A One Mann’s Movies review of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991).
Another “Everyman Throwback” film I saw on the big screen recently, James Cameron’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (with its American spelling!) took his 1984 success with “The Terminator” and doubled down in every single department.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” Plot:
Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) is in a mental institution, given her wild stories about the approaching apocalyptic war that she KNOWS will happen when Skynet becomes sentient on August 29th 1997. Her son and future resistance leader, John Connor (Edward Furlong) is a juvenile delinquent placed with long-suffering foster parents. But when a T-1000 Terminator (Robert Patrick) is sent back to kill John, a guardian angel in the form of a Model 101 Terminator (Arnold Schwartzenegger) is sent by the resistance to protect him.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: Strong violence, language.)
Talent:
Starring: Arnold Schwartzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen, Joe Morton, Castulo Guerra.
Directed by: James Cameron.
Written by: James Cameron & William Wisher.
Running Time: 2h 17m.
“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” Summary:
Positives:
- A joyride of an action movie with some great set-pieces including the fight at the mental hospital and the truck/bike chase.
- The nuclear explosion/playground sequence.
- Most of the special effects hold up really well, given they are nearly 35 years old.
- Schwarzenegger gives a really endearing performance as the big dumb softie cyborg.
Negatives:
- The dodgiest effect is the T-1000’s arrival.
- Linda Hamilton’s voiceover.
Review of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”:
Memorable scene after memorable scene.
This is a film that is really at home on the big screen. For that reason, even though I own it on DVD, I’m not sure I’ve ever watched it at home… perhaps I have, but if I have then it must have been 20+ years ago. So seeing it again in its full glory was a joy. There are so many great set-pieces to enjoy: Arnie gettting his clothes and bike; the T-1000’s raid on the mental facility; the wonderful truck and bike chase along LA’s flood-control channels; the raid on Cyberdyne; the steel works finale. It is all perfectly paced as almost the definitive Sci-Fi action film.
Particularly effective is the dream sequence involving the LA nuke and the kids playing in the playground: it’s brilliantly (and horrifically) done.
Arnie is terrific.
When you think of the world’s great actors, Arnold Schwartzenegger is not a name that springs to mind. In most of his films he exhibits – how shall we put it kindly – a limited range. This is perhaps the perfect role for him, since he plays the impassive android perfectly (as in the first film) but also gets to develop a slightly softer side in his relationship with John. Some of his comic asides have gone down in legend.
Linda Hamilton is also a kick-ass heroine and delivers a great performance as the desperate, mentally-disturbed inmate. I do find her monotone voiceover (regular readers will know I hate voiceovers in films in general) to be an annoyance.
VFX that still impress (with one notable exception).
The special visual effects of the T-1000 disintegrating and then recombining were “WOW!-worthy” back in 1991 and they still impress to this day. Cameron was also really innovative with some of the tricks, such as the T-1000 (literally) doing an about face in the steel-works finale.
What really hasn’t aged well is the ‘portal’ effect when the T-1000 first arrives. It’s just a fairly boring grey circle. I wonder if Cameron chose this approach to match the original effect in the 1984 original as a ‘throw-back’ rather than update it. But if so, that was a mistake imho.
Summary Thoughts on “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”
Just so innovative in its day and still a great watch, it really has to be a 5-star film.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJy_L-QtGb8.
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