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| Terminator 2: Judgment Day |
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  (9/10)
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Runtime: 137 |
| Public Rating: 9.63 (103 votes) |
Director: James Cameron |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Action, Sci-Fi |
Year: 1991 |
| Writer(s): James Cameron, William Wisher Jr. |
| Distributor: TriStar Pictures |
| Reviewed by: The Moose |
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Mankind has always depended on machines to help them survive in the world whether they are used to gather food, build homes or destroy enemies. In our modern world, humans rely on computers to perform most everyday tasks and keep the status quo. But imagine a world where computers and machines control man’s destiny. A world where there is no light or joy, only darkness and death. That world was presented for the first time in 1984’s Terminator. The original film, which starred then new comer Arnold Schwarzenegger, cost an estimated $7 million to produce and brought in $40 million by the end of its run. But it was the cult following when the film came to video that brought about plans to create a sequel. Terminator 2: Judgment Day was given a much larger budget and a new director, James Cameron, the man who took the reins of the Alien franchise and helped reinvent it. Can Cameron perform the same act on the Terminator franchise or will the judgment on the sequel be not so good?
The story goes that the machines have taken control of the world and have mankind on the run. In the year 2029, a super intelligent computer program called Skynet has caused a nuclear confrontation between the United States and Russia which results in the deaths of 3 billion human beings. The survivors of the catastrophic event declare that moment Judgment Day and the battle between man and machine begins. A resistance movement is lead by John Connor but Skynet plans to take care of him. They have sent two Terminators, machines that look human, back in time, one to 1984 and the other to 1997, to kill John Connor and preventing the creation of the resistance movement. The Terminator that was sent to 1984 was destroyed in the original Terminator and now the T-850 has been employed by the resistance movement to protect John from the T-1000 and prevent the extinction of mankind. But John and his mother have other plans. They plan to prevent the creation of Skynet altogether. The story for Terminator 2 does a very good job at setting up why there is a sequel to the original film when the first Terminator was destroyed. The film can be quite confusing if you have not seen the original film, so watching the original is highly recommended before checking out T2. Not to say that the film can not be enjoyed with no previous knowledge on the franchise, you just won’t understand a lot of what is going on.
The cast, as limited as it is, is very well put together. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns once again as the T-850 Terminator but this time around he is the hero, not the villain. Schwarzenegger was, pardon the unintentional pun, designed for this role because he works on so many different levels. His character, though only a robot, is given much more emotion as he becomes a father-like figure to John Connor and as he tries to contemplate human emotions like crying. Linda Hamilton is the only other returning character from the original and works well with the role of John Connor’s mother. Her character is turned into more of a psychopathic person rather then the loving mother she was in the original but Hamilton still works well with what is given to her. Robert Patrick works very well as the T-1000 Terminator. Patrick oozes with this creepy charm that allows him to be menacing whenever he is on screen and keeps the audience the edge of their seat especially when the T-1000 fights the T-850 at the end of the movie. And Edward Furlong presents a rebel-like attitude to the character of the young John Connor but at times he feels too cute. But at times that cuteness seems to work especially as the film ends.
Overall, Terminator 2: Judgment Day goes totally beyond excitement of the original by combining excellent storytelling with amazing special effects. Though at this film was made back in 1991, the same special effects that were mind blowing at the time the film was released are still quite impressive today. The CGI work in this film set into motion brand new work with computer graphics for films like Jurassic Park as well as many others. James Cameron proves that he can totally reinvent a franchise and succeed at it when anybody else might have failed miserably. There are only slight problems that can be seen with T2. One of those problems would have to be with the pacing of the film. During the middle of the film, things really slow down with no real action and only dialogue. It is at this point that many movie-goers might believe that the 2 hour time length for the film is too much but once the film is over, the time length is perfect. The pacing should just have been a bit better worked out. The other problem is that some of the action sequences seem not to do really anything outside of showing off the special effects but that is common among action films. Outside the small squabble or two, Terminator 2 is a cinematic master-piece that shows that sequels can truly out do their predecessors.
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 Printable Version
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Commentary by 26 members of cast and crew
Theatrical trailer(s)
1.85 Widescreen - Theatrical Version
1.85 Widescreen - Special Edition Version
Over 6 hours of content
"The Making of T2" Featurette
"T2: More Than Meets the Eye" Featurette
"The Making of T2: 3-D: Breaking the Screen Barrier" - in depth look into the making of the MCA/ Universal theme park attraction "Terminator 2: 3D: Battle Across Time"
Supplemental Material - additional features which cover every aspect of the Terminator 2: Judgment Day film making process
Cast and crew information
Entire screenplay
Over 700 storyboards
Limited edition case
Special 32-page collector's booklet
Widescreen anamorphic format
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