Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

4 out of 4

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Joe Morton, Earl Boen, Xander Berkeley, Jenette Goldstein

Director: James Cameron

Time: 137 mins (extended version: 152 mins)

Not only is Terminator 2: Judgment Day ("T2") one of the best sequels of all time, it is one of the best action movies - period. When director James Cameron set out to make a sequel to his classic The Terminator (1984), he not only recruited the same lead cast, including muscle man Arnold Schwarzenegger and (then) future wife Linda Hamilton, he made it bigger, louder, more dramatic, more action-packed, and possibly even more satisfying than the first film. The original was lean and taut, a consequence of its miniscule budget (so much so that Cameron decided to use mono sound rather than compromise some of the special effects), with a climax that kept audiences on the edge of their seats as the cyborg kept coming and coming. T2 doesn't have as suspenseful a finish, but its character development and masterfully directed action setpieces have set it apart from most in its genre. Allied to some of the most groundbreaking special effects ever seen on film (even today, they look amazing), T2 is sure-fire entertainment that packs a mighty wallop.

I still remember when I first went to watch T2 back in September 1991. It had just opened the week before, but an important exam had prevented me from going on the opening few days. Needless to say, after the exam, I went with my dad to see it. Was it an incredible experience? You betcha. I was enthralled, and excited, as I hadn't been since I saw Die Hard (1988) during the study week before my final high school exams (what is it with me, study, and big action films?). The original Terminator was an exciting ride, if a bit rough around the edges. The sequel outdoes it in nearly every way, except for the climax and the slight lack of originality in the story. The major action sequences redefine the word major, with the non-stop finale itself lasting some 30 minutes. The characters are more well-rounded, with Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor especially convincing as the gentle waitress turned single-minded (and muscular) weapon-wielder. Even Arnold's T-800 cyborg is allowed to develop human emotions, which allows for many humorous as well as poignant moments. And the incredible liquid metal special effects pretty much stamped computer generated imagery (CGI) as a legitimate and innovative form of visual effects.

The story is basically a rehash of the original's. In the future, intelligent machines are waging a war against a human resistance led by one John Connor. Two terminators - human-looking, robotic killing machines - are sent back in time, one, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick), to kill John Connor (Edward Furlong) when he is 10 years old, and the other, a reprogrammed T-800 (Schwarzenegger), to protect him. With John's mother Sarah (Hamilton) and computer expert Miles Dyson (Joe Morton), they set out to destroy the threat of the machines even as they keep running for their lives.

While time travel is used in both T2 and its predecessor, the science fiction aspects are not really dwelled on too much. Both films contain paradoxes - those intriguing what-if occurrences that can happen with time travel, such as how can something happen in the future if someone hadn't come back in time to inaugurate the chain of events that lead to it - but T2 itself is first and foremost an action film. And boy, what action! Cameron had already shown he was a maestro of taut, pulse-pounding sequences with The Terminator and Aliens (1986), and, in scope at least, he tops those earlier efforts with what he presents in T2. There are spectacular chases along canals and long stretches of highway, involving massive trucks, helicopters, and even a trailer carrying liquid nitrogen. There is a tense escape from a mental hospital, and a blazing sequence in an office building surrounded by police. And the climax in a steel factory is a showcase for the fluid liquid metal effects created by Industrial Light and Magic, even if the sequence is ultimately not as breathlessly suspenseful as the original's ending. With the reported $US100 million budget (a record and a milestone at the time), Cameron throws everything at you bar the kitchen sink, and it shows.

Arnold's role as the cold, unemotional killer robot in the first film was perfectly suited to his limited acting abilities. Here he is allowed to "learn", and becomes more human in the process. Fans of Arnold's deadpan delivery will also find the usual array of Schwarzenegger one-liners throughout the film, including some funny moments when young John Connor teaches him the art of street speak. While he is obviously the headline star, it is actually Linda Hamilton who impresses. Cameron has always had strong female characters in his films, and Sarah Connor continues the tradition. With a hard-edged face and military-lean body, she effectively conveys the steely determined woman her formerly gentle waitress had turned into after the events in the first film, studded with occasional maternal vulnerability. Furlong is fine in his debut as the young John Connor, cocky but never too annoying or cloyingly cute. The only issue I have with his character is that he's amazingly astute and mature for a 10-year-old. But never mind. Robert Patrick is very good as the the wiry T-1000, his small stature contrasting perfectly with the bulky T-800 of Arnold. Joe Morton is also good as the computer man who doesn't know what he's getting into with his state-of-the-art research. Cameron regular Jenette Goldstein (Aliens, Titanic) appears in a small role as John Connor's foster mother.

It must be noted that there are two versions of T2 currently available. One is the original theatrical version, running 137 minutes; the other an extended 152 minute version released several years later on laserdisc. The extra scenes include a dream sequence with Sarah and John's father Kyle; a moment when Arnold's T-800 has been switched off and Sarah debates whether to destroy his chip; and extra exposition on the T-1000's powers near the ending. I believe these additional scenes add even more depth and drama to the film, unlike the previous extended version of Cameron's Aliens, which revealed too much. If you have a choice, the extended version is the preferred cut.

T2 is not the supreme accomplishment that Aliens is, nor the Oscar-winning Best Picture that Titanic became. It is, however, the favourite James Cameron film for many. Expanding on the first film in numerous ways, with stupendous action, welcome doses of humour, and brilliant special effects, T2 is one of the best action movies ever. Whether the original or extended version, just watch it.

(c) Joe Wong (14 September 2000)