“Hasta la vista, baby.” —The Terminator
Today’s quick review: Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Ever since she caught a glimpse of a future ruled by machines, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) has been preparing for Judgment Day, the day when Skynet will trigger a nuclear holocaust. Sarah gets the chance to change fate when a reprogrammed Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) comes back in time to save her son John (Edward Furlong) from the T-1000 (Robert Patrick), the newer model sent to kill him.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a sci-fi action movie written and directed by James Cameron. Terminator 2 follows in the footsteps of the first film, keeping the same core of solid sci-fi while putting a new spin on the premise. Impressive action, a menacing villain, a high-stakes plot, and a range of iconic moments combine to make the movie a classic of the genre. Like its predecessor, Terminator 2 encapsulates the best sci-fi has to offer.
Terminator 2 builds on the strong foundation laid by the first movie. Sarah Connor has become a hardened warrior, willing to do anything to prevent the apocalypse. Her son John has been raised by foster parents, a troublemaker with only faint signs of the leader he’s destined to be. The Terminator has been reprogrammed as an ally, a tough an literal-minded guardian for John. In general, the changes to the formula are well-considered and interesting.
Terminator 2 has the same high execution quality as The Terminator, only with improved special effects and a greater emphasis on action. The movie delivers action in spades, with vehicle chases, gunfights, and tense showdowns. The plot finds interesting roles for its characters and has enough substance to satisfyingly fill the movie. Finally, Terminator 2 serves up another iconic villain in the form of the cold, shapeshifting T-1000.
Terminator 2 will still have some variation due to taste. The mvoie skews towards the dark, destructive side of the sci-fi genre, with traces of horror in the design and behavior of the T-1000. Its plot doesn’t delve as heavily into speculation as some science fiction, while its increased action and humor from the first movie may not sit well with purists. But these minor points are outweighed by the movie’s strong premise and high quality.
Watch Terminator 2: Judgment Day if you’re a fan of sci-fi, action, or iconic movies in general. The film does great things with the tools at its disposal, using the strength of its ideas, the tightness of its execution, and the polish of its special effects to carry off its premise. For another well-constructed sequel from James Cameron, try Aliens. For a sci-fi action movie whose story involves a hidden truth about the world, try The Matrix.
8.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it an 8.0 for a memorable story backed by excellent fundamentals.