Released: July 1991
Director: James Cameron
Rated R
Run Time: 137 Minutes(Theatrical Release), 154 Minutes(Special Edition)
Distributor: Tri-Star Pictures/Artisan Entertainment/Lionsgate Studios
Genre: Science Fiction/Action
Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Terminator
Linda Hamilton: Sarah Conner
Robert Patrick: T-1000
Edward Furlong: John Conner
Earl Boen: Dr. Silberman
Joe Morton: Miles Dyson
S. Epatha Merkerson: Tarissa Dyson
You might be wondering: Why is Major Tom reviewing Terminator 2? Several reasons. One: It’s literally been 26 years since the original release of the film, so writing a review on the film makes sense. Two: James Cameron is going to be re-releasing the film to certain theaters next month in 3-D. Three: Because I feel like it. In 1984, a young up-and-comer of a director named James Cameron unleashed a science fiction film onto unsuspecting audiences: The Terminator. Featuring an iconic performance by also up-and-coming actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Terminator etched its way into the minds of film-goers world-wide. A story featuring a time-traveling murderous cyborg was very unique. Written and Directed by James Cameron, The Terminator became an instant classic, combining elements of science fiction, action and horror into one movie. The film launched the careers of both James Cameron, who would go on to direct Aliens as his next movie, which would also become revered, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who became one of the biggest action stars of the 80’s and 90’s. The film changed what expectations would be for certain forms of science fiction. That’s nothing to say of the visual effects which were state-of-the-art at the time and for a very small budget. It’s widely regarded as one of the best science fiction films of all time. 26 years ago today, James Cameron managed to do the impossible: He created a sequel that not only surpassed the original film in terms of visual effects, but also crafted one of the greatest sequels ever.
Considering how everybody and their mother has seen both The Terminator and the sequel, I don’t feel that it’s necessary to go over the film’s story. Don’t get me wrong, the story for Terminator 2 isn’t awful. It’s great. It’s just that considering how well-received this film was/is, I would rather go over the elements that made this film so damned good. The story is obviously a continuation of the adventure we saw in the original film, but taking place a decade later. The story for T2 feels like a very natural extension of what we saw before. We see young John Connor as a rebellious youth while his mother is incarcerated in a mental facility. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character shows up to protect the child from the film’s new villain, the T-1000, played by Robert Patrick. Because of a much larger budget, the story and characters are given time to grow and evolve. Even Schwarzenegger’s character evolves. The story makes sense and is paced well enough to keep things going, but it also allows time for the audience to connect with the characters.
Speaking of characters, they feel like real people caught up in very unusual circumstances. John Conner is an understandably troubled, but intelligent young kid with no respect for authority. Of all the people who played John Connor over the years, Edward Furlong is easily the best. Because he was a kid at the time of filming, he infused the character with his own levels of rebellion and attitude. Young John Connor behaves like a real kid. Sarah Connor is no longer the meek and weak young woman that we saw in the first film. Here, she’s a battle-hardened warrior-mother that generally knows how to take care of herself. Linda Hamilton really upped her game for this one and underwent weeks and weeks of training to sell the character as she’s become. Even the side-characters are fleshed out to a certain degree. Miles Dyson, who is the creator of the chip that would eventually lead to the creation of Skynet, isn’t doing it for world domination, but to try to make the world a better place. When he’s told that his work would be responsible for the deaths of 3 billion people, you can see the distress. Joe Morton really infuses the character with a bit of naive humanity that makes the character someone you would want to survive. The Terminator himself evolves over the course of the film, and this has more to do with the extended version of the film, which is the version I’m reviewing. In the extended version of the film, we see John and Sarah open up the T-800’s skull to try and reset the switch that would help the Terminator learn more about people. There’s a lot of interesting character interactions throughout the film that are surprisingly relevant. John’s relationship to his mother is probably the most organic that I’ve seen in years. We see these two estranged characters drift apart and finally come back together as family by the end of the film, and that’s one of the movie’s key themes: Family. It’s fleshed out in a way that’s not cheesy or over-the-top.
James Cameron has always been known for trying to push film technology to the limit, and as some of his more recent films have proven, tend to take a long time to make. Cameron really first dabbled with CGI in a movie called The Abyss, in which a water tentacle, piloted by aliens, would imitate the likeness of some of the characters. This was an early attempt at “morphing.” This was eventually perfected in Terminator 2, and was featured with a villain called the T-1000, a liquid metal assassin that could assume the form of anybody that it killed. For a movie that’s 26 years old, the visual effects and CGI still hold up very, very well. Watching the T-1000 shape-shift is a thing to behold. Don’t believe me? Check it out:
Terminator 2: Judgment Day won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, if that’s any indication. It’s not just the CGI that’s incredible, but also the make-up effects, miniatures and the actual designs of the T-800 Terminators that you see at the beginning of the film. The visual effects team at Industrial Light and Magic need to be commended for how seamless their effects blended with the rest of the film.
Since this IS an action movie, let’s talk about the action: Holy. Shit. Terminator 2 features some of the craziest and incredible action sequences that I’ve ever seen. When you ask people what their favorite action scene in T2 is, they tend to not pick out just one. Honestly, the opening future sequence is brilliant. It’s bleak, it’s explosive and it’s bleak. The first car chase is between the T-1000 in a semi and John Connor and small motorcycle through a massive canal. No CGI here, ladies and gentlemen. The stunts they did, they did for real. Granted, there is some obvious use of wires, but that’s to be expected in a film this old. Every action sequence escalates. The assault at Cyberdyne is one of the most iconic sieges I’ve ever seen in a movie. Watching Arnold Schwarzenegger handle that mini-gun is awe-inspiring. The explosions are big and the gun fights are second-to-none.
The music by Brad Fiedel is definitely another one of the film’s strongest elements. It’s definitely has that electronic vibe, but also feels orchestral at times. But throughout the film, the music weaves an emotional fabric over the whole experience. The main theme is one of the most iconic music themes in cinema. The music also helps punctuate the relationships between the characters, and makes for a very emotionally gratifying experience, especially during the ending.
Speaking of endings, everybody knows all about the sequels that came after T2, but quite frankly, the story was properly wrapped up in the second film. The follow-up movies were nothing more than cash-grabs. They attempted to try and cash in on the popularity of the first two movies without understanding why these movies existed and why they are so damned good. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is not only one of the best sequels ever made, it is one of the best movies EVER. I remember seeing it in a local drive-in theater back in 1991, and I was totally blown away by it. There is a very strong message throughout the film that’s not just about the importance of family, but in how not to let technology destroy our humanity. It’s a good message, but I feel that only Sarah Connor could really sum up the message in this film:
Final Recommendation: Must Own. Perfect 10/10.