Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Terminator 2: Judgement Day



Sequels are usually shite. Be honest. They’re a piss-diluted shadow of their superior forebear. They take all the best elements of the first film, throw them out and replace them with tripe. Of course, there are exceptions that prove the rule – Godfather II, X-men 2, Aliens and Terminator 2 (that’s them all).

Two of the items on the definitive list above belong to the masterworks of James Cameron – Aliens being a sequel to Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’ and T2 from his own Terminator movie. When he’s not busy making flawless movies, he’s also breaking new frontiers with CG effects and spearheading the 3D renaissance. The man can do no wrong.

T2 picks up the action 15 years after the first movie. John Connor has since been born and is now a troublesome teenager(Edward Furlong). Sara Connor (Linda Hamilton) has been locked away in a mental asylum for trying to blow up the Cyberdyne factory. Her son, living with foster parents, refuses to believe his mother's stories about his destiny in the forthcoming machine war.

As before, the machines send back a Terminator from the future to stop John from becoming the leader of the human resistance. Likewise, the resistance send back another lone protector with orders to prevent John’s death. In a twist on the original movie’s plot, it’s Arnie’s turn to be the good guy. The resistance have successfully reprogrammed a super tough T-800, but his opponent is a much more sophisticated machine – A liquid metal assassin who can change shape and absorb bullets – The T-1000 (Robert Patrick).

Once the players are established the film becomes a game of Cat and Mouse, but is never formulaic. The police alert Sara that the same guy who shot up a police station 15 years ago is back on the scene and her son is missing. The film delivers a clever turn of events as Sara initially believes the T-800 is the enemy. Once her son and the machine help break her out of the asylum they decide to prevent the Machine War by destroying the Cyberdine factory.

Cyberdine found fragments of the original Terminator and have begun retro-engineering the CPU to design their own self-aware machines. It’s another great example of the Grandfather paradox from Cameron - Without finding the parts, Cyberdine couldn’t have designed the Terminators, so they could never have been sent back in the first place.

This is as near to the perfect movie you’re ever likely to find in this world. The story is great with its own mythology and hidden depths. The acting is match perfect – what other character suited Schwarzenegger better than the Terminator? But, the thing that sets this apart from every other Sci-fi actioner, even the original film, is the special effects.

Never before or since have we seen such effective and classy use of CGI. The key is Cameron’s reserved use of the liquid metal effect. Never does he get carried away, only using it when the action demands.

If he could make a film like this fifteen years ago, one can only wonder what he’ll accomplish with Avatar.

Verdict 10/10
Pure Movie Perfection.