Viewed in
2000, 2009, 2011
Formats
DVD, HDTV
Premise
In the sequel to The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as a good cyborg in charge of protecting young John Conner from a more advanced cyborg.
Loved
Bad ass action sequences.
Liked
Unexpected charm.
Thoughts
This classic belongs in the pantheon of great sequels outdoing their predecessors.
Talk about bang for your buck, there were explosions, stabbings, futuristic laser fights, chases involving motorcycles to eighteen-wheelers, guns a-blazing, and Arnold wielding a handheld gatling gun. My favorites were the car chases because of the genuine, exciting and inventive car stunts.
I was very impressed with the story. I loved how it took the results of the first film seriously and used them as setups for this film, especially Sarah Conner's situation at the beginning. As a fans of the original, I was satiated with the cool tie-ins and interesting twists, such as Arnold as the good guy, and the famous lines repeated in different context. Both Sarah and Terminator had cool arcs (when you account for the first film).
The most surprising part was the humor, this was helped by Arnold's improved acting and fun writing as John Conner and Terminator bond unexpectedly. Robert Patrick as the T-1000 was an interesting choice, but I think he pulled it off, with his human-but-not-quite-human-and-still-cold-blooded acting. Edward Furlong's acting was pretty lame compared to those two and Linda Hamilton.
From the first shot, you could tell how drastically improved technology has jumped (as well as the budget). However, living in the era of top-notch computer graphics, the pioneering shots of the T-1000 morphing are laughably dated. It was too easy to recognize them as CGI. I find it interesting that the first Terminator had inferior special effects, but they felt more genuine. Perhaps special effects become dated, then hit a dated threshold in which we start to appreciate them again?
This was one of the best films of the 1990's, and arguably Arnold's and James Cameron's best works. I loved this film for the awesome car chases, and surprising humor and writing.
What I would change
In an early scene, it is unclear if Arnold is good or bad, as he enters a bar and takes everything he needs in his usual badass way. Then inexplicably, George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone" starts playing. Suddenly, the scene became too cheesy and over-the-top.
Personal
While I understand the two films were seven years apart, it's still striking to see how much Arnold had aged. Suddenly, his face is craggy and his body shrunk. This was very noticeable if you watch both back-to-back.
