judgment Day that occurs in the future. To do so, they must stop Skynet from becoming a reality ... and keep the T-1000 at bay long enough to achieve it. Suspense, drama & gripping action ensues as the battle for tomorrow begins.
This movie is one big adrenaline-pumping thrill ride from its flawless 1st hour, through the tension-building mid-section, & the breathless finale. Probably the most impressive action sequence is the elongated chase sequence involving a semi that is driven off of an overpass -- just incredible. And the most impressive creative use of state-of-the-art special effects is used on Robert Patrick's T-1000 robot. He is extremely threatening & fascinating to watch; as his unsettling super-speed + his liquid metal-morphing into different people makes him quite the striking figure. As for practical effects, there's a great one inside a helicopter in which Arnold's T-800 stoically says to the pilot, "Get Out" {haha}. To that, this film is chock full of memorable lines.
Other famous lines include Arnold's T-800 reaching down to Sarah with: "Come with me if you want to live". Just like the 1984 film, Arnold repeats "I'll be back". At one point, young John teaches the T-800 slang, like "Chill out, dickwad" & "Hasta la vista, baby". Really, this has far more humor in it than the super-serious 1984 film and, the humor balances out the action & dramatics very well. i.e., the moment Arnold emerges from the biker bar set to the song "Bad to the Bone". And any interaction btwn. the T-800 & young John has a very fish-out-of-water father/son vibe that is very appealing.
To that {the T-800 & young John's relationship}, this film also contains heart. And there is a character giving a 'thumbs-up' moment near the end that, when combined with the stirring music, gave me quite the emotional reaction. A lot of that emotion is thanks to Edward Furlong's John, who isn't the most precious kid around, but he grows on you, and how he connects with the T-800 & how he thaws the ice around his mother's wounded heart is palpable. Arnold is ... Arnold. He does what he does very, very well; or else he wouldn't be the star he is. Robert Patrick is terrifying as the relentless T-1000 killing machine. And most impressive is Linda Hamilton, whose emotional & physical transformation from the '84 film is astonishing. The knowledge she possesses that the world will be destroyed has driven her to near-madness. She while she acts with volatility, she is NOT crazy. I put her up there with Sigourney Weaver's Ripley as an iconic female action heroine.
Now, the time paradoxes addressed here are fairly complex and may not hold up under scrutiny. But honestly, the movie is so propulsive, so magnetic, & so freakin' entertaining that those plot holes/head-scratchy questions aren't the types that require dead-set answers. We may ponder the time travel aspects, but won't dwell on them. Ya know, the special effects in this film from 1991 - not unlike Jurassic Park's ingenious ones from 1993 - hold up better than most films of today. 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' stands the test of time on so many fronts and, it is the rare sequel that enhances the 1st film. In the wake of the '84 film, it feels fresh, new, exciting, and contains the kind of intangible movie magic that doesn't come around often.