Review 113: Terminator 2: Judgement Day

 

In “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” the future once again comes hunting to kill John Connor.

 

As you may remember, in the original Terminator (1984), the first Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) was sent back in time to kill Connor's mother Sarah (Linda Hamilton). That mission failed and John Connor was born. So now, two Terminators are sent back from the future: one to kill him, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) and the other, a reprogrammed T-800 model to protect him.

 

Whereas “The Terminator” felt like a dress rehearsal, like James Cameron needed some practice to get his bearings before he could make the Terminator film that he really wanted to, Terminator 2 feels like the real deal. It feels more evolved, more confident, more complicated but more impressive and sure-footed in the way it marries character development with seamless action.

At the core of Terminator 2: Judgement Day is the message that "there is no fate but what we make for ourselves."

James Cameron's direction is unobtrusive The score by Brad Fiedel is pulse pounding and energy filled. The action scenes are gripping and relentlessly fast paced, in particular a chase between John and the T-1000 through a LA storm drain.


Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the titular intimidating killer robot but, in a fun twist, this time he's helping our heroes rather than hunting them. Sent back in time to protect John Connor instead of killing him. in a role that requires him to say a lot whilst saying very little even if his dialogue is technical exposition or funny one liners.

Edward Furlong plays the young and  John Connor who despite his youthfull manges to hold his own against his

Linda Hamilton Sarah has been living with this knowledge of the future for so long. That knowledge would take a toll on anyone and she’s not there for John when he needs her most. Sarah is the quintessential survivor who has been institutionalized for warning of a nuclear holocaust that she knows is inevitable.

Robert Patrick delivers a fearsome body language driven performance as the T-1000. Not only is he a terrifically menacing threat, he’s also an excellent contrast to Schwarzenegger‘s T-800. Both are Terminators, both are connected to John and Sarah Connor; But the T-1000 is technologically superior to the T-800 and isn’t governed by the orders of John. Because of that, he’s kind of unstoppable as a result.