Terminator 2: Judgment Day Reviews

One of my favourite films and one of the greatest movies of all time, Terminator 2 (T2) is absolutely brilliant!

I remember watching T2 on the big screen in 1991. Oh boy! That was an eye-popping experience! Never mind that T2 set new standards in sfx - Terminator 2 is a tremendous film in its own right. Great story, great setting, brilliant acting & dialogue, great music. This is flawless. It's a Sci-fi Action film for the ages.

There are so many sci-fi movies these days and the effects are so good that we've gotten used to them. Very few of them measure up to Terminator 2 though. Why? Because T2 manages to create its own visual language, and it has a proper emotional heart.

Linda Hamilton returns as Sarah Connor, the more-than-half crazed, verging on psychopathic mother of John Connor (played brilliantly by Edward Furlong), future military leader (no spoilers!). Hamilton gives an exceptional performance throughout, and I mean exceptional...! The chemistry between her and her son is remarkable. But the most remarkable relationship of all is between John and a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), the machine sent to protect him. This is one of the greatest screen relationships. Iconic.

Meanwhile, a Liquid Metal Terminator - a T1000 (Robert Patrick) has been sent back through time as well. It is a highly intelligent and calculating implacable killer, and virtually indestructible. Through the T1000 we feel what it would be like to be pursued relentlessly and hunted to death. Alongside Schwarzeneggers' Terminator we understand the difference between men & machines. This is scary and brilliant at the same time.

I love this movie! Just watched it again after a long gap and it still has great impact. It doesn't seem to age. This is because the human story is so strong. Terminator 2 is a film you can watch again and again - a mark of its brilliance.

This film was a total revelation for me. A masterpiece of science fiction. This is the first film I went to see at the movie theater by myself. At the time, the film was shared secretly on video cassette. Everyone had a version it was the first time I saw that. It was much more complicated back then without streaming or even downloading.
It's a masterpiece, because not only is the screenplay interesting, with a few surprises, the dramatic intensity reinforced by Brad Fiedel's excellent music, the special effects, revolutionary for the time, the charismatic actors, the character of Sarah Connor, who went from victim fleeing to survive in the 1st episode to badass who does not let herself be done. The end, just moving, and the cult lines. This film is probably the best moment of cinema that I have experienced in my entire life.

'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' is just absolute fun to watch, it's darker and better looking than the original!

The effects are just absolutely amazing, although I find many horror movies scary, I don't really scream ('Jurassic Park' for example), but here I did jump a few times, Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as a good and a bad Terminator who have been sent by different companies

They managed to keep the plot spot on and here they changed it ever so slightly and it was just awesome, the supporting cast (Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen, Joe Morton) gave some very good performances

With 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day', at times you'll scream , at other times, you'll be blown away and at the end, you'll cry, yes I nearly cried at the end, I was still just blown away by the many (often violent) effects

You'll just love it, well acted, rave effects and often violent scenes, you'll just love it!

Terminator 2, or a.k.a the most coolest movie ever, is a sequel to The Terminator and much, much better. Granted that it was more family-friendly than it's predecessor but you cannot deny the beautiful use of (then) mind-blowing CGI and technology. Even the acting performances this time were much better: Linda Hamilton handled her role as Sarah Connor in her crazy, brink-of-insanity state better than her timid state from the first film. Also, Robert Patrick as T-1000, one of the greatest villains ever to hit the screen. He was the perfect foil for Arnie's big, muscular titular character.

Since I'm a major Cameron fan, I may be writing things from a very strict POV but like I said, this is a major fan talking here. I liked the fact that it was more than just a shoot-em-up, fight-for-survival movie. This one had a more deeper theme on the corruption of man and that destroying is easier than making. Very few action movies actually ever try to convey that message and that's exactly what makes this one unique.

You see, the trouble with Cameron's post-Aliens movies is that they're not neccessarily hated but mostly disliked by many people. Since T2 onwards he has taken on a more less-violent approach and his films are more story driven than ever. All in all, for true Cameron fans, this might be their first or second best from him and for non-true Cameron fans, this might be one of the OK films released. How in the blazing hell can you hate a movie which made Bad to the Bone synonymous with bad-assery?

9.7/10

"3 billion human lives ended on August 29th, 1997. The survivors of the nuclear fire called the war Judgment Day. They lived only to face a new nightmare: the war against the machines."

In the history of cinema, very few sequels are as loved or as acclaimed as 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day, writer-director James Cameron's follow-up to his 1984 science fiction thriller that helped to solidify Arnold Schwarzenegger's star status. Although the technical execution of Terminator 2 holds up decades later, it remains a hugely flawed blockbuster as a whole, and it looks positively garbage compared to its dark, horrifying predecessor. A family-friendly sequel, this follow-up set the template that is now followed by every PG-13 blockbuster today, with softened violence, a lighter tone, slipshod attempts at depth, and a lower body count. On top of this, Cameron's expansion of the franchise's mythology creates massive holes and logistical issues.

In the future, a holocaust known as Judgment Day brings about the end of the world, denoting the beginning of a war between machines (controlled by a network known as Skynet) and humankind. The human resistance is led by a man named John Connor (Michael Edwards). In the original film, Skynet sent a ruthless cyborg known as a Terminator back in time to kill John's mother, Sarah (Linda Hamilton), before John could be born. It failed. Thus, in Terminator 2, Skynet sends another Terminator - a more advanced model, a T-1000 (Robert Patrick) - back to the early 1990s to kill a ten-year-old John Connor (Edward Furlong). Naturally, future Connor also sends along a protector for his younger self; this time, a reprogrammed T-800 model Terminator (Schwarzenegger). On the run from the T-1000, John, his protector, and his mother begin working to destroy Skynet before its construction in the hope of preventing the rise of the machines.

With the hulking Schwarzenegger emerging as the hero here, Cameron needed another actor to assume the villain mantle. It would have been silly to attempt to out-bulk the enormous Austrian Oak; the T-1000 is instead the picture of ordinariness whose ostensible physical inferiority is compensated for in the nature of its construction: it's almost indestructible. Patrick excels as this new model of Terminator, with a cold, stoic demeanour which renders him an effective antagonist. The T-1000 is a cyborg comprised of "liquid metal" that can morph into physical objects or beings of similar size and can form knives out of its limbs. With the T-1000, Cameron took the chance to perfect the digital effects technology that the filmmaker had pioneered for The Abyss. Terminator 2 was not the first film to use CGI, but it was one of the first movies to use the tool in such a capacity. Of course, the digital effects are not as seamless as they once appeared back in the early 1990s, but they hold up quite well primarily because Cameron used them judiciously, mostly relying on old-fashioned practical effects and make-up. When Mr. Cameron spends a lot of money on a movie, all of it shows up on-screen. Also of note is the wonderful score courtesy of Brad Fiedel. The main Terminator theme at once haunts and entices, while all the supplemental music gets the heart racing.

Although entertaining and skilfully-assembled, Terminator 2's fatal errors stem from the script. Cameron's writing is hampered by countless cheesy lines, most notably derived from John's interactions with the T-800. As a direct consequence, the dark, edgy tone of the original Terminator is compromised. The violence of this sequel is toned-down, with Schwarzenegger unable to actually terminate anyone. Arnie makes more sense as a villain - he's an intimidating, well-built figure, and the "sweet, friendly cyborg" role is not a good fit for the Austrian Oak. It's especially disappointing to behold Arnie's T-800 firing a minigun at the police but being careful not to hit any of them or cause any casualties. Although Terminator 2 is rated R due to profanity and a few violent action beats, it does feel like Hollywood's first step towards sanitised PG-13 action movies - it unmistakably ushered in a number of conventions that dragged the genre out of the low-tech '80s and into the modern, high-sheen blockbuster territory of the 21st Century.

Furthermore, Sarah is too one-dimensional and overdramatic, though Hamilton does handle the material well enough. John, meanwhile, is whiny and fragile despite supposedly being a badass punk. Furlong's performance is a serious drawback, and he's especially awful during the cutesy interchanges in which he teaches the T-800 to talk like a wiseass. Even worse are the scenes in which Furlong weeps. Equally abysmal are the attempts at goofy humour and sweetness. The Spielberg-esque ending is out of place in this franchise, and other moments - like Arnie's attempt at smiling - are impossible to watch without cringing. Schwarzenegger's performance is focused, but the material fails to serve him. Plot holes exist in the feature, too. How did the liquid metal T-1000 get through the time portal without a covering of living tissue? In addition, there are inconsistencies - the Terminators are emotionless robots, so why does the T-1000 give us the world's greatest "Oh shit!" face right before its destruction?

Terminator 2 does further the mythology of this series, but the results are muddled and confusing. Why did the machines send the T-1000 to take out John as a boy when they could have sent one back to 1983 to kill an unsuspecting Sarah Connor? But if that did happen, then that would mean that the events of the original movie never took place because it is established that whatever happened due to time travel is what has always happened, what with the paradox involving Kyle Reese being John's father. It makes your head hurt. The first Terminator was a beautifully self-contained story, as it was established that the time displacement equipment was destroyed after Reese and the T-800 travelled back to 1984. How, then, can further time travel occur? More pertinently, why would Skynet stop sending cyborgs to kill John or his mother? Surely there's no kill attempts limit. Moreover, Judgment Day is ostensibly prevented here, which makes no sense because that would delay the birth of Kyle Reese and mess up the entire timeline. Perhaps Terminator 2 should have actually ended like its maligned sequel, 2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, with the characters ultimately realising that Judgment Day is inevitable, accepting it, and watching it occur. That would have been a dark, haunting and powerful ending.

In spite of its gaping flaws, Terminator 2: Judgment Day will forever be remembered as the film that helped to redefine the summer movie experience, for better or for worse. Cameron's sublime skills as a filmmaker keep the movie afloat, but Terminator 2 still pales in comparison to its masterful predecessor despite being more polished.

5.9/10

It is widely known that 95 % of all sequels are worthless. Not this one... Is this sequel better than its predecessor ? Difficult to say but it is definitely a worthy sequel. I remember it so well, I actually saw this damned thing with my father when it came out. Seriously, I must have been 12 years old and, back then, it just blew me away. On top of that, the character of John Connor made it really easy to get into the story since I was about the same age. Many years later, I watched this movie again with my step-son and, once again, I was really impressed. In fact, the story was almost identical to the first movie but they have added so many new elements so it didn't bother me whatsoever. This time, James Cameron had a huge budget (in fact, it was the most expensive movie ever made at that time) and it clearly shows on the screen. Indeed, you had here some groundbreaking special effects and some really kick-ass action scenes. Once again, the story was a mix of despair, funny scenes with some great oneliners and even some interesting bonding between Sarah Connor, John Connor and the Terminator. Anyway, to conclude, it is a great SF action flick, it is completely entertaining from the beginning until the end and it is definitely worth a look.

This is an absolutely unbelievable, explosive, intense thrill ride that gripped me from start to finish! Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the most famous film of the Terminator series even though it was probably underestimated at first. When I saw it the first time, I absolutely loved it and when I saw it again on DVD, I still do love it! The first Terminator film is a rather simple story but Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the start of a very complex franchise. After seeing the first one, I didn't think there needed to be more Terminator films. I changed my mind about that when I saw the second film. The third Terminator was pretty crap and the fourth one was really good. The second one is complex but isn't as complex as the third or especially the fourth Terminator film.


Arnold Schwarzenegger makes an absolutely splendid return as The Terminator. The visual effects on The Terminator in this second film are better than in the first one. In the first film, we just see The Terminator as a cold-blooded killer but in this film we see that he actually does have a heart and has feelings especially when he gets involved with Sarah and John Connor. Linda Hamilton made another awesome return as Sarah Connor. We see a different kind of Sarah Connor in this one as we do a different kind of Terminator when comparing to the first film. She is a normal woman in the first one who is in danger of The Terminator. She is a bit of a psycho in the second film to start with but when she gets involved with her son John and Terminator that changes.


It is a fact that James Cameron is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. James Cameron is only the director of science fiction films but also of action films because every single film that he has done does have action in it; even Titanic. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is another great accomplishment of his. James Cameron is a genius at creating the Terminator series but I have to say that it is the most complex film franchise ever. James Cameron has created a hardcore and brutal film that I think most people would love.


Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of the best films of 1991 and that was a great year for cinema. I love this film more than Terminator: Rise Of The Machines and Terminator Salvation but I don't like Terminator 2: Judgment Day as much as The Terminator. As far as films James Cameron has made, I prefered Aliens, The Terminator, True Lies and Titanic over this film but I liked this one more than The Abyss. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a very violent, action-packed, suspensful thrill ride that I absolutely love!

''3 billion human lives ended on August 29th, 1997. The survivors of the nuclear fire called the war Judgment Day. They lived only to face a new nightmare: the war against the machines. The computer which controlled the machines, Skynet, sent two Terminators back through time.''

The cyborg who once tried to kill Sarah Connor must now protect her teenager son, John Connor, from an even more powerful and advanced cyborg.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Terminator

''Hasta la vista, baby.''

The first Terminator project was a modest success at the box office in 1984; by 1990, millions of people were anxious for a sequel. James Cameron granted their wish and again exceeded expectations with his effort.
The sequel is 10 years later, based upon the age of the central character (played by newcomer Ed Furlong from American History X). Cameron was provided with a budget exceeding the original picture a hundred fold over, and used this to his advantage. Notably, this was an early use of computer FX which are prevalent today; back then, they were simply amazing to behold (this was before even Jurassic Park, and each instance of their use was mind blowing). Most of the best examples of effects used in T2, revolved around the T-1000 super-villain (Robert Patrick), a revolutionary approach to depicting a fantastic menace. Arnold was back as another durable cyborg, a multi-layered hero this time, the big man was on the side of good.



The film was another impressive progression of action and suspense, interlocked with the theme of nuclear holocaust. More than just building on the threat of nuclear annihilation from the 1st pic, the picture throws the concept at the audience with some striking images. It slows at about the halfway point when the heroes evade the pursuing super-killer for a time, but then you see that nuclear bomb going off, still about the best such depiction ever seen. Just when you think you can relax for a few minutes, a city blows up. By this time, the definitive version of this film is the extended cut Cameron presented a couple of years later. The extra scenes accentuate the plot and elaborate the story wonders, not that they needed it, but it's a nice little dessert for fans.

''I need your clothes, boots and your motorcycle.''

Like all the best sequels, it presents characters which progress and advance. This is especially true of Linda Hamilton's character; she's really lived those past 10 years and is a much older, much stronger mother figure here, moulded by ceaseless struggle. She really does turn out to be the mother of the future, as mentioned in the original Terminator, obsessed with saving us all from a nuclear Armageddon. Arnold, of course, has to play a more human-like, more understanding cyborg, very different from the mono-syllabic droid he interpreted in the previous installment. The film pulls another fast one in the beginning, still keeping the audience guessing as to which is the heroic protector, Arnold or the T-1000(the T-1000 actually seems more human than Arnold in the first segment). When the hero turns out to be Arnold, the viewer claps in appreciation for a fine role reversal. We had to wait another dozen years for the next one, but it could never match this baby.

Overall, Terminator 2: Judgement Day is not like other typical actioners, which are usually mindless, moronic and are little more than an excuse to eat snacks and put on in the background as mindless accompaniment. Instead, it's got depth, emotion, character and is highly memorable, and keeps you glued to the screen throughout – as well as boasting some astounding action and suspense while flaunting state of the art effects at the time, which still look good to this day. T2 is quite possibly the best action film and a unrivaled sequel, in existence, and I'm predicting that it will hold that honour for all time...Lastly, just picture this; Patrick Patrick running; his arms going up and down; his hands straight; that droning, mesmerizing sound of toned dread pounding in the background. This is a thrilling, timeless piece of action/thriller art which squeezes at your heart strings. Just writing about T2 makes me want to watch it again, then melt everytime...and hear those iconic lines...Arnie will be back! and thus viewers will be back for repeated viewings everytime.

''The future's not set. There's no fate but what we make for ourselves.''

What does pure badassery from the future look like?
A big, muscular humanoid who likes to steal biker clothes, swing his shotgun on a high speed motorcycle, wear his sunglasses even at night, and is programmed to speak with a heavy-@ss Austrian accent.
This is the series in which Ahnold solidified the catch-phrase ""Ah'll be bock."
And he didn't stop coming bock until we finally elected his blockbuster @ss into office.
Well,
I guess that's one way to stop an unstoppable killing machine.




One of those rare exceptions when a sequel is better than the original.
James Cameron, you are a god.

This movie is one of those rare times where an original that was already pretty bad-ass is followed up by a sequel that is even more bad-asser.
As someone who enjoys the category of science fiction probably more than any other genre when it comes to films, I seriously think that Judgment Day, along with his efforts on Aliens, shows why there should be a law that states that James Cameron should be in charge of directing all sequels from now on.
After a going thru a summer this year that has been epitomized by listlessly plotted blockbusters such as the other movie known as T-2 (Michael Bay's), this T-2 is a reminder that even though a certain degree of suspension of belief is required from one's brain in order to accept a movie about battling robots, you do not have to completely revert to the mind level of a five-year old in order to enjoy it.



Mannn....
I wish I was made outta liquid metal.

"The second Terminator production has been widely regarded as better than the first."

Because it is. Featuring improved everything, the inverted Arnie role is key to the film. Without that, the film would lose a lot of the outstanding quality it has. While the original is good, this is essentially Terminator Mark II, filling in the pitfalls of its original and far exceeding it